7 Effective Ways to Curb Negative Thinking

In the current situation, it’s easy for negative thoughts to creep into your mind. However, negative thoughts don’t just harmlessly lie there, they can bog you down, affect your confidence and self esteem, deter your progress in life and hold you back from reaching your goals. They can be detrimental both for your personal and professional life. It’s essential to get the negative voice out of your head before it derails your life. Dr Bhavna Barmi, a Delhi-based clinical psychologist and the founder of Happiness Studio, who has held several workshops and talks on how to make positive changes in one’s life, lists ways in which you can break the negative pattern of thoughts. 

1. Acceptance: This is the first step. You need to accept what’s bothering you instead of trying to avoid it. Face it, it’s the best way to move on or get rid of thoughts that are disturbing you.

2. Maintain a thought journal: Write instead of thinking. Pen down your thoughts, its a way by which you vent your feeling. Writing is a cathartic experience and help you deal better with the problems at hand. 

3. Meditate or do yoga: One of the most researched methods to deal with negative thinking is meditation, it calms your mind and makes you feel at ease.

4. Help someone: The habit of lending your hand to someone in need makes you feel happy from within, therefore, decreasing any effects of negativity.

5. Read out positive quotes or stories: By doing this you are feeding your brain with positivity and healthy information, this diminishes the effects of any toxicity.

6. Follow the truth: Many a times negative thoughts are rooted from illogical beliefs, find if you have any and replace it with the truth.

7. Show gratitude: Being able to practice gratitude is an art in its own, it offers peace and mindfulness. One of the best ways to eradicate any negativity