Hey Friend!
Did you know that 95% of your thoughts are repetitive? And, of the 60,000-80,000 thoughts that we think per day, 80% of them are negative and focused on our shortcomings.
If our thoughts are negative, two things tend to happen:
1) we focus only on the negative thought to the exclusion of everything else
2) negative thoughts have harmful effects on our bodies; negative thought patterns cause our breath to quicken, forcing the body into “fight or flight mode” and causing the secretion of cortisol to mobilize the body for action. Chronically increased cortisol levels wreak havoc on our mind and bodies.
Therefore, it’s imperative to be aware and in better control of your thoughts. In her article, “Personal Strategies to Reframe Your Negative Thinking,” psychologist Norma Lent Auerbach offers a list of the most common negative thoughts. Scroll down the list and see which negative thoughts might resonate with you:
-I’m a failure.
-I’m not pretty.
-I’m not handsome.
-I’m so dumb.
-I never have enough money.
-I can’t do that.
-I’m damaged.
-I’ll never be a success.
-I missed my chance.
-No one likes me.
-What if I fail?
-I’m so fat.
-I’m ugly.
-I’m not good enough.
-I’m not talented enough.
-I don’t know what to do.
-Nothing ever works out for me.
-I’m destined to be single.
-What if I get hurt?
-I’ll never get it.
-I’m such a loser.
-I can’t do anything right.
-I don’t deserve that.
-I’m not worth it.
-Something’s wrong with me.
-It has to be perfect.
-It’s too late for me.
-I’m so unhappy.
-I’m too picky.
-Life is hard.
-I can’t forgive myself.
-They won’t like me.
-I suck at this.
-I hate dating.
-I’m too shy.
-People will laugh at me.
-I’ll never be able to do this.
It’s CRAZY that we think some of these negative thoughts on loop over and over again every. single. day. Think about how much these thoughts might be holding you back, stuck in limiting-beliefs. Yikes!
Luckily, due to neuroplasticity, the brain has the capacity to change its structure. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS! In her article, Auerbach offers these tips:
Be Aware of Your Thoughts
Keep a notepad handy and write down any negative thoughts that pop up throughout the day. You’ll begin to see your patterns. This knowledge is so useful, as you can now start the process of reframing your thoughts.
Say CANCEL CANCEL or DELETE DELETE
While it takes time to change thought patterns internally, “you can start to immediately shift your perspective. Once you hear yourself repeat a negative comment, say out loud ”cancel, cancel” [or “delete, delete”] to alert your subconscious mind to disregard that thought.”
Change Negative Words/Phrases into Positive Ones
Replace the words that work against you, like instead of saying “I hate ______ ” say “I prefer ______”. And, replace global words like “always” and “never” with a statement like “I’m open to that experience” or “I’ll do it next time.” Same goes with how you phrase sentences: “I’m not good enough” becomes “I’m worthy of love;” “I’m broken” becomes “I’m healing;” “I’m so stupid” becomes “everyone makes mistakes;” “I can’t do this” becomes “I’ll figure it out; It will be okay.”
And, if you find yourself strongly attached to a negative thought (resistance is totally normal, you’ve been thinking some of these thoughts for decades), ask yourself, “What is the evidence for this?” and “Is this always true?” Slowly, but surely, you will start to break down this negative belief and see that it’s actually not the truth.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal helps you to deliberately focus on positive thoughts and feelings, moving you out of a lack and limited mindset into an abundant, positive mindset. You get more of what you focus on and this is a tool to keep you grounded and open to possibilities.
One of the BEST ways to break negative thought patterns is to change them at the subconscious level, where they live. A daily hypnosis practice will help you feed your new, reframed thought(s) to the inner mind when it is most suggestible. To help you accomplish this, here is a quick 10 Minute self-hypnosis recording:
Positive thought patterns will not make your life perfect and free of any pain or hardship, but they will empower you to take action in the areas of your life that you can control and to be resilient in the areas that lie outside of your control. Negative thoughts close you down to opportunities and possibilities, while positive thoughts open you up. May you live your life to the full!
Much love and happy editing,
Robin
