Release the negative thoughts in your mind

There’s a story of about a man who was sitting on the porch of a hotel. Down the street, he saw a man who by his actions was obviously psychotic. The man was gathering all the rubbish and worthless things in the area, and made them into a large unwieldy bundle, while he was carrying it with difficulty. The man on the porch laughed at him. The demented one stopped, and said, “It’s all very well to laugh at the treasures on my shoulders, but you should see the heap of trash in your mind!”

What is the message of the story? It’s true that there are moments in our life when our mind is overwhelmed with negative thoughts like worry, fear, anxiety, uncertainty and other negative thoughts that could even paralyze our wellbeing. This is indeed a struggle in our mental domain.

In her article in The Light Bearer, Jeanne Dumas remarks, “The demented person is quite right. We stagger mentally under our bundles of likes and dislikes, such as “should do’s” and “shouldn’t do’s” until we are near to a breaking point.  If we wish to travel the steep path of life with much ease, we have to unload our burden to attain peace of mind and serenity. We have to release our fears.”

It’s natural that sometimes we cannot help but be haunted with negative thoughts. In such moments, I  would shift my mind to a happy and wonderful memory which could bring me joy, or I would meditate for 20 minutes  with positive affirmations, or I would count the blessings which God has showered upon me and my children.         

Steve Bloom of the website www.pockthebrain.com suggests ways to clear our mind of negative thoughts:

• Change your body language. Take a moment to observe your body language. Are you slouching with a closed stance? Are you frowning? If you are, you are more likely to think negatively. Bad body language can lower your self-image and lead to a lack of confidence. In that emotional state, it’s only natural to start having bad thoughts.

• Talk it out. Sometimes negative thinking occurs because you have issues or emotions you need to get out. It’s not good to keep things to yourself. If you have something that needs to be addressed, you should talk them through with someone.

• Spend one minute calming your mind of all thought. Slow things down. One minute of calming is often all it takes. It’s kind of like meditation – you’re emptying your mind.

• Change the tone of your thoughts. Sometimes negative thinking is the result of poor perspective. Take a look at the point of view you take on things going on around you. For example, instead of thinking “I’m going through a difficult time and I’m having trouble,” think “I’m facing some challenges, but I’m working on finding solutions.”

• Start listing out what you’re grateful for. Have you forgotten all the good things you have going for you? Sometimes in the daily grind, we lose focus in our lives.