How to Make Your Sabotaging Thoughts Work for You

A simple and effective way to turn unwanted negative thoughts into positive ones.

How often do you find yourself getting lost down the rabbit hole of your mind? It’s easy to get sucked into what seems to be this never-ending spiral of thoughts. Before you know it, you can be so far gone you have no idea how deep you are.

Have you ever driven through an intersection and thought to yourself, “was the light even green? I mean, I’m sure it was, but I don’t remember,” or maybe you got home and completely forgot where you placed your keys. You are not alone. This happens because we’re often somewhere else in our minds.

I used to catch myself so lost thinking about things in the past or future that I often had no idea how I got there in the first place.

It’s not a bad place to be when you’re daydreaming or reminiscing about pleasant things, but it can begin to eat you alive if the thoughts are mostly negative.

Your mind is your inner world, and there’s no escaping it, which is why it would be wise to make it a happy and peaceful place to be.

Luckily, negative thinking is a bad habit, and like any habit, it can be changed through a bit of conscious effort and consistent action.

Make your mind work for you, not against you!

Gaining control of your thoughts is gaining control of your life.

How to start

To start, become aware of what you think about. It may feel a little overwhelming at first, considering the average person thinks around 6000 thoughts per day! If you don’t already do this, I would suggest starting today.

When you’re alone, make an effort to observe your thoughts. Are they mostly positive or negative? Do these thoughts feel good? Do you want these things to happen? If the answer is no, then stop those thoughts!

Introducing the “stop” method

One of the most useful techniques I learned from a psychologist is the “stop” method. To do it, you say “stop” in your head or out loud repeatedly until you have stopped the unwanted thought.

I have successfully used this method for several years and can honestly say that it’s one of the simplest yet most effective ways to stop negative thinking before it snowballs out of control.

As you continue to use the “stop” method over time, negative thoughts will become less frequent, and when they do come, they’re much easier to overcome.

Replace negative thoughts with positive ones

Once you get the hang of this, it’s time to replace negative thoughts with something positive. Think of something you would like to happen, or think about something you’re grateful for instead.

Why am I doing this?

Now let me quickly explain why we’re replacing these negative thoughts with positive ones in the first place. It’s evident that a positive mindset feels better than a negative one, but what we think about is attracted to us like a magnet. Thinking and focusing on something positive begins to raise your energy and mood and attract similar situations and people into your life. What your mind focuses on it will attract or instead seek out.

“Habits of thought are mental magnets; they draw to themselves specific objects relative to the quality of their magnetism.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

Create a positive mindset, create a positive life.

Now, don’t freak out if you’ve been worrying all day or all year or maybe your entire life. It takes time for thoughts to manifest. Once you become aware of your thoughts and replace unwanted ones with positive ones, you are one step closer to making your thoughts work for you and not against you.

Keep doing this consistently!

Be gentle with yourself along the way. It’s ok to be in a bad mood or be stressed out sometimes. I mean, we’re human, and life isn’t always easy. It’s important to feel how you’re feeling, but don’t allow it to consume you.

If you get into an argument with someone, don’t continue to run the conversation over and over in your mind hours or days later, allowing yourself to get angry and worked up. Is it worth your energy? Being angry depletes your energy! This is a perfect opportunity to use the “stop” method.

I know we’ve all been here at some point, allowing ourselves to get angry and upset about something that can no longer be changed. It’s in the past. It’s done. Let go of it, learn from it and move on.

We don’t have time to waste on being mad and feeling sad in 2021

We need to keep our energy and spirits up now more than ever. It’s time to build up the momentum of positivity and keep it going! One thought at a time.