Don’t police your negative thoughts.
Most of us recognize that we have thoughts that help us and others that don’t. We likely make an attempt to restrict the thoughts we have that aren’t helpful. And yet, annoyingly, they seem to keep cropping up.
We probably berate and feel frustrated with ourselves. Why can’t we banish the thoughts we’d rather not have?
The more we resist these thoughts, the more they seem to appear. The more we fight them, they more they engage us. Our struggle against them keeps us tied to them.
So, how to we limit their influence on us? What can we do to keep our focus on what we want?
First, we can consciously cultivate helpful thoughts. We place our attention on what we appreciate and what makes us feel good, doing so repeatedly throughout the day.
Second, when we have a negative or unhelpful thought, we don’t fight it or react emotionally. We can simply acknowledge it and then replace it with a thought we’d prefer to hold. No reaction to the unwanted thought, simply replacement.
Today’s message invites me to not berate myself when unwanted thoughts crop up. I can in any moment choose which thoughts I wish to entertain.
Please reflect and share. How do you deal with unwanted thoughts?