One of the most important goals for you and for everyone should to learn how to stop thinking negative thoughts.
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
– Willie Nelson
“Make the decision and say, ‘I’m not letting that worry in. I’m done being upset when my plans don’t work out. I’m not letting that stress in.’ Negative thoughts will still come to your mind, but you don’t have to let them into your spirit.” – Joel Osteen
- Do you often find yourself thinking negative thoughts?
- Does the thought that you might fail harass you?
- Do you worry a lot?
- Do you expect bad things to happen to you?
- Do you often find yourself thinking about failure, disappointment, and obstacles?
You can stop thinking these bad, negative thoughts. You can learn how to stop negative thoughts and not allow them to fill your mind.
You do not need to continue thinking negative thoughts. They are useless and make you suffer and feel unhappy.
Do You Expect Bad Things to Happen?
A great number of people expect bad things to happen.
Sometimes, even when everything is good and fine, people wait for things to get worse. They believe that the good will not stay for long. If you cannot stop these negative thoughts, they will grow stronger and affect your life, feelings, and behavior adversely.
If you always see trouble in your mind’s eye, expect difficulties, and believe things will go wrong, you will always feel stressed and unhappy. If you always expect the bad, you will unconsciously cause it to happen.
Now, you probably ask, “How can I stop thinking negative thoughts? Is there a way to stop expecting the worst to happen?”
Yes, there is a way to stop negative thinking, and I am sure you would like to learn how to bar bad and negative thoughts from finding their way into your mind.
How to Stop Thinking Negative Thoughts
Thinking that the worst is going to happen, expecting failure and disaster, and seeing the disadvantages instead of the advantages ensures that you stay passive and do not try new things. When bad things happen, you do not get disappointed because you have already expected them.
Negative thinking and a negative attitude make life difficult and unhappy. This is, among other reasons, why you need to stop thinking negative thoughts.
You need to change your mindset and teach your mind to think positive thoughts instead.
There are various ways to accomplish this goal, such as hypnosis or a psychological treatment, but there are other simple ways, which you can use, such as affirmations and visualization, which do not require hypnosis of professional help.
In this post, I would like to focus on one simple but very effective technique, which anyone can use.
To make this technique work, you will need to invest in it some effort and some of your time, but the rewards would be worthwhile. I call this technique “the thoughts replacement technique”.
It is a simple technique for substituting negative thoughts with positive thoughts, but you need to repeat it often if you want results.
Thoughts Replacement Technique for Stopping Negative Thoughts
Here is a simple technique that will help you stop thinking negative thoughts
The thoughts replacement technique will help you deal more effectively with negative thoughts and bad thoughts and stop them from harassing and disturbing you.
What do you need to do?
You need to be aware of the negative thoughts when they occupy your mind and immediately replace them with positive thoughts.
In this way, you do not let negative thoughts grow in your mind. Whenever they come, you chase them away with the opposite thoughts.
Here are a few examples of replacing thoughts:
- When you think of failure, start thinking of success.
- When you think of problems, immediately think about solutions.
- If you catch yourself expecting something bad to happen, replace this thought with the thought that something good is going to happen.
- When you feel down, replace your thoughts with thoughts of power and courage.
- When you remember past failures, difficulties, or obstacles, try to visualize yourself as successful and happy.
- If people complain, and when you hear negative news on TV or the radio, take your mind away from them, by thinking about happy and positive matters.
There will be inner resistance and lack of belief at first, and you might even forget to replace your negative thoughts. However, you need to continue, and practice this technique over and again, until this way of thinking becomes natural and easy, no matter how long it takes.
If you continue with this technique, it will eventually become a habit, and you would automatically replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
At times, negative and bad thoughts might be too strong and overwhelming, and you would want to give up and stop using this technique. At these times, you will need to remind yourself of the benefits of stopping your negative thoughts.
More Advice
You might find it useful to read about positive thinking, and keep reminding yourself to continue with this technique, despite the lack of motivation.
- Always tell yourself that the bad and unpleasant thoughts are just thoughts, and if you refuse to dwell on them they will get weaker and disappear.
- Always believe that you are stronger than your thoughts. It is you who should control them, and not the other way around.
After practicing the thoughts replacement technique for a week or two, you will surely start to see results.
In my book, Manifest and Achieve, I have written at length about the thoughts replacement technique, since it is an important step for anyone who wishes to improve his or her life.
You can also find more information, advice and tips in the book, “Positive Thinking – The Power to Succeed“.
Two other useful techniques to drive away negative thoughts are visualization and affirmations. You can try them, as they complement the thoughts replacement technique, and can work together with it.
Learning how to stop your negative thoughts is not difficult, but this requires patience and perseverance. If you continue with this technique for some time, and keep replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones, eventually, your mindset and habitual thoughts would change, as well as your life.
- Always remember that you can change what is going on in your mind.
- You do not have to accept every thought that enters your mind.
Treat your thoughts as visitors to your home. What kind of visitors you would be happy to have as your guests, depressing and unhappy ones, or positive and happy people that uplift, motivate and inspire you? This is how you should also treat the thoughts that try to occupy your mind.
I would like to suggest two articles that provide additional information and ways on how to get rid of the habit of thinking negative thoughts:
How to Avoid Negative Thinking and Thoughts
How to Stop Negative Thinking – 10 Tips
“If you have good thoughts they’ll shine on your face like sun beams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl
