If your mind is always thinking negative thoughts and you want to come out of it, you have come to the right place.
Do you know your mind processes almost 60,000 thoughts per day? The crazy thing? Almost 75% of them are negative thoughts. And 95% of them are repetitive.
But there is nothing to worry about regarding your negative feelings. You don’t have to think you are a bad person just because of your negative thoughts. Understand that thoughts are just thoughts. They are not in your mind to stay. Thoughts are just temporary.
I want to mention this quote by Michael Singer. “There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind—you are the one who hears it.”
Now, I have put together nine detailed techniques that will help you stop that negative thinking on their roads. Following any one of these techniques religiously will help you cease your negative thoughts and burn them so that they won’t disturb you again.
How to Let Go of Your Negative Emotions: 9 Techniques to Stop Negative Thoughts
You, me, my friend, your cousin, we all have done that. Negative thoughts and negative feelings are very common. Sometimes, negative thoughts can just be a wound that needs to be addressed, cleansed, and healed. Here are nine crazy techniques that have helped me personally and many people in the world that will address, cleanse, and heal negative thoughts.
- Accept yourself
- Be conscious
- Sit back and relax
- Acknowledge your negative feelings
- Look for alternatives
- Make paper your best friend
- Keep yourself distracted
- Move your body
- Spend time sending positive signals to your body
Also Read: Revealing 12 strategies to Developing a Growth Mindset:
Accept yourself :
Just because you are dwelling on negative thoughts doesn’t mean you are a bad person. So, instead of blaming yourself, accept your thoughts. Instead of shaming yourself, think, “How can i stop negative thinking?” and answer, “why do negative thoughts come to mind?”
The thoughts of negativity can stir you from the inside. But with just a few steps, you can easily combat negative feelings and accept yourself. According to research, accepting yourself will help your psychological health.
Be kind to yourself. Work on your physical, emotional, and spiritual self. Doing this will help you prioritize yourself and avoid negative thoughts.
Be conscious:
If your negative thoughts are not letting you be at peace, you have to practice mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness will help you be conscious about your thoughts.
When you are listening to your thoughts, emotions, and everything that is processed in the back of your head, you can easily point out the triggers that are producing negative thoughts.
Mindfully gathering and breaking down your thoughts will open a new door for you. You can understand your thought process and combat negative feelings easily by staying conscious.
Acknowledge your negative feelings:
Negative thoughts are like attention-seeking animals. No matter how much you try to distract yourself, it will still reappear again and again. So, it is best to acknowledge the feeling and listen to it. If you don’t know how you can listen and acknowledge, simply do this.
- If you are feeling sad or frustrated, give yourself time to recognize that emotion.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself. It is human nature to dwell on negative thoughts.
- Avoid judging yourself. Don’t limit yourself to feeling certain emotions.
- Validate your feelings.
- Do deep communication sessions with yourself.
Look for alternatives:
If all your thoughts on negativity are killing you from the inside, look for alternate, better thoughts. Challenge your brain to stop thinking negatively and try to replace it with more realistic, positive thoughts.
If there is any problem that is making you think negatively, try to challenge it and think about the solution instead of the problem.
Always pay gratitude to whatever positive things you have in your life. Try to kill the negative thinking from the roots.
Make paper your best friend:
Trust me when I say this: paper could be your real best friend. It just doesn’t have to be a physical paper. Anything that will let you pour your heart out can be your best friend. Make journaling your regular habit.
When I was in my 1st year of college, there were too many things going on in my life. My fear and insecurity were killing me from the inside. That’s when I decided to start journaling. Trust me, journaling is one of the best things life has given me. I’m very grateful to myself for staying consistent.
For starters, you can use prompts to build a habit. After continuous practice, and once you get momentum, you can go deeper. Journaling is your free therapist. I promise you.
Keep yourself distracted:
Every time those negative thoughts start creeping in, you can immediately shake it off and distract yourself.
A simple exercise I follow: I consider negative thoughts a creepy, weird stranger. And when he tries to come closer, I try to run or join the group. This is the same as I do with negative thoughts. I try to immediately shift my focus to other things. Watching something on mobile, reading books, watering the plants, helping my mom cook, anything and everything that will keep me away from those creepy, negative thoughts,
You can also try these things:
- Listening to music
- Going for a power walk
- Chopping vegetables (consider it your bad thoughts)
- Painting your heart out.
- Organize your place.
Got the idea? Perfect.
Move your body:
It is one of my favorites on this list. Every time someone asks me, “How can I stop thinking negative?” I send them my favorite workout videos. Working out releases feel-good chemicals like endorphins.
Working out also promotes healthy and better sleep. Also, exercise can be your best coping mechanism.
Research says one must do at least 2- 2.5 hours of active workout per week. You can do dancing, yoga, weights, or whatever you are comfortable with.
Spend time sending positive signals to your body:
When you get spare time, spend it loving your body. If you don’t love your body, then no one will. From the top of your head to the bottom of your foot, spread positive signals.
The best way to love your body is by doing this:
- Self-care rituals
- Sleeping well
- Eating healthy, nourishing food
- Relaxation and grounding techniques
- Drinking enough water
- Positive self-talk
- Expressing gratitude
Even if you can spend 5 minutes every day talking to your body, it is enough to stop all the negative thoughts.
Conclusion:
Therapy can be expensive. But whatever I have given you is the most helpful thing you can do to burn all the negative thoughts from inside. Remember, we all are humans, and it is human nature to think badly. So don’t be harsh on yourself. Don’t think you are a bad person if you feel any negative thoughts. It is a journey, and with patience and regular practice, it will get better.
If someone is also facing negative thoughts or indulging in negative feelings, make sure you help them by sending this blog. Let us help each other.
Love,
Ahanaf Nisha
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I remove negative thoughts from my mind?
Start with understanding your emotions. Analyze the root cause behind the emotion. Acknowledge the emotions you feel and let it sink in. Then, slowly challenge your negative thoughts.
How do I detach from negative thoughts?
Replace the negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Challenge yourself. It might be hard at first. Once you start plucking the negative thoughts from your mind, it will be easy to plan positive thoughts.
How do I stop negative self-thoughts?
Analyze why you are thinking negatively about yourself. Is it because of any past trauma in security or any weakness? Try to ignore that inner critic who is feeding you with negative thoughts about yourself.