5 Ways To Release Negative Thoughts
Have you ever noticed your mind slowly slipping towards a negative thought, which leads to your mood suddenly changing, and then suddenly, your whole demeanor is off? Yeah, me neither. No, seriously, it happens more often than we think, and because of the frequency of our thoughts steering toward the cons instead of the pros in our lives, something’s gotta give. I know I’m not the only one who had a bad day or let my mind spin into a negative transgression. According to Cordico, it’s simple: our brain registers, focuses, stores, and recalls negative thoughts easier than positive ones.
It’s no mistake the news and social media focus on the bad instead of the good; it’s why we see it around us so much, whether we like it or not. Unfortunately, identifying and remembering negative thoughts is easier because they’re more memorable, whether they’re happening directly or indirectly to us. Lately, I’ve been trying to be more mindful and present with my thoughts and body because I’ve caught myself thinking of the worst, and it wasn’t doing me or anyone around me any good.
So, instead of feeling bad for myself or letting negative thoughts continue to take over, I decided to do something about it, and here we are. Like any work-in-progress, I definitely haven’t mastered any processes, but I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to share what I’ve found has worked for me; because while the world can be painful and stressful at times, it is, without a doubt, beautiful and worth enjoying in a positive light.
5 Ways I’ve Adapted to Effectively Release/Steer Clear of Negative Thoughts
It’s all about a routine: they say anyone can stick to a routine if they keep at it for at least 21 days, which in my experience, is true. The more a person sticks to waking up at a particular time, and being intentional with your “me” time can have a considerable effect.
For example: writing in a journal and documenting what I’m grateful for or what I plan on accomplishing with my day has been an enormous help and has left out the overwhelming feelings I once had. I’m not a morning person, but when I plan to work out at least one day a week in the morning vs. the afternoon, I find the boost of endorphins right away in the morning sets me up for success. Start with small steps first, and build from there. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a morning person if I keep at those workout routines.
Find the silver lining: I am ALL about finding the silver lining in other people’s situations, but it’s been challenging to apply that same kind of positivity for myself. So, I decided to think about it further and why there’s a difference; it turns out I was just being unfair to myself.
When you find yourself in a similar situation when a lousy day has gotten the best of you, or you’re stuck feeling like an isolated incident that only seems to happen to you, try thinking about it in a different light, a positive light. More often than not, we can look at the events that occur in our lives and realize we’re getting something good from them, and if all else fails, it can be a well-conceived learning lesson.
Practice letting go of your thoughts: speaking of learning lessons, one of my biggest life goals is constantly learning and evolving. In my spare time, I love to read, and recently, my good friend Claire introduced me to a fantasy series that I gobbled up and fell in love with. One of the main storylines in the last book is of the heroine finding herself again after going through many trials and tribulations she can’t seem to get past. She adapted a process of allowing a negative or traumatic thought into her mind, recognizing it, and letting it go. The next time I found myself in a negative mindset, I tried it, and low and behold, it worked! It seems healthy because it allows our brains to recognize what’s happening, but then we get to choose to push it away actively. Every time I’ve practiced this, I’ve felt mentally lighter each time.
Understand when something isn’t serving you anymore: it’s hard to identify when a situation is doing more damage to your health than good, whether it be because of the comfort or patterns you’ve associated with in the past. It might be a toxic job environment or a family member who has a negative air about them.
It’s easier to see the toxicity if you’re not directly involved in the situation, so taking the energy and time to see that is important. Lately, I’ve been breaking down the areas in my life by identifying what my goals are/what I want out of life in general, and I’ve recognized what isn’t “serving” me anymore. Sometimes we’re so busy with life that we don’t even know when we’re in a toxic mindset until it’s too late.
Try a new hobby: it must be repeated - life is busy, and we’re all trying to find the balance to finally feel grounded and happy; the truth is, we’ll always be searching for that so-called “balance” to satisfy our wants and needs. When someone asks you what your hobbies are, do you have a hard time identifying them past binge-watching your latest Netflix obsession? Yeah, I was there too. Lately, I’ve been digging into what I want to do for myself, something that may not necessarily boost my career or make me money but brings me joy, pure and simple. It sounds so obvious, but the truth is, I’ve been giving a lot of my energy to other avenues in my life, and not enough to me and what I like to do.
For example, I love fashion and the creativity that comes with it, and I’ve never considered that I could make and design items I’d wear vs. leaving it up to other people to present them to me. So, I’ve begun doing my nails and experimenting with cool colors and techniques, which has definitely been trial and error, but that’s fun. I’ve also started making jewelery, not knowing where it’ll go, but finding the right beads or charm is therapeutic to me, and that’s enough. Since finding new hobbies, my mind and my creativity have been stretched in a new and different way than before, bringing me joy and leaving less time for negative thoughts.
So there you have it! I hope these little tidbits help you in some sort of way if you find yourself struggling to balance the light and dark in your life. Negativity is alive and real in our lives and in the world around us, and if we can minimize it in any way, that’s a massive win in my eyes.
