The Power of Negative Thinking and How to Overcome It

Negative thinking appears to be more prevalent than positive thinking. It seems that positive thinking requires some effort with most people, whereas negative thinking comes easily and uninvited.

This has much to do with education and the environment one has been living in.

If you have been brought up in a happy and positive environment, there is more probability that it will be easier for you to think positively. However, If you have been brought up in poor or difficult situations, you will more probably be inclined to negative thinking.

We view the world through our predominant mental attitude. That is fine when our thoughts are positive, but if they are negative, our lives and circumstances will probably mirror these negative thoughts.

If you believe you will fail, you might unconsciously sabotage every opportunity to succeed.

Suppose you are too shy about meeting new people or avoid having close relationships. In that case, you will do everything to avoid people and relationships and then complain that you are lonely and nobody loves you.

Instead of becoming more positive and overcoming your fears, you think about how difficult it is to succeed or to connect with people, and you expect to be a failure or stay lonely.

The Power of Negative Thinking in Action

• Do you often think about difficulties, failure, and disasters?
• Do you keep thinking about the negative news you see and hear on TV or read in the newspapers?
• Are you feeling stuck and unable to improve your life or your health?
• Do you frequently think that you do not deserve happiness or money or that it is too difficult to get it?

If you do, then you will close your mind, see no opportunities, and behave and react in such ways as to repel people and opportunities.

Often, the mind does not judge or examine thoughts and opinions before accepting them. If what it hears, sees, and reads is always negative, it accepts negativity as the standard mindset.

The media constantly bombards the mind with a lot of information about disasters, catastrophes, wars and other unhappy events. This information sinks into your subconscious mind, and then, manifests as your habitual manner of thinking.

It is okay to watch and hear the news, because you need to know what is happening in the world. However, be careful not to overdo that. Be careful not to let what you hear and see on the news affect you too much.

If you occupy the mind with depressing and pessimistic thoughts you radiate negative energy into the surrounding world, and therefore, create and recreate more negativity, failure and disasters.

The mind is neutral energy. The way you think determines whether the results are positive and beneficial, or negative and harmful. It is the same energy acting in different ways.

The good news is that persistent inner work can change habits of thinking. You must be willing to put energy and time to pursue positive thinking, in order to change your mental attitude. The power of negative thinking is quite strong, but with some effort on your part you can overcome it.

Simple Tips to Overcome Negative Thinking

Here are a few tips to help you avoid negative thinking:

1. Every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, replace it with a positive one.
2. If you catch yourself visualizing failure, immediately visualize success instead.
3. If you hear yourself using negative words in your conversation, switch to positive words.
4. Instead of saying, “I cannot”, say, “I can”. Most of the time you can, but choose to say “cannot”, due to fear, laziness or lack of self esteem.
5. Do you repeat negative words and phrases in your mind? Change them to positive ones. Yes, this requires you to be more alert, and to put forth some effort. You want to change negative thinking into positive thinking, don’t you?
6. Allow more positive attitude into your life. Have more faith in yourself and expect positive results. Affirmations and visualization can take you a long way in this direction.
7. Decide that from today, from this very moment, you are leaving negative thinking behind you, and starting on the way toward positive thinking and behavior.

Negative thinking has a great affect on everyone’s life. It leads to failure, unhappiness and lack of satisfaction, to worries and to fears. However, there is no reason to let it to affect your life. You can set yourself free from it by following the tips suggested here.

The power of negative thinking is a mighty power that affects everyone. You need to be aware of it and stop it whenever you find yourself let it infiltrates into your mind and into your thoughts.

It is a habit of the mind, and often it is a strong habit. However, you can get rid of it, through positive thinking and taking positive action.

Negative Thinking Quotes

“For many, negative thinking is a habit which, over time, becomes an addiction.”
– Peter McWilliams

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.”
– Peace Pilgrim

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”
– W. Clement Stone

Positive Thinking Quotes

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
– Willie Nelson

“Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger

More positive thinking quotes.

Image source – DepositPhotos