Stopping negative thoughts?

[Jools]

How do others deal with negative thoughts? I am learning how to be a deliberate creator, and I find that I am still impressed with negative thoughts - they seem 'real' and they frighten or alarm me, and attract others to match etc. etc.

I have tried swamping the negative thoughts by kind of 'shouting' something positive at them (in my head, obviously ) but this seems a bit (a lot) like hard work and is probably resistance (thus attracting more...). I've also tried repeating a positive statement over and over and over, in the hope of quelling the negative thought (which is jumping up and down saying 'No! Listen to me! Me! Me! Me!').

I have created a situation in my life that is not what I want (to do with my health), but it's hard to ignore and I have a lot of scary thoughts attached to it. I don't quite know what to do with them and how to replace them with positve thoughts (I tend to believe the negative thoughts rather readily. The positive replacements feel like I'm making them up!)

I would appreciate some ideas or other people's experiences. I do know and believe that I can change this situation, but the thoughts about it are persistent (especially if I can't sleep and it's 3am and I'm alone with them thoughts...)

Thank you for all and any ideas and help,

Jools xxxxx

[Daffy Duck]

Whenever I hear a negative inaccurate thought, I can say, "CANCEL, CANCEL!" And then replace it with a positive accurate thought.

It sounds silly but it has worked for me.

[Infinte7]

I think everyone is different, I find meditation or controlled breathing to be the best...

If you are counting your breathes and paying attention to every breathe, the way it feels, sounds and so forth, there is very little room for any thoughts at all...

[gigij]

I have used three methods:

1 - visualize a big stop sign whenever you think the unwanted thoughts
2 - EFT - this works wonders for me
3 - meditation - I repeat the phrase "stay positive - stay present"

hope one of these helps

[coolbgdog]

I try to simply not resist as what you resist persists. I simply state that I accept the way I'm feeling as of now. I don't say "I'm mad" as I'm not mad all the time. I say "I accept the way I feel and will focus on (insert positive)" It tends to work when you accept you feel a way and then think about what caused it and try to facilitate your feeling by thinking rationally about the situaiton. Obviously it may not work for everyone but I've tried it one time after being heated.

[StacyT]

Someone on another thread said to say something like, "This thought is not serving me right now"...I have been using this and I like it.

[mirandaom]

Maybe instead of trying to stop the negative thoughts or doubts, you can show them some acknowledgment and then let them go. In other words, like you said, the thought may not be serving you at the moment. I try to say, "Thank you, but I do not need your help right now." Everything in the universe wants to be acknowledged and loved. And those nagging, negative thoughts are a part of you just like the happy, confident parts so there's no need to be afraid of them or upset when they get through. By simply accepting it as a part of you, you take away some of the power of negativity.

[this is fun]

Originally Posted by mirandaom

Maybe instead of trying to stop the negative thoughts or doubts, you can show them some acknowledgment and then let them go. By simply accepting it as a part of you, you take away some of the power of negativity.

Yes, I'd go with this at first. Just observe your thoughts/feelings, if you're angry/sad/etc say ''okay, now I'm feeling angry/sad/etc''. In this way you learn how to catch your negative thoughts and after a while you are aware of them but they don't consume you. This is what helped me anyway. You might also try EFT.

[newmark]

I try to 'overwrite' the negative thoughts with positive, or at least, less negative ones. Positive affirmations can help (providing you can believe them).
Sometimes following the negative thought to its source can help.
And meditation can help train your mind to focus on healthier thoughts for greater periods of time.
But don't let negative thoughts get you down too much. I've practiced becoming more and more aware of them, then replacing them, as I said above.

[Strem2]

These are all great ideas. I have used them all. The main thing is not to give in to fear, right?

Arjuna Ardagh reminds us that there is always balance. This is also a Sedona Method principle. So, if we are trying to keep abundance in our minds, we are also inviting lack.... Best thing is just to keep beauty, love, peace and happiness in your heart.

I have problems with politics. It is easy for me to let go of most things, but when I hear people who were elected to work for us, caving in to special interests, it's hard to find a balance. I've just been Tweeting a million times to get people to support the public health option.

I know a lot of you are not from US ,and you must think this is crazy not to insure everyone. It is. It's $1.4million flowing into DC every day to stop reform and keep their profits. 3 Senators are standing up against the flood from the insurance companies. Courage makes me cry.

I guess that's a vote for peace

[Jools]

I'm knocked out

These posts are all brilliant ideas, and I'm going to try them ALL!!
I especially like the idea of acknowledging and thanking the negative thoughts (which of course - I now realise - are trying to HELP me in their own way) and of course appreciation is a whole new vibration in itself. Plus I did have this feeling that 'what you resist persists' and I was aware that often I'm recoiling at a negative thought - kind of 'Eeek! Mustn't think that!' which I guess is like 'Don't think about a white elephant', and will have the same effect.

Just passively observing won't give the thought more energy I suppose, and allows it to float right on by, and saying 'This thought isn't serving me' is going to have a similar effect. I can see that what I need to try and aim for is less fighting, more gentle acceptance. Even EFT is a form of acknowledgment and acceptance, rather than fighting or running away

I have also tried to IGNORE negative thoughts, and of course they jump up and bite me sooner or later, or just grow and dog my every footstep...

Thank you so much. I KNEW this was going to be a great forum. I'm so pleased to have found it - it is exactly what I was looking for

Jools xx

[this is fun]

Ah, now I remembered one more thing, maybe it could be useful. Whenever you catch yourself thinking something you would rather not, there is a technique that is based on NLP techniques.
Hear the phrase you said diminishing in volume until it disappears, then hear the phrase you want to say grow louder.
Alternately, you can see the "picture" of what you didn't like go spin away from you and have the picture of what you do want spin towards you.