How To Deal With Negative Thoughts (The Healthy Way)

What is a negative thought? When we spend most of our time thinking about the things that hurt us, worrying about the future, thinking about the past events, and focusing on the things that do not satisfy us then, negative thoughts surround us. Unwanted thoughts do not let you enjoy your life experiences, distracts you from important things, and make you feel lethargic. And lastly, it leads to anxiety and depression.

Life has a positive phase too. Swaying from negativity to positivity can be difficult, but dedication and determination can make it possible. Set a goal in your day to day life, and you will soon find yourself replaced with positivity. This will make a huge difference in your happiness and comfort level. 

Here are a few ways by which you can manage and remove your negative thoughts.

Recognize what is distracting you

Usually, we get convinced by things that are not true without knowing about it. We go with the flow and reach a point where we forget the root cause that is causing distortion. In such cases, it is good to start thinking from the beginning and recognize where it has all started. Avoid blaming others for what is harming you. Other people do not have control over their minds. If you start rearranging the things that harmed, you can convert them into something productive, then the effort will be worth convincing. 

See the entire thing in one way or the other but remember not to get distracted when you are giving a second chance to yourself. To smoothen the paths of your life, you deserve plenty of chances. Avoid seeing only the negative side as much as you can and do not make your decision by assuming the worst out of it. 

Take a break

Sit back and relax. It is normal to deal with these situations in life. Take a break from what is stressing you and learn how to separate yourself from negative thoughts. Reassume and realize that is it important to focus on the negative things that are harming yourself? If no, then leave them behind and move on. 

Choose your friends wisely

Do not get confused by the advice of those ten friends, else listen to the one whom you can trust wholeheartedly. There comes a day when you feel that having one true friend is better than having a bunch of shifty friends. When you two have the same aura, you feel that there is something pleasant around you. Everything seems to be so reliable and magical. 

Believe me, that one true friend has the power to change all your odds into even. He not only shows you the right path but walks with you in the entire path and saves you from the demons of life. 

Challenge the negativity

As soon as a distorted thought occurs in your mind stop moving ahead with it and think that is it faultless. Imagine a friend saying bad about herself and how would you feel at that moment. Being a true friend, you will make her believe that she is not what she thinks about herself and offer her a good rebuttal. No matter if sometimes there is no one to talk to you. Be your friend, and apply the same logic to yourself. 

Assuming the worst and blaming yourself for what has not gone the way you wanted is not the way. Focus on the things that made you feel good, focus on the time when your inspired or will inspire someone someday, focus on your achievements no matter small or big and focus on how you can keep yourself happy. 

Let go of the judgements

We all judge each other; some judge every time and some judge rarely but constant comparison with others can lead us to dissatisfaction. Stop judging yourself unconsciously. You cannot force yourself to be someone else. Keep your life ahead of everyone. People compare because they cannot match your spirit and your life is about yourself not about someone who is standing behind you. You will feel more at ease when you let go of the judgment.

Look at the positive quality before making any negative judgments. Recognize your reaction, observe it, and let it go. Imagine yourself doing the things you love, read a good book, watch funny serials, and keep yourself engaged.

Be thankful 

You were born alone, and you will die alone, and therefore you need not walk in the path of ingratitude. Showing gratitude and feeling grateful leaves a positive impact on one's life. Life is all about ups and downs, and while facing challenges, you find certain things to be grateful for. Later in life, you will be able to recognize the things that made you happy and can reapply whenever you want.

Know your strengths and focus upon them

The more you start focusing on your strength, the easier it will be to feel positive in life. It is dangerous if the negative thoughts are staying for an exceptionally long time in our minds as it can lead to depression. Regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and meditation will help a way out to keep a focus at one phase. Neglect every thought that is taking away your power. Say goodbye to your fears, neglect them, and release them in the sky.

Ask yourself what is making you happy

It is never too late to bring out the best in you. Sometimes the questions we need to ask ourselves have hidden answers. Is the thought of taking away your power making you sad? If the answer is yes, then you know the next step to be taken. You cannot move one on the first go, but if you keep on trying hard, one day, you will surely move towards optimism. You can also seek out professional support to help reduce emotional suffering and experience self-realization.

Conclusion 

Positive thinking has the power to reframe your thoughts. The key to happiness, peace, calmness, optimism, cheerfulness, etc. cannot be attained just by happy thoughts. Keeping happy thoughts every time is impossible, and no one on this planet can do that. But the key is to accept all your thoughts, no matter how bad they are. Acceptance is realization, and that is the key. Accept the bad thoughts and leave them on their way, accept the good thoughts, and carry them with you. We face challenges to learn, introspect, and become stronger, so let us challenge the negativity we are facing and turn it into positivity.

With dedication, practice, and commitment, the negative thoughts can be replaced into something that matters in our life and help. The more positive thoughts will bring more positive results, and this will bring a huge difference in our daily life. Take care of your body, mind, soul, and spirit. Follow a good routine and avoid negative people, negative judgments, and distractions. Live the way you want to; it is your life, and you cannot let it get overpowered by something that is not real. Do things differently and in a simple way. It is never too late to achieve something. Life is long; make it large!

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Co-author: Shraddha Thuwal

Shraddha Thuwal is the author of the book “Let us Conquer over weakness”. She is a blogger and her work has been published in various anthologies. By writing, she aims to reach out to people, create awareness and create a positive impact globally.