How do you stop negative thoughts from creeping into your mind?
How to stop negative thoughts quickly?
Not all that glitters is gold, and nothing can ever be perfect. More often than not we experience thoughts that make us feel negative in some way, shape, or form. These events can include feeling anything from anxiety, nervousness, and depression to pessimism and an oppressive defeatist attitude. A lot of people don’t know this but negative thinking is a common mental condition known as suboptimality bias or suboptimal beliefs, which result in devaluing yourself — a very weighty problem indeed!
Negative thoughts can take over our minds and they are hard to get rid of. It can be hard to gain control of them — but it is possible if you learn how to recognize your negative thinking patterns. In this post, we will see a simple technique to cleanse your mind of negative thoughts. Here’s how to stop negative thoughts with the simple ARC method.
How To Stop Negative Thoughts Quickly With Simple 3 Steps
1. Acknowledge your thought
Be present. This is the first step to getting rid of your negative thoughts. Good advice for getting rid of your negative thoughts is to identify them and accept them as thoughts. Once you can do that, you can then address them. All thoughts that you have are just that: thoughts. They are not necessarily reality. Acknowledging your negative thoughts is the first step to getting rid of them. For example, if you think, “I’m bad at public speaking,” acknowledge that this is a thought, and not the truth. Calm your thoughts by taking three deep breaths. Stop what you are doing, get your feet connected with the ground, and breathe deeply. Take a few deep breaths deep into your low belly and ask, “Negative thoughts, why are you here?”
2. Replace your thought
Sensing the positive helps you to get rid of the negative. Remember the more you do it, the better it will work.
It’s not hard to get rid of negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. There are lots of ways to do it. The simple two-column exercise is a great place to start. On the left-hand side, write out your current negative or unhelpful thought. In the right-hand column, write one or two counterarguments. When you’re done, speak positive thoughts out loudly 3 to 4 times. Focus your awareness on the world around you with your five senses. If you practice the two-column strategy, you can feel a sense of positivity in your life. It’s a simple strategy to control your thoughts and live more mindfully.
3. Change your environment
When we are faced with a situation that is upsetting, it can sometimes be hard to see things from a new perspective. It’s the same when we are faced with a problem we can not seem to solve. No matter the circumstance, it’s important to remember that there is always another way to look at things. While you may not always be able to change the situation, you can change your perspective. Standing up and walking away from the problem for a moment can help you gain a better understanding. When you are in a different environment, your mind will be able to focus on other things. When you return to the situation, you may find that it’s not as difficult to work through as it was before.
A change of scenery, even walking out of the room you are in, can move the mind to new thought patterns. Stand up and walk away from the situation and find something new to focus on. You may look at folding the laundry in a whole new, and more positive light.
The mind is an incredibly powerful thing. We can use our minds to guide us to success and happiness or to lead us down dark paths into negativity, anxiety, and depression. Getting rid of negative thoughts can be one of the most effective ways to improve your life. This simple three-step exercise(ARC method) can help you get some distance from the inner critic, coming up with automatic thoughts.
Don’t forget to share this post with others, as it can help others learn how to organize their schedule. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments. Thanks for reading this post!
