3 Steps To End Negative Thinking

These days it can be very difficult to stay positive and peaceful while staying informed.  Watching the news or reading the paper can be incredibly disheartening.  Stress and negative thinking go hand and hand.  Yet stress, negativity and ill health also share a great deal.
Remaining positive is not only a vital part of maintaining optimal health, but it is also necessary for emotional and spiritual wellness.  And although it can be very difficult to do, and can involve a great deal of work, it is well worth the effort in the end.  Positive thinking can change your life, including your health.

So you might be asking yourself just how you can stay positive in light of all the terrible things going on around us day and night.  Every time you turn on the television or hear the news on the radio you see catastrophe, poverty, environmental destruction and violence.  Well, that’s precisely why we recommend step one below.

Step One: Tune inwards.  Rather than tuning into your radio, television or other media outlet, try tuning out of these for a week or two and turning inwards.  The continuous bombardment of our psyches by images of death and destruction is no good for the soul.  Taking a two week hiatus might be just the thing you need to start looking at things differently.  At the very least you will have a chance to take that hour and try meditation, or even just a long, hot bath.  Taking this time for yourself will help you retune your radar.  Paying attention to your body and breath will go a long way to improving your health.  And don’t worry about missing major events.  You’ll be surprised to see how difficult it is to stay ignorant to such things in today’s world.  No doubt your colleagues and friends will keep you as well up to date as need be on the latest world disasters.

Step Two: Focusing on the now.  Step two involves making a pact with yourself that for the next two weeks you will try and catch yourself every time you are dwelling in somewhere other than the now.  It will of course take vigilant and heroic effort to accomplish this, but again the psychic benefits are well worth it.  Each time you catch yourself thinking about either the past or future, try to refocus your awareness onto the present moment.  Listen to your breathing, listen to the sounds around you, feel your inner body and try to take the energy away from your mind.  The more you can stay in the present moment, the less likely you are to be overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. 

Step Three.  Acceptance.  Now that you are tuning inwards and staying in the present moment you are probably feeling a great deal better.  Now though a little acceptance can go a long way.  Acceptance involves just that accepting whatever is in the present moment.  To do this you need both the first two steps because these help you to recognize the present moment and to pay attention to it.  Acceptance does not mean you need to accept the possible looming disaster at work you’ve been worrying yourself sick over, because this is merely imaginary future thinking.  Acceptance means accepting what is right in front of you—the moment at hand.  By accepting it fully you do not wish it was otherwise, but merely enjoy it for what it is.  Acceptance also means accepting each time you catch yourself thinking of the past or future. 

With these three simple, but life changing steps, you can be on your way to a much more peaceful and healthier life.  Make sure not to beat yourself up along the way when you slip.  Most of us have been living in unconscious thinking for so long that stepping out of it is truly a gigantic test.  Each time you catch yourself slipping just acknowledge it as thinking and come back to your breath.  With effort you can truly change your body and mind.