When my friend said this, it really made me stop and think. What a way to pay attention to what you think.
Our thoughts led to feelings which lead to action which lead to results. What we think is so important and it can be easy to fall into patterns of negative thinking so being aware is the first step.
I’m so happy when I come out of a fog cloud of negative thinking. When I’m in it, I’m not seeing clearly and more often than not, I don’t even know I’m in it. So when the fog lifts or I’m sick of it, I’m relieved not to be spending any more time swimming in it.
Whatever thoughts you are thinking, you can also imagine it as building up the neural networks in your brain. So let’s say you are thinking positively, you are strengthening up this area and the same with the negative too. So whichever side you have picked will more likely become the default that you fall back into.
So as a way to become aware, imagine every thought being inked onto your skin. Which has been inked so many times that stand out? Are they positive or negative ones?
If they are ones you don’t want, at least stop inking them. Replace them with something nicer that you would be proud to show off.
Thank you, Selina for writing about it. It is such an important topic and at the end also approach that can influence one´s life. I am wondering how can we make it happen that people will be able to manage their thoughts on the daily basis & will be aware of the consequences of their thoughts. What are the tools that would help them?
Hi Iwona, thanks for your comment. Taking the time to stop and reflect is a good start. That can be in the morning, evening or whenever you have a few minutes. Journalling helps to understand what is going through your mind and noticing what type of thoughts you have (for example, optimistic, happy, pessimistic, dark thoughts). Once you have done this for a few days, you may start seeing a pattern, then you can start playing a bit by trying different things out, like flipping the thought. There are also many meditation apps out there like Headspace that help people become more aware of their thoughts. Hope that helps, Selina