How to Get Negative Thoughts Out of Your Mind
Tips to get your mind on your side
The only way to live your best life and get closer to your fullest potential for joy, satisfaction and purpose is to get your mind on your side.
We all seem to agree that fear and doubt stop us from living our best life. Fear of failing, feeling like a fool, confirming our self-doubts, exposing ourselves to emotional pain or repeating trauma… are common negative thoughts that prevent us from attempting to do the things we dream of.
But those are just excuses we fall back on, repeatedly.
So many highly successful people have times when they get a stuck in self-doubt too. Many of them have endured losses, tragedies, traumas, depression, addictions and failures just like us. Yet, they persevere and continue pushing themselves forward, living life fully, manifesting what they dream of.
What separates us is that they figured out how to banish those negative thoughts and get their mind on their side.
They manage their mindset. Successful people have learned how to put mind over matter and take the steps to get out of their own way and move beyond the dark clouds of negativity that naturally pop up for all of us.
“Perception is everything and only you can choose to seek out something positive in a negative experience.” – Rachel Hollis
After writing about getting past fear and doubt last week, I received several responses asking me to dive a little deeper and provide more detailed how-to suggestions this week.
Keep in mind that the goal is not to entirely remove fear and doubt from your mind (that’s an unreasonable goal unless you’re the Dalai Lama).
The goal is to focus on gently introducing mindset techniques to see which work best for you to help you break out of negative thought slumps.
Try a few of these thought prompts and suggestions on for size and see what helps get your mind on your side:
- Seek the truth. It can be hard to separate the voice of our emotional insecurities from the truth. We’re so quick to let our inner critic shoot us down when we have an idea or are trying to take steps out of our comfort zone and in the direction of a big goal. Sometimes just pausing to ask yourself how true your fears and doubts really are can be enough to reset your thoughts. Our minds have gotten good at exaggerating and fabricating negative outcomes and predictions that are not truth.
- Find good peeps. Surround yourself with people you can be honest with and who can be honest and supportive of you and what you are dreaming of doing. Having even just one friend or family member in your corner to talk to about your fears out loud (or even in texts!) can be enough to help nudge you out of negativity and into a healthier frame of mind.
- It isn’t judgement day! If you’re insecure and unsure of yourself, are you worried about what other people will think and/or are you’re judging yourself? We can’t live our best life chasing other people’s approval. You need to find your happy and live your life to please yourself. At the end of the day, the power of finding joy through personal growth is your own. The power to enjoy your life without being stopped by fear of judgement is in your hands (actually, it’s in your mind!) You are only as stuck in fear and doubt as you allow yourself to be.
- Stop questioning yourself. Take some time away from overthinking! Go take care of yourself. Nap, read, go for a walk, listen to music, watch a funny video, read an inspiring book, play with your dog, take a bath, pray, meditate, have some tea, do something far removed (and relaxing or energizing) from what has you overthinking and stuck in fear and negativity.
- Take a break. Learn to pause and notice your thought patterns. The ones that have kept you scared, quiet, small and unfulfilled. Noticing the patterns of how your mind puts up the stop sign whenever you try want to step out of the self-sabotage cycle is a critical step in the process of changing. If you can notice the thought patterns that are not serving your future self, you can begin to work on them and change them.
- Separate your thoughts from who you truly are. You are not that inner critic voice that launches an assault on you in your head bringing up every failure you’ve had since the day you were six years old and fell off your bike. That inner critic is trying to stop you from hurting yourself (again) by keeping you stuck in a safe spot, keeping you playing small. That voice is not the truth of who you are becoming. Your truest self wants you to pursue your deepest desires and goals. Your true self is urging you to bust moves and take actions that will bring you closer to your dreams. If you can separate yourself from your inner critic and see those remarks at a distance, like passing clouds in a the sky, you can gain control of your negative thoughts and resume a healthier perspective of where you want to go and how to get there.
- Affirm your affirmations! Write or print affirmations and place them where you will see them throughout your day. Examples: I deserve to feel joyful. I am worthy of love. Love and wealth flow easily to me. I am good enough. I choose to be happy [subscribe below to download a free printable sheet]. I know it seems a little silly, but try it! It’s simple, it’s free, it works. If you truly want to have your mind working in your favor instead of against you, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
- Check on your health. Make sure you are taking care of your health and sleeping well. Sometimes the mindset battle starts with your physical self. Not feeling well, not moving your body, not getting enough rest and not eating well can negatively affect your mood and your ability to feel positive, energized and motivated.
- Google it. I’m serious. Only have a few minutes and need a quick doubt-killer? Do a google search on your phone of “how to feel more confident” and more suggestions and mental hacks will come up to inspire and redirect your negative thoughts than you probably have time for!
There are no guarantees about the results we will achieve when we push past fear and doubt to take actions, but for darn sure, staying in the same old thought patterns will only keep us in the same old spot. And remember that our “results” are subjective and it’s up to us how we choose to perceive them.
You really can be your own best friend.
You can notice when you’re being unreasonably down on yourself or getting caught up in a negativity spiral spun from your mind.
“You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked, try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise Hay
Living the life that you dream of with joy, purpose and satisfaction, a healthy mind, body and spirit, and moving toward the future you that you wish to be, comes down to getting your mind on your side.
One day at a time, one step at a time, one thought at a time.
You already have all the tools and power that you need inside you. I’m hopeful a few of these tips I’ve suggested will work for you and help you better access that power get those negative thoughts out of your mind.
Start believing. Listen to your heart. Keep trying. Practice being your own best friend and cheerleader.
Cheers to learning how to get your mind on your side so you can live a more joyful, satisfaction-packed, purposeful life!
– Marlene
START YOUR TRANSFORMATION – SCHEDULE AN INTUITIVE DISTANCE ENERGY HEALING
If you can’t seem to feel better or feel something is blocking you from believing you have purpose, or something you can’t quite pinpoint is preventing you from shifting your mindset and clearing your energy – first, grab my free positive affirmations download below and then consider how distance energy healing or my one-on-one private coaching program can help you unblock, heal, and assist you toward the mindset and energy shifts you desire. Connect with me if you have any questions or would like to know more. – Marlene
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