How Can I Clear My Mind Of Negative Thinking, Anxieties And Worries?
What we worry about stems from how we feel and since we cannot control our surroundings, our mind creates anxieties and hypotheticals. Negative thinking is creating an uncomfortable feeling that you can’t shake off right then and there. By focusing on what was or what will happen, you are projecting those thoughts into your reality without even knowing.
By stopping your thoughts and removing them from their roots, you are taking back control to direct your life the way you want to. This is going to take being aware and staying in the present moment. By figuring out what is bothering you will begin to release the past and future and bring you in the present moment. By being focused on the present moment, your mind will signal the body to relax and bring you to a state of clarity.
Where does negative thinking begin?
It begins with something new that occurred in your life. Something took you out of your comfort zone and was made especially for you to overcome. Rather it is a new job, moving to a new area, uncompleted tasks, and goals, or a new creative project, it's a new challenge you haven't faced yet. And because you haven't faced it, the fear of not knowing what to do or to expect gets louder. The feeling of anxiety, worries, and doubt comes from the anticipation of how things will play out.
Accepting the obstacle or challenge will help you move in the present moment so you can start to figure how to go about what you are facing. Life makes us uncomfortable so we can readjust and transform ourselves. Your spirit, your mind, and your body is always communicating with you. Pay close attention to yourself and how you are feeling so that you may address it.
Have faith in yourself first
The best part about being you is the unlimited belief that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. But if your mind is tearing you down, then you have become your number one enemy. If you can't get your mind to work for you, then you are fighting yourself. Words are vibrations that can either help you or help bring you down. Be mindful of what you choose to say to yourself.
Having faith and taking the steps to overcome your obstacle will pull you out of your feelings and change your mindset. Putting in the work will take effort and dedication to gain full control of your thoughts. By taking baby steps each of the ways, will start a new healthy pattern. It starts with believing you can do this which turns into knowing that you can after having gone through the experience.
Start by moving your body around
Moving your body around even if it's a few jumping jacks will help refocus your mind. Even a run around the neighborhood will help. Move your body around so you can place your energy in the present moment. The change in scenery will help distract your current thoughts long enough for you to ask what is going on. And every question that is asked, will always be answered.
By changing the regular routine, your mind will have no choice but to allow you to focus on something else. By doing this, you are no longer allowing the negative thoughts and the anxiety pathway in your mind to exist. Any physical activity will do, rather it’s running, walking, or doing some cartwheels. This will help because the energy in motion is your emotions that move your body around. And when your energy is no longer stagnant in one area in your body, you’ll start to gain more clarity and momentum to do something else.
If your thoughts are constantly repeated and rooted in your mind, explore these few methods to gain clarity.
Journaling is not just writing down your feelings
We are all aware of how we feel. However, writing it down confirms that our feelings are real. And by bringing your feelings into awareness, you are ready to face them. Just like in a AA meeting, we have to be strong enough to admit we are feeling anxious due to what we are thinking. Writing down what you are thinking is the next step to overcoming your anxiety. This allows you to dive deeper into your thoughts which helps you figure out the root of your problem.
Another expression of journaling is writing yourself in the future. For example, write down how you would like to see the situation play out or how you would like to feel. This is called, setting clear intentions. By setting the intentions for success, you are creating that to be true. However, gain clarity of your thoughts and your feelings first before moving forward with a positive outcome. After expressing your feelings and finding out what is causing them, you will be ready to write your outcome.
What you think, you attract. Be mindful of your thoughts.
Using affirmations will help move you out of your negative thinking patterns
By implanting positive phrases and words, will trick your mind into coming out of your previous way of thinking. Using phrases such as, “I will find a way”, “I have everything I need” and “I am going to get this done” will help change the energy within you and set it to motion. Negative affirmations starting with “I don’t” or “I can’t” will trap you in a cycle of stagnation, anxiety, and fear. When you find yourself starting with those words, stop immediately and say some encouraging words.
Positive affirmations are a great way of convincing your mind that you can clear your mind of past thoughts and doubts. This will help you gain control over your thoughts by choosing to feel optimistic and help develop an action plan that will help you move forward to the next step in your life. If you need more words to motivate yourself, using positive affirmation flashcards will be a great start to each morning. Before starting your day, simply shuffle the cards for your morning uplift.
Check out this video to learn how positive affirmation flashcards can help break your negative thinking pattern.
If you find yourself thinking of the same thing, explore them
Let the thoughts come to you instead of pushing them away. The very thing that you are fearing, maybe the very best thing you need to do. Explore your feelings without judgment. What you are worried about may not be as bad as you put it. By reviewing it without emotions creates a better way of perceiving it from a logical point of view. Seeing it in a bird's eye view can also help separate your emotions as you go over your thoughts.
Speaking your thoughts out loud will help you gain clarity by hearing yourself. When you hear out loud what you are thinking, you can easily stop your train of thought and rewrite it. Our mind is considered to be the most powerful thing in the human body therefore you can create any scenario if you truly want it. Visualizing the most successful outcome will help bring it into reality. Having a creative imagination will help you move out of the anxious and worried feeling.
Most of what causes anxiety is procrastination. The fact that you haven't completed something may cause you to look for distractions and leaving what you have to do incomplete. Rather the fear is being too great, or feeling unmotivated, to come out of it requires a form of action. It comes down to making up your mind and following through with your task. Finding ways to motivate yourself is exciting and discovering what makes you move is a never-ending process of getting to know yourself.
Opinions and Perspectives
Would love to hear more about how others deal with recurring negative thoughts.
The suggestion about changing scenery is so simple but effective. Just tried it today!
Really appreciate how the article acknowledges that change takes time and effort.
Sometimes I find negative thinking actually helps me prepare for challenges ahead.
Writing to your future self is such an innovative way to handle anxiety about the future.
The focus on present moment awareness reminds me a lot of mindfulness practices.
Great tips but I think it's important to remember that some anxiety needs professional help.
Interesting perspective on how comfort zones relate to negative thinking patterns.
Anyone else find their negative thoughts are worst first thing in the morning?
Been trying these techniques for a week now. Small changes but definitely seeing improvement.
The article could have addressed how social media and news consumption affect negative thinking.
Exploring thoughts without judgment is probably the hardest part for me.
Taking baby steps is key. I tried changing everything at once and got overwhelmed.
Sometimes I think we're too quick to label all negative thinking as bad. Some worry is normal, right?
The idea of treating anxiety as a messenger rather than an enemy is revolutionary for me.
Wish there were more specific examples of how to reframe negative thoughts into positive ones.
Agree about the power of writing things down. Seeing thoughts on paper makes them less scary somehow.
I've found combining physical activity with nature walks especially helpful for clearing my mind.
The connection between procrastination and anxiety is eye-opening. Explains a lot about my work habits.
What about when negative thoughts come from real-life problems that need solving?
Really struggling with the 'having faith in yourself' part when negative thoughts feel overwhelming.
Love the idea of shuffling affirmation cards each morning for a different perspective.
This approach seems more proactive than just trying to think positive all the time.
Surprised the article didn't mention meditation as a tool for clearing negative thoughts.
The concept of energy in motion makes so much sense when dealing with stuck emotions.
Has anyone actually managed to completely clear their mind of negative thoughts?
I like how the article emphasizes personal responsibility without being judgmental.
Finding the root cause of negative thoughts is harder than the article makes it sound.
The suggestion about writing future scenarios really appeals to me as a creative person.
Never considered that anxiety could be a signal from my body trying to communicate something.
Interesting how the article connects physical movement to emotional wellbeing.
Using flashcards for positive affirmations is such a practical idea. Much better than just trying to remember them.
The part about unlimited belief in yourself seems unrealistic when dealing with clinical anxiety.
Wish the article addressed how to handle negative thoughts that come from actual problems, not just perceived ones.
Just tried speaking my worries out loud like the article suggested. Felt weird but kind of helpful!
Wonder if there's research backing up these methods or if it's mostly anecdotal?
I've found that helping others often helps clear my mind of my own negative thoughts.
The article could use more specific examples of how to redirect thoughts when they become negative.
Anyone else notice how their negative thoughts get worse when they're physically inactive?
This reminds me of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques my counselor taught me.
The comparison to AA meetings is interesting. Admitting we're struggling is definitely the first step.
Never thought about how incomplete tasks contribute to negative thinking, but it explains a lot.
I appreciate how the article emphasizes small steps. Too often we try to change everything at once.
The suggestion about cartwheels made me laugh, but I get the point about mixing things up physically!
Creating new healthy patterns takes so much more time than the article suggests.
Good point about words being vibrations. I never considered how the actual phrases we use affect our energy.
I wonder if different approaches work better for different types of negative thinking?
The idea of treating yourself as a friend instead of an enemy really struck home with me.
Does anyone else find it hard to stay present when your mind keeps wandering to worst-case scenarios?
Reading this made me realize how much I let fear of the unknown control my decisions.
What works for me is setting a specific worry time each day. It helps contain anxious thoughts instead of letting them take over.
The part about procrastination really called me out. I definitely use distractions to avoid things that make me anxious.
I find it fascinating how our thoughts create our reality. Just changing words from 'I can't' to 'I will' makes such a difference.
My biggest challenge is catching negative thoughts early enough before they spiral out of control.
Interesting how the article connects energy and emotions. Never thought about anxiety as stagnant energy before.
The suggestion about changing routines is spot on. I changed my morning routine and it really helped break my anxiety cycle.
Sometimes I worry that focusing too much on negative thoughts, even to address them, just reinforces them more.
Love the idea of writing to your future self. I'm going to try that tonight instead of my usual worry journaling.
I think the article misses a key point about seeking professional help when negative thoughts become overwhelming.
The bird's eye view perspective is something I've never considered before. It makes sense to try viewing problems from different angles.
To the person who said affirmations are cheesy, I thought the same thing! But I started small with just one phrase and it actually helped.
This whole approach seems too passive to me. Sometimes you need to actually solve problems, not just change how you think about them.
Anyone tried combining these methods? I'm thinking maybe journaling after exercise could be extra effective.
The concept of bringing feelings into awareness through writing is powerful. It's like shining a light on shadows, they become less scary.
I disagree about physical activity always helping. Sometimes when I'm really anxious, exercise just makes me more wound up.
My therapist taught me something similar about staying present. It's amazing how much anxiety comes from worrying about the future.
What I find most helpful is the idea of exploring thoughts instead of pushing them away. Fighting negative thoughts just seems to make them stronger.
I've actually tried those affirmation cards mentioned in the article. They felt silly at first but they've genuinely helped me start my day better.
The part about accepting obstacles really resonated with me. I spent so much time fighting against challenges instead of working through them.
This article makes it sound so simple, but breaking negative thought patterns isn't easy when you've been thinking that way for years.
In response to the journaling comment, maybe try voice recording your thoughts instead? I found that easier when I first started.
That's interesting about procrastination being linked to anxiety. I never thought about it that way but it makes total sense why I put things off.
The affirmations seem a bit cheesy to me honestly. I can't imagine standing in front of a mirror saying positive phrases would actually help.
I struggle with the journaling suggestion. Whenever I try to write down my feelings, it just makes me more anxious. Anyone else experience this?
Moving your body really does help! I've found that even a quick 10-minute walk can completely shift my mindset when I'm stuck in negative thought patterns.
I really connected with the part about how negative thinking often starts when we're pushed out of our comfort zone. That's exactly what happened when I started my new job last month.