Helpful Tips to Transform Negative Thinking
Many of us go through our day with thoughts zipping around our brains like pinballs in a pinball machine. Some of these thoughts are helpful and productive, and some are simply reactive, familiar thoughts that keep us stuck and unhappy. The first step in creating any change in our thinking is to become aware of what thoughts we are thinking. We can do this by engaging in mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, qigong, or tai chi which put an emphasis on begin in the present moment. As you become more aware of your thoughts, you can redirect them to ones that are more helpful.
What is an unhelpful thought?
An unhelpful thought is one that triggers a negative feeling inside of you and often keeps us feeling stuck or helpless in our lives.
- A thought about something in the future you have no control over
- A thought judging or criticizing someone else or yourself
- A thought comparing yourself to other people
- Blaming
- Frustration or stress about a situation you can’t control
- Thinking about the past in any vein that isn’t learning from it
- Catastrophizing
- Complaining
- Cursing (events, situations, people)
- Wishing things were different
Remember a time in your life when you were feeling really good? What systems did you have in place that got you there? Perhaps you were doing a fantastic job at avoiding sugar, going on weekend hikes, and prioritizing getting to bed on time. Typically most of us at least have a few good routines in place that keep us from hitting rock bottom. Some of us have actually hit rock bottom and are looking for a change. Keeping a holistic and comprehensive lifestyle is key to supporting a strong resilience to stress, but the hard part is knowing what to prioritize for stress reduction.
