Today, many people focus on negative things. Some of them are connected with their personal problems, and some relate to the global ones. Practising frequent negative self-talk can lead to serious mental disorders like depression, anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, and many others. How to remove negative thoughts from the mind permanently? Professional psychologists share their opinions and recommendations.
Jot Down Your Negative Thoughts for Their Further Analysis
Keeping a diary is an effective tool for self-analysis. How to break negative thought patterns with the help of a diary? Imagine your thoughts are not yours, but someone else’s. Write them and then read on the next day or in a couple of hours. Is there anything you can tell this person? Your inner “I” must be your close friend. Would you abandon your best friend in need?
If you want to keep your negative thoughts a secret, you should use online tools that can be protected by a password. Google Docs is good, but someone can read it from your home account when using your laptop if you live with your family. PDF Guru is a PDF editor and converter that lets you edit documents on your smartphone or laptop as they are stored in your personal virtual space. Besides, you can protect your diary with a password so that nobody can read it.
Find Reasonable Proof
Many people think that they are the ugliest or the unluckiest in the world. If you are one of them, you should find the proof. For example, you may think that you are fat, meaning you are ugly. Now, try to find other plus-size individuals who look great. What makes them attractive? Can you do the same?
Have you ever seen the singer Adele or the “Good Doctor” actress Bria Henderson? They are not slim but look gorgeous. Now, look at yourself in the mirror. What part of your body do you like best? Can you find clothing to create an appealing silhouette? When you find your style, you will be impressed. First, you will look better. Second, you will feel better and more self-confident. You’ll stop slouching and become a new person in the eyes of others.
Moreover, you need to remember the times when someone complimented you. What was the reason? Sometimes, it is enough to think positively and smile to hear something like, “Wow! You are so beautiful today!” People like seeing happy people, associating them with something pleasant and desirable.
The Less Time on Social Media, The Better
Yes, you can search for some recommendations about how to stop negative self-talk on social media platforms. Some recommendations might be even worth reading. Yet, the more you dive into the problem, the worse you start feeling. The reason is that the information you can find can be contradictory. Some unqualified advice online may be misleading or even harmful. You should find something that fits YOU, not someone else, when overcoming negative self-talk.
Focus on Positive Things and People
The best way to stop negative self-talk is to surround yourself with positive things and people. These can be:
- Your friends
- Bloggers
- Movies
- Musicians
- Artworks
- Family
- Relatives
- Nature, etc.
The world is full of negative energy, so you need to focus on the positive. With the help of positive thoughts, we attract positive vibrations. When we think about bad things, we give them our energy, making them more powerful. Do you want to make evil stronger? No. Then, give your energy to the good, and you will multiply it.
Today Is the Only Thing You Have and Can Change
People usually focus on the past. Their thoughts are occupied with the looping idea “What if…” As a rule, such thoughts are destructive. You can’t change the things that have already happened. The only thing that you can influence is today. You do not have enough power to change the future, but you can invest in your self-development today.
Do Not Keep Everything Inside
How to get rid of bad thoughts? Set them free. There are several ways you can do that:
- Discuss them with someone who can help or at least listen without interrupting you.
- Shift your negative thoughts to some activity (running, boxing, etc.)
- Scream in the field, sing loudly, or dance like crazy to release the negative energy.
- Turn your negative thoughts and pain into art (write a book, create a song, draw your fears, etc.)
After the accident, Stephen King began to see even more horrible nightmares. Instead of getting them out of his mind by keeping them inside, he decided to reflect on them on paper. His misfortune made him famous, popular, and adored by millions of fans globally. It is not necessary to become famous. Yet, you should find something that can help you redirect your ruinous thoughts from your heart and soul to something else.
Final Tips
Nobody can live your life instead of you. If you did not happen to be famous, then you were born to do something significant in the place where you are now. Maybe your piece of advice has changed someone’s life, or you have saved a homeless dog by giving it a piece of bread. So, filter what you read, watch, and think and try to replace everything negative with something or someone positive
