When was the last time you thought about your thoughts? It’s a bit quirky, but still it’s an important. Negative thoughts can consume us if we let them. They affect your mood, your social life, your personal relationships, your Work performance and more.
Negative thinking is strap that most of us fall into (at least once in a while). It’s not pleasant, but it is understandable why our minds go there. According to Dr Lisa W. Coyne-McCoy “Humans and our brains have evolved such that we are capable of language, something no other mammals have. Our ability to speak, think abstractly, and reason gives us the absence of our direct experience. For example, you might have learned not to touch a hot stove because your parents told you don’t touch, it’s hot.”
Everyone had a mind that speaks to them, we think of it as our verbal mind or our advisor. It’s the part of you that is linked to your languaging brain whose function is to serve as your “threat detector.” That internal “threat detector” is a good thing, it makes us aware of anything that might be dangerous: it’s function is to help us avoid making the same mistakes over and over, so that we are physically and existentially safe.
We experience negative thoughts for a good reason. But there are ways we can control them, or help eliminate them. With some patience and practice. Be aware that negative thoughts are likely to pop up more while your trying to eliminate them.
There is a dark side of negativity.
While there are good, solid reasons to keep our negative thoughts around, there is also a part that is not as helpful as they are hurtful. There was some recent research that was done in Canada that confirmed a link between Alzheimer’s disease and negatively. The studies showed that prolonged negativity weakens your brain’s ability to reason, think things through, and form memories. It’s like negative thinking drains your brain’s resources.
On top of that negativity breeds negativity. I compare it to a addiction we don’t see or recognize. Many of us unconsciously use negativity as a defense mechanism. It protects us from things not working out. Our minds use negative thoughts so we’re not blindsided when we are disappointed
Unfortunately this anticipated failure or bad luck also prevents us from putting our best foot forward. We might think we are 100% into a task, but our thoughts subconsciously stop us from fully investing our time and our hopes.
The Law of Attraction
We have probably all heard of the law of attraction, but many don’t know that using positive thoughts and statements can attract luck, fortune, and whatever else you’re hoping the universe can deliver. Although I’ve never won in Law Vegas, by telling myself I was going to win big. There is science behind this.
The law of attraction is an Ancient concept, asserting that our life is our own creation. It states that we as conscious beings, can influence our life’s events.
Nobel Prize winner Max Planck is considered one of the founding fathers of quantum physics. He said, “As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to study matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about the atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom to vibration and hold this more minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. The mind is a matrix of matter.
Planck likens the law of attraction to prayer, when Forbes reported on studies looking at the power of prayer, they found many similarities. One study compared a group of women who prayer for having a baby with women who didn’t and their rate of success, was nearly twice as many children were conceived from the group that prayed. It didn’t matter who the women were praying for, the purpose of the study was to see the difference voicing ideals makes. These results, along with numerous other studies seem to show that verbalizing your hopes turn out to be realities.
What happens when you change your thinking?
Brains like consistency. They might be more spontaneous and unpredictable than computers, but they perform in a similar way; working more efficiently when they’re doing what they’re really good at. Thoughts (good or bad) create channels in your brain. It’s like when a gentle rain falls on your window. Drops find paths of previous drops, and continue sliding down them. When we think negative thoughts, it’s easier to keep thinking negative thoughts. They flow out through the same channels of previous negative thoughts.
When we start to change our thinking patterns to produce more positive thoughts. It’s difficult at first. Those pathways aren’t there, or at least not as prominent as the negative patterns. But with time, consistent effort, and the ability to forgive yourself when you make a mistake, you’ll eventually get there. Those new pathways will form and soon enough one positive thought leads to another and another.
Kick out the bad to make room for the good
You can start down the pathway of positive thinking right now. Take a minute of a genuine answer to this question. But you have to believe in the answer, in order for it to work. Name one thing you like about yourself? For some people this will be difficult, even though others can probably list a dozen likable characteristics about you in two minutes. So think about who you like about yourself and say it out loud.
Did you do it? Did you actually say it out loud? It’s important, it helps to solidify those new pathways. Don’t be embarrassed, or self-conscious, or wonder if it’s true. Your opinion is the only one that matters. If it’s difficult, do worry, (I spent what seemed like forever saying good things about myself). There are other tactics to help turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts.
Forcing Positivity. The next time you think a negative thought, follow it up with a positive thought. Hold that positive thought in your mind for one full minute, longer if you can. By doing this the brain’s ability to recognize itself will form new neural connections. There are two keys components to this: one being attention density, the amount of weight or credit you’re giving the positive thought and time, and holding on to the thought long enough so the neural connections are formed.
Take A Beat: When your starting to feel anxious, stressed or worried, your negative thoughts have already started to creep in. Pause! Take a moment to force your awareness on the present. Take some deep breaths, while paying attention to your five senses. This is a meditation technique that is used in anger management. It works because it focuses on the exact moment and takes away the anticipation which is stressing you out. It also eliminates the emotion which allows you to think clearly, and puts a positive spin on it.
Label Your Thoughts. When you notice you are getting flustered or weighed down with negativity try to catch yourself in the act of being negative. Then label the thought, explain it and tuck it away. If your worried about a work project, for example,you might label your thoughts as “I’m thinking that my boss won’t like it, I’m worried that my hard work will be wasted. I’m thinking this way because it has happened before. Even though I have experienced many positive results from my hard work.“
Continue to practice labeling your thoughts and you will actually see your fears or apprehension fade, You will learn to catch yourself being negative, before your mind even has a chance to complete the negative thought.
.
From Pity to Praise 