At one point or another, we’ve all been stuck in a spiral where negative thoughts play repeatedly in our minds. It’s an uncomfortable situation, and getting out of it feels almost impossible. The next time you feel plagued by negative thoughts, try these tips:
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Sit Up Straight
Although our body language portrays what’s happening in our minds, the opposite is also true. At times, our minds reflect what’s happening in our bodies. If you struggle with letting go of negative thinking, try switching your posture and relaxing the muscles in your hands and face. Sitting straight can help your body feel confident and pass the same message to your brain. Try smiling or laughing even if you don’t feel like it. These actions can help stimulate positive emotions.
Breathe Slowly
Taking slow, deep breaths helps in multiple ways. Slow breathing requires concentration and draws your mind away from negative thoughts. Secondly, slow breathing reduces stress and activates the body’s natural relaxation response. It also decreases your heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and releases muscle tension. This relaxed state helps you embody a calm mindset that dispels negative thinking.
Create a Gratitude List
If you’ve ever tried to stop a child from doing something, you mostly end up redirecting them towards something else. Making a gratitude list similarly redirects the mind away from negative thinking.
Start by thinking about something you’re grateful for. It can be your stable job, comfortable home, healthy companionship, warm sunny days, or anything you wished for and now have. Count your blessings and strive for better.
Color
Adult coloring books are a useful tool for many looking to relieve stress and anxiety. Psychologists recommend it to their patients as a means of meditation since it produces a similar calming effect. The focus required for color and creative activities helps reduce negative thinking.
Take a Stroll
Stepping outdoors and engaging in physical activity is an excellent way to fight negative thinking. Initially, it gets you out of the environment you feel stuck in, whether it’s your lonely apartment or your work cubicle where you can’t focus. A new environment can shift your perspective and help you when stuck in a rut. While walking, notice what’s around you; the tap-tap-tap of your shoe stepping on the pavement, the smell of nature, etc., will divert your thoughts. Strenuous physical exercise also helps.
These simple yet effective physical actions can help you redirect your focus towards positive things. To explore more effective ways to battle negative thinking, get your hand on Rob White’s one-of-a-kind The Maestro Monologue Playbook, where he has devised exercises to build a positive mindset and lead a life without regrets.
