I have been learning how to deal with, overcome, control, and stop negative thoughts and unhelpful thinking patterns. I was usually pretty positive, but I went through a period in my life where my thought process and emotions became more noticeably negative, and I didn’t even realize it.
Certain situations, bad things, and events in life will bring out negative thoughts and negativity you didn’t know existed. At one point, I thought, “If it’s possible to have mostly negative thoughts and a negative viewpoint, then isn’t it possible to have primarily positive thoughts and a positive viewpoint?”
One thing for sure is we need to have practical ways to break free from negative thoughts and overcome negative thinking. We will feel more free and have the freedom to be more ourselves and refrain from negative self-talk if we can manage this task. It will also help your well-being and personal growth because, with more positive thinking, you will continue to grow and push through challenges.
Understanding our negative thinking patterns
After truly experiencing negative thoughts, I understood why mental health professional facilities take them seriously. Negative thinking can take the love and excitement out of life.
It stops you dead in your tracks from progressing in all kinds of different areas of your life, from careers and relationships to hobbies and interests and anything else in between. Negative thinking can contribute to depression and low self-esteem and make you think about and dwell on the worst possible outcome in a situation that hasn’t even happened yet.
Having primarily negative thinking patterns will keep you from being the best version of yourself by playing with your emotions and behavior. It will keep you from stepping out of your comfort zone and contribute to attracting the wrong things because you aren’t thinking clearly. Negative thinking is :
Intrusive
detrimental to well-being and overall health
capable of skewing our views and perceptions of reality
crippling and creating negative feelings
contributing to an unsatisfactory life
self-criticizing
making it so that you feel anxious or worthless
They manifest by feeding upon our mistakes and regrets, past experiences in life, or self-doubt and self-conscious issues. Other negative thinking patterns feed on our present situation, making us think we will have a terrible future. The good news is that contrary to negative thought patterns, there is an opposite way of thinking.
The power of a positive mindset
A positive mindset will do the opposite of negative thinking and replace negative thoughts, helping you to gain control of your thought process. It also contributes to helping you have a more enjoyable and meaningful life:
It will progress you in life and make you an overall happier person.
You will enjoy life more and will make better decisions.
You’ll be more willing to step out of your comfort zone and try new and exciting(and maybe not so exciting) things.
You will think more positively about the present moment and future.
You’ll have overall better relationships.
You’ll become more resilient and equipped to handle difficult times.
You’ll become a stronger person, and who doesn’t want that?
Here are 5 Practical Ways to Overcome Negative Thoughts
1. What does the Bible Say?
If a thought popped up that said you are worthless and can’t do anything right, I would look up verses and keep them handy. The next time it came around, I started to work on that thought, triggering what God said instead. In Galatians 3:13, God said:
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”
He died so you could come out from under the law. We all break the law, and it’s a blessing not to be cursed by it. That alone makes you not worthless. The creator of the universe died for you so you could have this gift. I can use this verse to turn my worthless negative thoughts into positive ones. In Ephesians 3:10, he also said:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
God is using us to show off more of his wisdom to other beings. You are not worthless. You have a big job to do on a bigger scale than just on planet Earth. If he uses us for this purpose, then not everything I do is wrong. Right? Well, in Ecclesiastes 9:7, we come to the truth:
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.
And in Deuteronomy 28:8:
8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord, your God, will bless you in the land he is giving you.
He already approves of all that you do. He will bless what you lay your hands on. God’s say is the final say. The Bible has excellent Truths to help for overcoming negative thinking like this.
2. Listen to inspirational videos and music.
Hearing a positive reminder of where your mind should be is nice. It’s nice to get a breather just for that time, even if it’s just for a moment. The more you feed yourself positive words, the more these positive words will play in your head to help stop those negative thoughts.
There are plenty of inspirational videos on YouTube and other sites. For example, when I’m in a funk, I’ll listen to others like Steve Harvey, who is inspiring. Videos like this one have also helped me get through emotionally rough times:
Music that positively inspires you is also great for helping to control those negative thoughts. I found that Christian-based music is fantastic for this.
You can listen to your genre and get a message to feed you the healthy food you need. This food can help nourish you and give you a Godly reminder of who he is and who you are.
3. Be thankful.
I heard someone say happy people are happy because they are thankful. Everyone has something that they are going through, but just like there are things that can be better, there are things we can be thankful for too. Being thankful will help overcome negative thoughts.
You may not be living in the dream house you want, but do you have a roof over your head and warmth, so you aren’t out in the cold?
So maybe you don’t have that dream job you want yet, but are you able to work and make money while you work towards where you want to be?
You may not have the car you want yet, but are you getting from point A to point B with the car you have?
Maybe you have to walk to work, but thankfully you can walk.
To help keep your teeth healthy, you have to brush them, but thank God you have teeth to brush.
Have to do laundry? I know, it’s probably a lot, but thankfully there are clothes to wash.
Mad about mistakes you’ve made in the past? Thank God you get another day to try again.
You can overcome and stop these negative thoughts by being thankful for what you have. When you are thankful, you will be more content with your situation. When you are content, you will learn to be happy in different circumstances. Being content and happy allows you to be healthier and have a clearer head.
4. Tell your thoughts so they are no longer a secret.
If a negative thought is repeating in your head constantly, sometimes it helps to tell it to someone. You must pick and choose who you tell and what to tell. Some things are intended to be kept from being told. Other things are meant to be told to certain people, and some secrets are meant to be shared with a crowd because it could help them and you.
I’ve talked to my grandmother about negative thoughts playing in my head, especially when I started working and going through a series of changes. I had thoughts saying I was worthless because of this and that.
I told her a few secret reasons why I felt that way, including things from the past. She’ll tell me something that’ll overcome those thoughts. She made me realize I was making something bigger than it was. In her view, she had a different perspective on the situation.
Or sometimes, she’ll say something from the Bible. Like the friendly reminder that all things are possible through Christ, that through him we are made perfect, or that everything does happen for our good. These reminders she gave me helped me to combat negative thoughts.
Here’s another example.
I’ve had thoughts I was worried about telling my husband, and they played repeatedly in my head. One thought got to the point where it was gnawing at me, so I talked to him. He reacted in a very relaxed way, which helped me to relieve that thought. As it turned out, it wasn’t a big deal like I thought it was.
Or there was another time I was talking to him about a situation, and he reminded me, “This might be the case now, but how many people have had the same opportunities that you have had?” And with that statement, it comes down to being thankful.
5. Counter negative thoughts with the opposite actions of the thoughts.
So, for example, if you have something gnawing at you like you are procrastinating doing the dishes, if you get up and do the dishes, that negative thought can no longer nag at you for the time being. It’s like a relief and an accomplishment. Then you can focus that energy on something else more worthy.
If you are having negative thoughts about how you’ll never make money, start searching for how to make money and try to put some ideas into action. Seek and you shall find. When you seek, you will start to open doors that you didn’t know existed and they can lead from one thing to another. Matthew 7:7 has a verse on this:
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Maybe you have a negative thought that says you’re too dumb to learn how to fish, but you want to learn how. Well, you may surprise yourself if you tried to do what you think you can’t do. Trying something new and educating yourself on something you want to learn is how to stop and overcome these negative thoughts. You really won’t know until you try. Trying things, you think you can’t do is a great way to build confidence and problem-solving skills. Having confidence helps control negative thoughts. It gives you something to do and says you are willing to self-educate and grow.
Implementing the Strategies in Daily Life
Now the next step is putting the above strategies into action. Having knowledge and strategies is great, but action is the way to activate the knowledge and strategies. Here are some practical tips to implement these strategies and see them work in our daily lives:
1. Tips for what does the Bible Say?
- Make a list on your phone or whatever is convenient, and have it handy. I had a Bible verse as the background on my phone for a while that helped me with a repeating thought pattern.
- When negative thinking decides to rear its ugly head, you’ll have Bible verses handy to remind you of the opposite or something more positive to think about. The more you do this, the less you will need the list, as your brain will start to trigger the positive thoughts from the negative.
2. Tips for listening to inspirational videos and music:
- Have a playlist handy for your uplifting and inspiring music. That way, if you are in the position to put on some music, you will be ready. Also, have headphones or earbuds handy. Those always come in handy.
- The music’s positive messages and tunes can shape and uplift your mood. It can give you the energy to do the task you didn’t want to do. Doing the dishes or cooking with music can enhance the experience.
3. Tips for being thankful:
- Like Bible verses, you could write a list of what you are thankful for or write a list mentally. As you go about your day, you can keep adding to this list as things arise. That way, they are ready when needed.
- You can pull this list out when you begin to have negative thoughts. I also say a mental list because there is much to be thankful for according to each task or subject.
- So, when the not-so-fun thoughts come about, you will have to practice self-awareness to realize you have a negative thought and pull out the right resource.
- Like the example above about washing clothes. You have to pull out the conscious ‘I’m thankful for clothes’ type of thinking, which will get better and easier the more you do it.
4. Tips for telling your thoughts:
- The hope is you have someone in your life that you can genuinely trust to share your negative thoughts. This can be a not-so-common scenario, but utilize it if you are blessed with someone to share with without overdoing it.
- From there, these individuals could give you a different and refreshing perspective, be encouraging, and even give you great advice regarding your negative thoughts.
5. Tips for taking opposite actions:
- Sometimes you will have to battle and challenge your flesh to do the opposite of the negative thought, but be aware of that and win.
- If it’s a big task, remember that significant tasks combine more minor tasks. So prioritize and break down the big task into smaller tasks, taking one step at a time.
- The more you do the opposite action, the more confident and assertive you will become because you aren’t letting negative thinking control your actions.
No more negative self-talk and doubt because now you have five practical ways to help overcome negative thoughts.
You want your mind to be in as peaceful of a state as possible. The more peaceful your mind is, the more you can think critically and work with your brain. Your creativity and problem-solving skills have more room to breathe and blossom. You can implement and use the ideas of:
What does the Bible say?
Listen to inspirational videos and music.
Be thankful.
Telling your thoughts so they are no longer a secret.
Counter negative thoughts with the opposite actions.
Whatever thoughts you have eating at you, present negative or past negative thoughts, it is possible to switch your thinking into a more positive mindset.
Remember, they are just thoughts; you can be stronger than them because you are strong. Just remember who you are. It is an ongoing battle, but the more you trigger your thoughts to think positively, the more natural it becomes and takes over the negativity.