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Effective techniques for getting rid of negative thoughts. How to get rid of unnecessary thoughts and feelings

Negative thoughts often cause tears, depression and pain. They make you feel empty and can cause constant feelings of anxiety. In our article we will tell you how to get rid of negative thoughts that make it impossible to enjoy life.

How to stop negative thoughts?

If you have reached the point where your desire to get rid of the constant torture of the mind has become very strong, then it is time to start making changes. You should not hesitate, because obsessive negative thoughts can make your life miserable, causing you to suffer. In addition, the situation may get out of control, and then it will be especially difficult to cope with it. Therefore, we will start getting rid of negative thoughts right now!

Can you stop obsessive thoughts? If it was fairly easy for you to do this, that would be great. But the whole truth is that doing this is much more difficult than saying it, because you need to not only suppress your thoughts (which is not easy to do in itself, because it only takes a second for a thought to appear and “think”; and suppression thoughts will not lead to anything good, it’s even worse: when suppressing thoughts, negative energy accumulates), but completely change your thoughts altogether.

How can you stop “thinking” negative thoughts? The secret to getting rid of obsessive thoughts is to learn to distance yourself from them. You must understand that it is impossible to fight your mind with your own mind. But let's take a closer look at what we mean.

What causes negative thoughts

If you consciously generated your thoughts, then you could easily control them too. The truth is that it is not you who generate thoughts, but your mind, your subconscious. It is on the subconscious level that in most cases this happens. Want to make sure of this? Well, then tell me: can you be sure that you know what you will be thinking about in the next thirty seconds? After a minute? And in fifteen minutes? You can't, right? And if you can’t, then how can you think that you create your thoughts consciously?

If you think that you can control your thoughts, then you are mistaken. Therefore, if you decide to get rid of some of them, then you need to learn to detach yourself from your thoughts and from the work of your mind. That is, observe your thoughts as if from the outside. You will see that your mind generates thoughts, which are basically just forms of energy. These thoughts float like clouds. Some thoughts appear out of nowhere, without any pattern, are replaced by others that are in no way connected with the previous ones, then by a third - and so on. If you don’t cling to these thoughts, don’t start thinking about them, connecting emotions, then they will float, float, float away... So in fact, thoughts are only neutral forms of energy, and only your own interest in some of them makes them obsessive. If you understand this truth, then this will be the first step towards understanding how to get rid of negative thoughts.

How to stop negative thoughts from coming

All your attempts to suppress, stop or remove obsessive thoughts will not succeed because you will try to use your mind to do so. How can the mind fight against itself? The only way to combat unwanted thoughts is through dissociation. This is a psychological process when a person perceives everything that happens to him as if from the outside, as if it were happening not to him, but to someone else. This process refers to defense mechanisms.

What gives the power to your thoughts? Your interest in her. If you have no interest in a certain thought, then it loses its power over you. If you have no interest in a negative thought, then you won’t have to remove it - it will “swim away” just as it “swimmed away”. Try it now! Sit back, relax, and let your thoughts flow freely one after another. You observe them as if they have nothing to do with you and show no interest in them. Just remain an observer and let thoughts come and go freely.

At first, it will probably be quite difficult for you to observe your thoughts in this way because of your habit of “communicating” with every thought that arises in your head. This is exactly what you have to learn. The most important message you must learn to give yourself is this: thoughts are simply a form of energy created by my brain. Why does the brain create thoughts? No one knows; it just creates and that's it! Have you ever asked yourself why your heart beats?

With a little practice, you will learn to separate yourself from your thoughts. You will deprive them of power over you without feeding them with your interest. As soon as they are deprived of this “fuel”, thoughts immediately disappear.

How thoughts are born

All past events are saved as memories. Your beliefs and moral skills are also stored in memory. All this is in a “frozen” state on a subconscious level, getting there and being retrieved at the right moment in automatic mode. Perception and interpretation of what is happening to you in this moment occurs on the basis of this content of your subconscious, which also dictates the emergence of positive or negative thoughts.

That is, thoughts are created based on past incidents and memories, predicting future ones and interpreting present life situations accordingly. Our brain is like a computer that tries to predict or conjure up projections of possible events based on the data it has collected so far. When thoughts are negative in nature (thoughts that cause worry, worry, stress, guilt, etc.), they create resistance in you to the natural flow of your life, and it is this resistance that you experience as suffering. Negative thoughts will always generate such resistance, and they are like huge blocks of stone thrown in the middle of a fast-flowing river. Life is a flow of pure positive energy and therefore any negative thought will be in opposition to this flow, causing you suffering.

You have already realized that the thoughts in your head intensify in proportion to the strength of your interest in them. Thus, if you pay attention to your negative thoughts, you, without realizing it, are feeding them and attracting even more impulses for their existence. These impulses will slow down and fade away if you stop feeding them with your attention. And negative thoughts will lose their power and power over you, and it will become very easy to remove them from your consciousness.

It’s much better to focus on the positive thoughts generated by your brain and thus develop the positive impulses of your brain. Every time you catch yourself thinking about a pleasant, positive thought (such as love, joy, excitement, beauty, abundance, gratitude, etc.), focus on it and give it as much attention as possible. This will stimulate your mind to attract even more positive thoughts and thus create lasting positive impulses. It's really very simple. As soon as you learn to slow down or increase the speed of your thoughts, you will begin to completely control your consciousness.

Let's be positive

It must be said that control over your consciousness is not the only way to get rid of negative thoughts. Or rather, it alone is not enough to take control of the situation. You need to learn to relax and be positive in your daily life. This is the only way you can help your mind restructure itself. Here are eleven ways to achieve this:

Catch yourself on the negativity in life and don’t let it go. For example, negative feelings and thoughts can overtake you when you say something unpleasant about someone. Gossip is a reflection of what emotional wave you are on.
Come up with your own mantra and say it every time you notice a negative thought, thereby stopping it. As soon as you feel that not everything is in order with your thoughts, immediately stop thinking about it and start saying to yourself, for example: “The sky is blue and butterflies are fluttering!” You can even try to imagine this picture - then the bad thought will definitely evaporate without a trace!
Focus on your breathing. Such exercises can be done not only when you are not entirely comfortable with your thoughts, but also just for relaxation - three or four times during the day. Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths about twenty to twenty-five times. After this, return to your interrupted activities.
Experience gratitude more often. Take a deep breath and think that you are grateful today for... It can be anything, even the most inconspicuous and small joy: a cup of delicious coffee, a beautiful flower in a vase, a funny phrase said by your child.
Listen to your favorite music. Buddhist monks say: “Music in the soul can be heard by the Universe.”
Take walks in nature, preferably in the morning or evening. Look, listen, connect your sense of smell and touch. Feel like a part of nature, matching your inner strengths with its limitless possibilities. This identification will help you achieve inner harmony.
Go for a run. If you feel like you can't control your unpleasant thoughts, then go for a run. If you find it difficult to run, then at least walk vigorously to feel good physical activity. At the same time, endorphin, the hormone of pleasure, will be released in your body, and you will feel your mood noticeably improved.
Acknowledge your feelings. What upsets you? We do not want to assure you that you should, like a robot, constantly say only: “Pull yourself together!” or “Everything will be fine!” It is completely normal and natural on this Earth for a person to react to some events with a bad mood or sadness. Let the sadness wash over you like a wave and then return to the sea again. The larger the problem, the longer it may take to “process” it. The important thing here is not to dwell on your feelings, but to carefully let them go when you are ready.
Visualize what you want. If something is bothering you, imagine the exact opposite. For example, you are jealous or annoyed by something. Imagine yourself being happy and content. Another example: imagine that you have already achieved what you actually just planned. Feel the joy and pride of your victory; this will help you stay motivated. An important point: when visualizing, do not compare yourself to others, but simply recognize how strong and capable you are.
Smile! Smile at people you know, smile at those you don’t know. A smile will create positive vibrations in your subconscious and make you happy in reality.
Surround yourself with positive people. It is quite natural to feel empty and sad if you constantly hear only pure negativity from others. It's hard not to be influenced by the predominance of negative energy. Mentally bless such people and quietly remove them from your life. Create a social circle of optimistic people and plunge into the ocean of positive energy!

Getting rid of the burden of negative thoughts is as important as it is important for a long-distance runner to take off warm clothes that interfere with movement. This in itself is quite possible. It will be difficult to get rid of not bad thoughts, but the bad habit of letting these thoughts into your head. Often we perform some habitual actions, so to speak, on autopilot, without even noticing what we are doing. This is what happens with our thoughts. But it is quite possible to change our habits, if there is a desire - a desire to live better than we have lived until now. There are many things in life that we cannot control; but our thoughts are under our control. Imagine how amazing your life will be if you remove the dark clouds from the sky and let the sun shine with all its might!

Often negative thoughts and feelings prevent us from enjoying the good things in life. Gradually, we begin to think about bad things more and more often, and immersing ourselves in negative thoughts becomes a habit that is difficult to eradicate. In order to overcome this habit (as well as any other), you need to change your way of thinking.

When we're stressed about something, the last thing we want is for negative thoughts to add to our stress, so it's important to learn how to cope with the endless stream of thoughts. In this article we will talk about how to rid yourself of unnecessary worries.

Steps

Change your way of thinking

Think about today. When you are tormented by anxious thoughts, what do you think about most often at that moment? You are probably reliving past events (even if it happened a week ago) or thinking about what will happen in the future. In order to stop worrying, you need to remember about the present moment, about today. If you shift your attention from what has already happened or will be, to what is happening now, it will become easier for you to stop perceiving everything too negatively. But, as often happens, this is not so easy to do. In order to learn to live in the present, you must first learn to concentrate on what is happening to you literally at this very moment.

There is one simple technique: look at a peaceful image (photo, painting). This will allow your head to rest and let go of all the bad thoughts, and this only happens naturally - that is, when you are not deliberately trying to get rid of thoughts and are not waiting for you to finally succeed. This is a very simple but effective way to calm down and relax.
If that doesn't work, try distracting your mind by counting from 100 to 7, or pick a color and find all the objects in the room that color. This way you can get rid of the chaos in your head, and then you can focus on the present moment again.

Don't isolate yourself. One of the consequences of focusing on bad thoughts is often an ever-increasing distance between you and the world around you. If you decide to come out of your shell and reconnect with the world, you will have less time and energy for bad thoughts. Don't scold yourself for negative thoughts or emotions - this will only make things worse. You may have often thought about how much you disliked someone, and then felt guilty about such thoughts or angry with yourself because of it. Because of this perception, cause-and-effect relationships and incorrect attitudes are strengthened in the head, which over time become extremely difficult to get rid of. Below are some simple ways to switch from your inner world to your outer world.

Develop self-confidence. Self-doubt in all its diversity of manifestations often becomes the main cause of difficult thoughts and strong experiences. This feeling constantly haunts you: no matter what you do, it is with you everywhere. For example, when talking with a friend, you are constantly worried about how you look, what impression you make, instead of just talking. It is necessary to develop self-confidence, and then it will be easier for you to live a full life and not torment yourself with destructive thoughts.
- Try to do something exciting regularly - this will make you feel confident in your abilities. For example, if you are good at baking pies, enjoy the entire baking process: enjoy kneading the dough, enjoy the aroma that fills your home.
- When you manage to develop the ability to live joyfully in the present moment, remember this feeling and reproduce it as often as possible. Remember that the only thing keeping you from feeling present is your perception, so stop tormenting yourself with self-criticism.
Understand how the mind works
1. Examine your attitude towards negative thoughts or feelings. Because bad thoughts often arise simply out of habit, they can come as soon as you stop taking care of yourself. Promise yourself not to dwell on these thoughts, because you need to learn not only to let them go, but also to prevent new ones from appearing.
  
  Watch yourself. Identify how thoughts or feelings manage to control you. Thoughts have two components - topic (what you think about) and process (how you think).
  - Consciousness does not always need a topic - in cases of its absence, thoughts simply jump from one to another. Consciousness uses such thoughts in order to protect itself from something, or in order to calm and distract from something else - for example, from physical pain, from fear. In other words, when a defense mechanism is triggered, often the mind is simply trying to latch onto something to give you something to think about.
  - Thoughts that have a specific topic have a completely different character. Perhaps you are angry, worried about something, or thinking about some problem. Such thoughts are often repeated and always revolve around the same thing.
  - The difficulty is that the mind cannot be constantly absorbed in a topic or process. In order to correct the situation, it is worth remembering that thoughts alone will not help the matter. Often we don't want to let go of thoughts and feelings because we want to better understand the situation: for example, if we are angry, we think about all the circumstances of the situation, all the participants, all the actions, and so on.
  - Often our desire to think about something is either simply think turns out to be stronger than the desire to let go of thoughts, which significantly complicates the whole situation. The desire to think only for the sake of the process of “thinking” can lead to self-destruction, while this struggle with oneself is another way to escape from the situation that initially caused the thoughts. It is necessary to overcome the desire to constantly think about something and learn to let go of thoughts, and after some time the desire to let go of thoughts in all cases will be stronger than the desire to scroll something in your head without stopping.
  - Another problem is that we tend to think of thoughts as part of our personality. A person is not ready to admit that he can cause himself pain and suffering. There is a generally accepted opinion according to which it is believed that all feelings concerning oneself are valuable. Some feelings lead to negative experiences, others do not. Therefore, it is always necessary to take a closer look at thoughts and feelings in order to understand which ones should be left and which ones should be released.
2. Try some experiments.
  - Try your best not to think about a polar bear or something incredible - for example, a crimson flamingo with a cup of coffee. This is a fairly old experiment, but it reveals the essence of human thinking very well. When we try to refrain from thinking about the bear, we suppress both the thought of it and the idea that we need to suppress something. If you deliberately try not to think about the bear, the thought of it will not go away.
  - Imagine that you are holding a pencil in your hands. Think about the fact that you want to leave him. In order to throw a pencil, you need to hold it. While you are thinking about giving it up, you are holding on to it. Logically speaking, the pencil cannot be thrown as long as you hold it. The harder you want to throw, the more forcefully you hold it.
3. Stop fighting your thoughts with force. When we try to overcome some thoughts or feelings, we try to gather more strength to strike, but because of this we cling to these thoughts even more tightly. The more effort, the greater the load on the consciousness, which responds to all these attempts with stress.
  - Instead of trying to force your thoughts away, you need to loosen your grip. The pencil can fall out of your hands on its own, just as thoughts can go away on their own. It may take time: if you tried to forcefully eradicate some thoughts, the consciousness could remember your attempts, as well as its response.
  - When we go through our thoughts in an attempt to understand them or try to get rid of them, we do not move because the thoughts simply have nowhere to go. Once we stop obsessing over the situation, we let them go.
Learn something new
1. Learn to cope with your thoughts. If a thought or feeling keeps coming back to you over and over again, there are many ways to stop it from consuming you.
  - There's probably a movie you've watched many times, or a book you've re-read. You always know what will happen next, so you are not so interested in watching the movie or reading that book again. Or maybe you've done something so many times that you don't want to do it again because you know how bored you'll be. Try to transfer this experience to a situation with thoughts: as soon as you lose interest in thinking about the same thing, the thought will go away on its own.
2. Don't try to run away from negative thoughts and emotions. Are you tired of the exhausting thoughts that are always with you, but have you really tried to deal with them? Sometimes a person tries to pretend that something does not exist, instead of accepting it. If you deal with negative thoughts or emotions this way, they can stay with you forever. Allow yourself to feel what you need to feel, and then let go of unnecessary emotions. If your mind imposes thoughts and emotions on you, it can cause you to judge yourself. There are many manipulative mechanisms hidden in our minds, and many of them we are not even aware of. Consciousness manipulates us because it strives to control us through addictions to a variety of things and strong desires. By and large, we are driven by our addictions.
  - Remember that your happiness is in your hands, that feelings and emotions should not determine how you manage your life. If you allow worries about the past or future and obsessive desires to control you, you will never be able to live a fulfilling life.
  - Control your thoughts yourself. Turn them inside out, change them - in the end, you will understand that you have power over your thoughts, and not they have power over you. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones is a temporary measure, but it can also be extremely useful at the right time. It will be easier for you to let go of thoughts if you feel that you are in control.
  - If your thoughts revolve around a problem that you have yet to resolve, try your best to come up with ways out of the problematic situation. Do everything in your power, even if the situation seems completely hopeless.
  - If your thoughts and feelings are related to a sad event (such as the death of a relative or a breakup), allow yourself to feel the sadness. Look at photos of the person you miss, think about the good things you experienced together, and cry if it makes you feel better - all this is human. It can also be helpful to write about your feelings in a journal.
Remember the good
1. Know how to remind yourself of the good. If you're stressed, tired from work, or just feeling down, bad thoughts may return. In order to prevent them from completely consuming you, use special methods of dealing with unwanted thoughts that will prevent them from taking root.
  
  Practice visualization. This method will be especially useful for those who are very busy and who do not have enough time to relax. It is necessary to imagine in detail some pleasant place: it can be a memory of a place where you felt good, or a fictitious place.
2. Think about your achievements. The world gives us many opportunities to enjoy life: you can help others, get things done, achieve certain goals, or simply get out into nature with your family or have dinner with friends. Thinking about pleasant things develops self-confidence and makes us more receptive to good things.
  - Be grateful for what you have. For example, write down three things for which you are grateful to the universe. This way you can quickly “put things in order” in your head and get rid of the flow of thoughts.
3. Take care of yourself. Feeling unwell will prevent you from fully enjoying life and remaining optimistic. When a person takes care of his body and takes care of his mental state, negative thoughts and emotions simply have nothing to cling to.
  - Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep reduces vitality and does not contribute to a good mood, so try to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day.
  - Eat well. A balanced diet will ensure your brain gets all the elements it needs. Include enough fruits and vegetables in your diet.
  - Play sports. Regular physical activity will help you not only stay fit, but also fight stress. Both will contribute to better well-being and allow you to free yourself from difficult thoughts.
  - Limit your alcohol intake and don't take drugs. Alcohol is a depressant, and even small amounts can throw you off your emotional balance. This also applies to most drugs. Limit your intake and your mental state will improve.
  - Seek help if you feel the need. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as paying attention to your physical health. If you find it difficult to cope with the thoughts that torment you on your own, seek help from a specialist: a psychologist, a social worker, a priest - and they will help you return to your normal life.
- Remember that feelings and thoughts are like the weather: bad weather gives way to a sunny day. You are the sky, and feelings and thoughts are rain, clouds and snow.
- The more often you perform the exercises described above, the easier it will be for you to find a common language with yourself.
- Understanding the thinking process helps to effectively combat negative thoughts. A simple exercise will help you with this: sit down, relax, and observe your feelings and reactions. Imagine that you are a scientist who needs to study how humans work.
- Everyone likes it positive emotions and joyful sensations, but they also pass, and we cannot constantly keep them in our heads in the hope that there will be no other, less pleasant ones. However, you can remember these feelings when you need to calm down and stop thinking about bad things.
- See a psychologist if your constant stream of thoughts is interfering with your Everyday life.
- Close your eyes, “look” at the thought and tell it to stop. Keep doing this until the thought goes away.
Warnings
- Attempts to forcefully get rid of some sensations or emotions will cause a defensive reaction in the body.
- If necessary, consult a specialist. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
- It is impossible to completely protect oneself from shocks, since a person changes and reacts to external impulses. It is not in our power to force the body to work differently.

Nothing can ruin a great day faster than negative thoughts. They take precedence over positive thoughts because of the person's unconscious preference to focus on what is going or could go wrong, rather than seeing the best in the situation. Sometimes this is the result of frequent failures in the past, when you felt that fate had thrown you into the mud so often that you were convinced that it was destined to happen again.

How to get rid of negative thoughts? Start with introspection. When you are looking for ways to get rid of negative thoughts, start by looking for the reasons why negativity becomes an integral part of your life.

Very often people have no idea how negative their speech is., while others immediately notice it. And if you tell a person that he is too negative, he immediately becomes angry, becomes defensive and proves that he is positive! That's how unconscious negativity can be and how deeply it can take root in our minds!

It's sad to see people who have so much but constantly whine and complain about everything. They play the role of victims (hostages of circumstances) and constantly judge and criticize others.

But it’s so nice to see people who have every reason to be absolutely unhappy due to life circumstances, but who nevertheless remain happy and cheerful!

A person, without realizing it, can make negative thinking a habit, trying to insure against disappointment.

It can also be a way of self-aggrandizement. When a person says “I told you so” to someone, it boosts their self-esteem.

Stop coming up with negative scenarios yourself and believing in them!

Unfortunately, many people confuse negativity with realism. The phrase “I'm just a realist” implies that failure is inevitable. But who said it had to be this way? If you believe that failure is inevitable, it will be reflected in your speech and in your actions. And then, in case of failure, in your opinion, everything is going “normally” - after all, your assumption was justified.

These tips and powerful self-programming techniques from the Silva Method will help you reprogram yourself and get rid of negative thinking:

Don't believe everything you believe Your subconscious mind has been greatly influenced by your past life experiences. Are all your assumptions about how the world works correct? For example, you may have adopted some beliefs from your parents, but do you truly believe in them? If your parents had problems with a neighbor who drove a Porsche, they may have unknowingly developed the belief that all Porsche drivers are bad. And pass this conviction on to you. But is this really true?.

Solution: Introspection and TESTING your beliefs

Stop doing things you don't like

The power of imagination is incredibly great. But if you don't give it the right instructions (like visualizing positive results), it will turn to the negative thinking patterns stored in your subconscious. Solution: Draw in your mind pictures of a favorable outcome for all situations that worry you.

Use the Mental Screen to create a picture of the desired outcome in your mind's eye. Do the exercise more often and more persistently until the mistrust dissipates.

Positivity leads to happiness; and it's a matter of choice! Think in terms of shades of gray If you are afraid of “inevitable” failure, disaster, shame, rejection, it means that you tend to focus on the worst possible scenario. Why? Solution: learn to see the positive sides in any situation, learn to focus on the “average” scenario of events, learn to remember that everything is temporary and that “this too shall pass.”

Notice the positive

Negative people tend to see the negative in everything.

And this prevents them from noticing the positive. If you greatly exaggerate your misfortunes and barely notice the joys available to you, the habit of negative thinking becomes stronger. Solution: You find what you're looking for - so look for the positive. Although sometimes it is not easy, it can be found in everything.

Do not transfer negativity from a particular case to a general one

Don't generalize. If you ask someone out on a date and get rejected, does that mean you will ALWAYS be rejected? Solution: Look at every failure as a special case and a valuable lesson for the future.

Do not attribute to the words and actions of others what is not in them

Each person has his own life, his own worries, deeds, fears, hopes and dreams, so do not look for hidden meaning in the actions or inactions of other people, in their words or silence! When YOU see some hidden meaning in an action, it does not mean that others see it too. Solution: Don't try to read other people's minds. The motives that you attribute to certain words/actions of a person are nothing more than your imagination. Why focus on a negative fantasy? Instead, choose understanding and empathy!

Meditation will help you find out if you are prone to negative thinking

Take responsibility for what you control, but don't try to put the whole world on your shoulders

Take responsibility for your actions, but when life throws up unpleasant surprises, don't blame yourself if you did the best you could. Solution: Act within your capabilities and remember that sometimes all you can control is how you feel about a situation.

All of humanity does not live by your rules

Each of us has an idea of what is good and what is bad. Your expectations can be one of the main sources of negativity. If you expect your other half to always call you on the way home from work and he/she doesn't follow this principle, you will be disappointed because you have a "Call when you get off work" rule, but your significant other Obviously, there is no half of such a rule! Solution: Align your wants with your needs, but be flexible in your expectations.

Learn to think positively by visualizing worst-case and best-case scenarios and paying attention to your body language: visualizing the best-case scenarios is much more enjoyable!

Yours,
Irina Khlimonenko
and the Silva Method team

PHOTO Getty Images

You and your boss had an unpleasant conversation that you replay in your head over and over again. And the more often, the stronger the confidence: you failed to correctly explain your thought and ruined everything. Or you mentally return to childhood, when your peers called you offensive words and you felt like an outcast. Or you keep remembering a painful breakup with your loved one, blaming yourself. Everyone has encountered such situations at least once. However, if we constantly remember these events, our life can become completely negative.

Threat to mental well-being

“Research shows that the deeper we dive into negativity, the more we become victims of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. “Negative thinking becomes a habit, a form of internal behavior that is difficult to change,” says psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Strong People Never Do 1 Amy Morin. “And even if we want to look at the situation constructively, we cannot do this.”

Mentally immersing ourselves in problems increases anxiety and leads to other disorders that snowball into our lives. We are overcome by a false sense of our own weakness, and we seek consolation in areas that, as it seems to us, distract us from our experiences. For example, in food, alcohol or computer games.

How to stop

Start changing your way of thinking. Of course, this is easy only at first glance. However, the results will not be long in coming.

It is important to learn to recognize that you are being hooked by destructive memories. Awareness is the first step to taking control of the internal drama in which you are the director and performer of all the roles. And the faster you do this, the easier it will be to switch your attention to something positive.

Think about a “sore” topic from a different angle. Ask yourself how does what happened affect current life events?

Think about a “sore” topic from a different angle. “Ask yourself a question: how does what happened affect current life events? says Amy Morin. – We are often too critical or biased towards ourselves. Perhaps everything is fine with you now, and the past is just a shadow of your imagination. If what happened somehow changes your life in the present, think about what exactly you can change to feel better? You may need to meet people from your past and talk about what's bothering you. Regardless of how the conversation turns, taking this decisive step will internally help you leave bygones in the past. If a meeting is impossible for some reason, a psychologist can take on the role of interlocutor, with whom you can look at events from a different angle.”

Set a timer

Our brain needs time to comprehend and process the stream of events that happened during the day. “Give yourself this time, like 20 minutes, to think about what you're particularly excited about today,” suggests Amy Morin. - You can set a timer that will indicate when your time is up. And when you're done, promise yourself that, like Scarlett O'Hara, you'll "think about it later." Knowing that you will have the opportunity to return to a painful topic will subconsciously help you move away from it.” And thanks to these minutes, you will be able to look at the situation from a detached perspective.

Distract yourself

As soon as we begin to prohibit ourselves from thinking about something, it immediately leads to the opposite result. Unconscious internal resistance forces you to return to a forbidden topic.

A much better strategy is to switch to an activity that excites you. Think about this plan in advance. Turn on a movie you've been wanting to watch for a long time, read your favorite website, or call a close friend, having previously chosen a topic for conversation that is mutually interesting and far from your problem. Physical exercise and meditation are great ways to relieve internal tension.

Focus on the present

The ability to live in the present moment also helps to part with oppressive thoughts. Train yourself to live every current moment and enjoy what is happening here and now: good weather, a conversation with a loved one, a pattern of clouds in the sky or a cup of your favorite tea. This will take time and internal effort. However, you will be rewarded with the ability to break away from the weight of the past and move forward.

1 A. Morin, “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success,” William Marrow, 2014.

Negative thoughts are like a disease. They eat us up from the inside, make life unbearable, and plunge us headlong into a sea of blues and fatigue. A person who is constantly consumed by negative thoughts sees only the bad in everything. He is dissatisfied with himself, those around him, and the whole world. It seems there is not a single thing that completely satisfies him. Why do bad thoughts constantly appear in our heads? The answer to this question can be found in a person's childhood. Parents often teach us to see at least a small grain of bad in everything good. The child understands that in everything good there can be a catch. He is wary of others, the slightest problem seems like a disaster for him.

Also, negative thoughts often become the result of permanent stress. When a person lives in constant fear, he is used to thinking only about the bad. Often people unconsciously think through bad scenarios. If a car is moving, it will crash. If a dog runs, it will definitely bite. If you are about to defend your thesis, it will certainly fail.

The amazing thing is that these bad thoughts become reality. Their problem is that they crawl from imagination into real life. A person, with his pessimism, seems to attract difficulties. He waits for them, and they happen to him. In the end, a person thinks that he is destined for the role of a loser. He doesn’t even realize that he is bringing disaster upon himself with negative thoughts.

If you're tired of thinking negatively, it's time to do something about it. Psychologists warn that constant stress causes a number of mental disorders. A person may completely lose trust in others and withdraw into himself. In severe cases, paranoia may develop. So, here are 5 tips to help you get rid of negative thoughts.

1. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.

Often negative thoughts arise because we have accumulated dissatisfaction. There is something that doesn’t suit us in other people, but we remain silent and accumulate negativity within ourselves. Get rid of negative thoughts through honest conversations with others. They must understand that you are also a person with your own needs and that something may not suit you.

2. End negative thoughts with exercise.

Most often we think about bad things when we have nothing to do. So save yourself the hassle of downtime. If you feel like you're thinking negatively again, exercise your body. Put on upbeat music and improve your body. Intense physical exercise will distract you from bad thoughts and tighten your body.

3. Take a moment of meditation from time to time.

The human brain is prone to fatigue. It is at such moments that bad thoughts enter your head. Clear your mind with a short meditation. You can do it right at work. During your lunch break, sit comfortably, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breathing. Take as deep breaths as possible, try not to think about anything at all. This simple meditation will help you relax. The brain will disconnect from the surrounding reality, and you will put your thoughts in order.

4. Direct your energy to creation.

Negativism destroys our body. Fix the situation, focus on creating something new. This way you will take your mind off self-criticism and stop creating negative scenarios. It is useful to engage in handicrafts and various creative activities. Perhaps you have a hidden poetic or artistic talent. It's time to reveal it. It has been proven that applying designs on the body with henna (mehendi) helps to distract from the whole world. Try it, this activity distracts you from all your problems.

5. Create a gratitude list.

Often we believe that there is nothing good in life at all. But we don’t even notice the benefits that we already have. Food on the table, warmth in the house, health - you need to rejoice at all of this. Perhaps someone eats lobster, lives in a palace and does a hundred push-ups. But don't envy others. Envy gives rise to negative thoughts and even an inferiority complex. Here you are, you have everything. Be happy and don't look at what others have.

These simple tips will help you get rid of negative thoughts. Success depends on willpower. Negative thoughts are the enemy of your well-being. Get rid of them as soon as possible and you will notice positive changes in your life.

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