{"id":24275,"date":"2014-02-17T21:19:24","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T05:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=24275"},"modified":"2015-07-18T21:44:13","modified_gmt":"2015-07-19T05:44:13","slug":"7-ways-clear-mind-negative-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/7-ways-clear-mind-negative-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways to Clear Your Mind of Negative Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/p>\n

Negative thinking can be a habit of mind.\u00a0 Thoughts sink in and linger there until you take action to get rid of them.<\/p>\n

When you first start thinking negatively, it can be tempting to try and force those thoughts out of your head.\u00a0 You try as hard as possible to stop thinking about them and push them out.<\/p>\n

But this approach often backfires.\u00a0 Resisting those negative thoughts can actually reinforce that thinking pattern and just make things worse.\u00a0 The more you try not to think about something, the more you actually end up thinking about it.<\/p>\n

To get rid of negative thinking, you need to try a different approach \u2013 something that will clear your mind of those negative thoughts once and for all.<\/p>\n

Here are seven ways to clear your mind of negative thinking.<\/p>\n

1. Change your body language<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a moment to observe your body language.\u00a0 Are you slouching with a closed stance?\u00a0 Are you frowning?<\/p>\n

If you are, you\u2019re more likely to think negatively.<\/p>\n

Bad body language can lower your self-image and lead to a lack of confidence.\u00a0 In that emotional state, it\u2019s only natural to start having bad thoughts.<\/p>\n

Sit up straight in a confident manner.\u00a0 Open your stance and smile more.<\/p>\n

Fix your body language and you\u2019ll feel a lot better.\u00a0 It might be just what you need to clear those negative thoughts.<\/p>\n

2. Talk it out<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes negative thinking occurs because you have issues or emotions you need to get out.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not good to keep things to yourself.\u00a0 If you have something that needs to be addressed, you should talk through them with someone.<\/p>\n

Putting things into words gives your thoughts shape and form.\u00a0 That can help you put things into perspective so you can deal with them at the root of the problem.<\/p>\n

3. Spend one minute calming your mind of all thought<\/strong><\/p>\n

When your mind is running a mile a minute, it can be hard to keep up.\u00a0 With everything racing around your head, it can be hard to control the thoughts going on inside \u2013 especially the negative ones.<\/p>\n

Slow things down.\u00a0 One minute of calming is often all it takes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of like meditation \u2013 you\u2019re emptying your mind.\u00a0 Think of it as a reboot.\u00a0 Once it\u2019s empty, you can fill it with something a little more positive.<\/p>\n

4. Change the tone of your thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes negative thinking is the result of poor perspective.\u00a0 Take a look at the point of view you take on the things going on around you.<\/p>\n

For example, instead of thinking, \u201cI\u2019m going through a difficult time and I\u2019m having trouble,\u201d think \u201cI\u2019m facing some challenges, but I\u2019m working on finding solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019re basically saying the same thing, except the second way has a more positive spin to it.\u00a0 But sometimes that little tonal shift can make a huge difference to your thinking patterns.<\/p>\n

5. Be creative<\/strong><\/p>\n

When negative thoughts come, it can pay to spend some time creatively.<\/p>\n

Find a creative outlet for your thoughts.\u00a0 Write things out.\u00a0 Draw or paint something \u2013 even if you have to use a crayon.\u00a0 As long as you\u2019re using your creativity to get your negativity out, it can work.<\/p>\n

Exploring your emotions through creativity acts like auto-therapy and can elevate your mood.<\/p>\n

Creativity can feel like a release.\u00a0 When you put your emotions through an art form, you get them out of your system and clear them out.<\/p>\n

6. Take a walk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because thoughts arise in the mind, it\u2019s easy to assume that\u2019s where they\u2019re formed.\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s only partly true.<\/p>\n

Sometimes our thoughts are a product of our environment.\u00a0 For example, if you surrounded yourself with negative people and negative imagery, you\u2019d probably start to think negatively in turn.<\/p>\n

Stepping away from a negative environment can help immensely.\u00a0 Take a walk alone away from your usual atmosphere.\u00a0 Head somewhere uplifting like a park or museum.<\/p>\n

Time spent distancing yourself from those negative influences can bring you great peace of mind.<\/p>\n

7. Start listing out what you\u2019re grateful for<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you forgotten all the good things you have going for you?\u00a0 Sometimes in the daily grind, we lose focus on all the ways things that are going right in our lives.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s you, then you need to re-train your mind to focus on all the good happening around you instead of the bad.<\/p>\n

List off everything you\u2019re grateful for no matter how small they seem to be.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take anything for granted anymore.\u00a0 Sometimes the good things in our lives are right in front of our faces and we still fail to see them.<\/p>\n

Stop being blind to the positive things you already have going for you.<\/p>\n

Steve is the writer behind Do Something Cool<\/a> where he blogs about travel, motivation, personal growth and adventure.\u00a0 He’s always looking for ways to make life more interesting.\u00a0 Get tips on living life to the fullest through his Facebook fan page<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Negative thinking can be a habit of mind. Thoughts sink in and linger there until you take action to get rid of them. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":24372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[30,112,6],"tags":[4642,2185,595,66,387,4629,1419],"yoast_head":"\n7 Ways to Clear Your Mind of Negative Thoughts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Negative thinking can be a habit of mind. 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