7 Ways to Silence Your Negative Thoughts

There is so much negativity in the world that it’s hard not to be consumed by it all, which can make life stressful.

We all know that having negative thoughts will get us nowhere in life, and all you get out of it is being more depressed and more cynical about the world.

There have been studies that say negative thinking can affect not only our mental health but our physical health as well.

Specialists from the Pennsylvania State University conducted a study that showed negative moods are associated with an increased risk of exacerbated inflammation.

You do need to acknowledge the negative side of life, but that doesn’t mean you should dwell on the negativity.

Know that it’s there and what you need to work on, then move on to something more positive to think about.

While focusing on positivity, keep in mind that the type of positivity you’re focusing on isn’t the type where you ignore every negative element of your life.

Since we all could use some help with that pesky inflammation and with trying to silence our negative thoughts, I have whipped up seven ways to help quiet your negative thinking.

Serving Others in Need.

you can’t get over the negative thoughts that keep you awake at night and distracted from the world around you, help someone who may need some assistance.

By helping someone, it takes your focus off your problems and puts it on the task at hand.

You’ll also feel better about yourself knowing you did a good deed.

When you have negative thoughts about how nothing ever goes your way and how life is so hard, helping someone in need is a great way to put your negative thoughts into perspective.

You’ll realize that you have it better than a lot of people.

This is not to discount your troubles and hardships in life, only to help you silence your negative thoughts and to be grateful for everything and for the life you have.

Meditate.

I am a true believer and supporter of meditation. Meditation can help you feel calm, at peace, and balance that not only promotes your emotional well-being but can also improve your overall health.

Meditating can help reduce negative emotions, increase patience and tolerance in your life, and build skills to help manage your stress.

Meditating helps keep you focused on the present moment while helping you stay calm and relaxed.

It will help you be more in tune with your body and your surroundings, which is nice since you want to be the one who has control over your thoughts.

There are different types of meditation, and my favorite is Mindfulness Meditation, which helps broaden your conscious awareness.

Focus on being in the moment and pay attention to what you’re experiencing.

Focus on the glide of your breath, smells that flow into your nose, the thoughts running through your mind.

While meditating, try incorporating a mantra in your meditation sessions.

That way, when you’re overwhelmed by negative thoughts, and you’re not in the situation to sit down and fully meditate, repeat your meditation mantra over and over until you feel calm.

Doing this will help your body remember to feel at ease as if you are fully meditating.

Having a meditation mantra is a wise thing to have, and it can even be cheesy and straightforward, but make sure it helps you relax.

Focus on Your Strengths.

Think of one of your best traits and find a new way to use it for a week. Do you have a knack for making people laugh?

Use that to brighten up someone’s day along with yours and always remember to use your trait the right way.

Don’t just make people laugh for the sake of making them laugh. Honestly, look for ways to make someone’s day better with a big hearty laugh.

Be sure to choose the right time and situation to tell a joke or however you make someone laugh.

The last thing you want is to make someone laugh during an inappropriate time because that will only cause more problems and add to your negative thinking. There’s a time and a place for everything.

Focus Shifting and Changing the Negative Channel.

Focus shifting:

When your negative thoughts appear, you can try something called focus shifting.

It’s where you focus on grabbing hold of your negative thoughts and shifting them into a new positive thought.

Shift them into a thought or memory that makes you happy.

For example, when a negative thought runs wild in my mind, I shift it into a memory of Las Vegas or thought about the Golden Girls.

Those are thoughts that make me happy and feel good inside. And they are my go-to thoughts for focus shifting.

Changing the negative channel:

This technique is like focus shifting, but instead of focusing on your negative thought and shifting it into a new one, you change the channel. Like you would do with your tv.

When you’re watching tv, and a show comes on, and you don’t like it because it stresses you out and makes you feel bad inside, would you continue to watch it?

I don’t think so; I think you would change the channel to a new show that you like, and that calms you down.

Once a negative thought comes to your mind, imagine yourself changing the channel on your thought to a positive thought channel.

You can even use the positive thoughts you use with focus shifting. Try both techniques and see which one you like the most, and work the best for you.

Be Mindful of Your Thoughts.

Examine your thoughts throughout the day, even if it’s just for five minutes each time.

By doing this, you’re teaching yourself to be more in tune with your thoughts and emotions.

It helps you recognize which type of negative notion is creeping into your mind, and sometimes you’ll have the same negative thought circling your brain day after day.

Are you stressed out over a massive change in management at work? Are you upset at what your spouse said to you during a fight?

Once you figure out which negative thought is bothering you the most, you’ll be able to work on a solution to fix the problem.

If you’re stressed out over a massive change in management, write down everything that is bothering you about this significant change.

Did they bring in management that is rude and unfair to their employees, or did they change everything about the work schedule?

Schedule a time when you can sit down with your new management and explain the concerns you have with this change and let them know that you’re stressing and having a hard time.

I recently had a new shift in management at my work that has been stressing me out.

But if they try to change anything about my schedule, I’ll be talking with them since I have my schedule the way it is to work around my chronic pain and medication.

Think Happy Thoughts.

Thinking happy thoughts do so much for our brain and our overall health, and we might not be fully aware of the benefits of positive thinking.

Thinking positive thoughts decreases Cortisol and produces Serotonin, which generates a perception of well-being. This also helps your brain function at peak capacity.

Just remember that training your mind to focus solely on the positive in life won’t happen overnight.

You need to work on this every single day and know it will take time until you finally reach the point where thinking positively becomes second nature.

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There will be days where you’re going to want to give up and not try anymore.

Please, don’t give up. I know how hard it is to stop thinking negatively and focus on all the good things that happen in life.

I have my days where everything goes wrong, and I feel like the world and system is set up against me. I’m sure you have felt the same way.

When you think this way, take some time and focus on things that you’re thankful for and on things that work with you.