How to stop negative thoughts before they emerge? Napoleon Hill once said that what the mind produces and believes, it can also achieve. Yes, the way of thinking is everything. What we think, we become. By the way, his book “Think and Grow Rich” is an indispensable book on the path of your personal growth.
Certain people have a rigid way of thinking, which means that for them it is difficult to step out of their comfort zone and change or improve anything. There are also people whose thinking is continually growing. These people believe that they can always develop and grow.
In Stanford, for example, a study was conducted, which included 373 students. The researchers monitored their academic performance for a year. Those students who thought that they could achieve what they wanted and that they could always be even better had achieved better success than those who in every difficulty saw only that – a problem – and not a new challenge or opportunity.
The formula is very simple: If we believe that something is possible, we can also realize this.
I suggest that you consider in which areas your thinking is purely over-confined and rigid – there is room for change. Go step by step, be persistent, and consistent.
Stop Negative Thoughts Before They Emerge
Did you know that about 60,000 thoughts shone through the brain every day? Yes, you read it right. Have you considered how many of these thoughts are negative?
Negative thoughts can quickly blow us into a vicious circle of negative chronic stress, which in the long run damages our health.
Chronic stress influences our immune system and increases the inflammatory processes in the body. Stress can also trigger the development of autoimmune diseases.
Thoughts that are born every day in our heads are in most cases completely unconscious. If negative thoughts prevail among them, this will soon be reflected in our health and well-being. So I urge you once again, stop negative thoughts before they emerge.
So how do you start to control your thoughts and turn them into a positive ones?
Awareness, Awareness, and Once Again Awareness
Consciousness can be compared with muscles – the more we use it, the more it becomes stronger. Methods such as curiosity and meditation can significantly help to raise awareness. Over time, you will find that you are not your thoughts, but their observer. This will stop the vicious circle of constant reflection, and you will be able to focus on the present moment.
Love Yourself
You can not greet the bodies you hate. All the years when you disdain and have a terrible opinion about yourself, your health and life will undoubtedly have consequences. Remember that your value is not conditional by the number which is shown on the scale.
Facing Your Own Fears
Continually estimating different situations, fears, uncertainty… All of this undermines health. Face your fears and do everything to overcome them.
Disconnecting from Technology Is Necessary
The World Wide Web allows us to have a lot of good quality and useful information at all times.
But this is just one side of the medal. Spending long hours in front of a computer screen, playing time on social networks – all this distances us from being truly present at present and getting out of the vicious circle of thoughts that only take us energy and exhaust us. Therefore, regular breaks from modern technology are necessary.
Try Yoga and Tai-Chi
When you learn to disconnect from modern technology, you will suddenly have more time to move. Tai Chi and Yoga are exercises to help you find your inner peace.
Fill Yourself with Positive Thoughts
You can throw away negative and stressful thoughts by reading or listening to positive things. Classical or meditative music, a positive podcast, a self-help book or just a simple silence – so you will calm your thoughts. In this way, you will stop negative thoughts before they emerge.
Surround Yourself with Positive People
The people with whom you are surrounded also have an impact on what your thoughts are. Try to get away from people who hurt you. Try to get away from people who drink your energy. Keep them in love – but with safe and healthy distances. In short, stop negative thoughts by avoiding negative people.
Make Sure You Have Enough Sleep
The constant weighing of certain things can also have a negative effect on your sleep. Before going to bed, shut down all electronic devices and start relaxing things – listen to music, read a good book, write, etc..
Conclusion
Sir Charles Scott Sherrington, a physiologist, who wrote some interesting books, one of them is “Man on His Nature,” said that the brain is a loom, which constantly weaves. This means, even if we feel captured, we can always do something inside ourselves. There are always ways to stop negative thoughts. This is an outstanding gift from the mother of nature.
It is in human nature that things get complicated, sometimes we stay at one point, and we too long cling to negativity. But the brain is changing, always developing, new connections are emerging among neurons. This ability gives us extraordinary power – the possibility of change. We can change our thoughts as well. The key to this change is the diversion of attention.
Namely, neurons or synapses (via which neurons are interconnected), which are used simultaneously, are interconnected. Those that we use more often strengthen, and those who we stop using us disappear. That is why it is a matter of where we turn our attention.
Dr. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist, the author of the book: Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom says:
When something gets upset, do not get oil on the fire. Take a moment and think about the negative feelings that are currently taking over you.
Mark them with a word or two: they anger you or cause you pain.
Then redirect your thoughts to something positive. For example, think of a person who loves you.
And every time you have a positive experience – whether it’s just your cat that lays on your lap – stop for a moment to take on those positive feelings.
5, 10, 20 seconds. Let real neurons connect.
With quieter brains, you will also find it much more straightforward to cope with the problem.