A perfect and sun-filled day can be ruined by bad thoughts.
The human mind is a whole world of its own. Though within the body, it is a force not to be trifled with.
Like a broken vehicle hooked to a tolling van, the human mind can take you in any direction if you let it. It remembers the fun moments of your life which leaves you grinning ear to ear. The first time you had a crush in school or aced a difficult test and received praise from your class teacher.
It also remembers the not-so-fun memories, holding on to them when you would rather think of something else. These thoughts come unannounced, robbing you of peace and leaving you to question the past.
A whole day of fun and laughter can be ruined because of one bad thought. Just like you take extra care to keep fit and stay active, your mind must be trained to fight off bad thoughts leaving you with a healthier mind.
This is not optional but a must as you journey through life. Staying ahead of your thought game and process is a skill that must be harnessed and fine-tuned to enjoy the very best of your life.
Join me on this journey as we discuss 5 ways to fight off bad thoughts, starting with reasons why these thoughts happen.
Causes of Incessant Bad Thoughts
Just like a seed is watered and receives sunlight to grow, bad thoughts don’t just spring up on you but grow from stage to stage. The following are some causes of incessant bad thoughts in your life.
1. Lack of self-confidence
Self-confidence is like a fine robe worn over an outfit. It accentuates your wardrobe leaving you looking and feeling ecstatic. Conversely, a lack of self-confidence may lead you to question every experience in your life, hindering your ability to fully enjoy the present moment.
2. Concern for the future
The mind gets concerned about the future whether you like it or not. You think about getting promoted at work, getting married to the love of your life or starting that business. These constant thoughts of uncertainty can be a breeding ground for bad thoughts.
3. Criticism
Criticisms are part of life but a lot of it is not good for the morale of any person. Also, toxic workplaces and living in a troubled family can make you experience criticism daily thereby breeding bad thoughts in your mind.
4. Overthinking
Overthinking can also make bad thoughts to be a constant visitor in your life. Constantly thinking about the success or failure of a project, problems at work and family, breeds bad thoughts in no distant time.
The Way Forward
Bad thoughts shouldn’t be a constant experience in your life. Furthermore, just like you don’t focus on every vehicle that passes on the other lane when driving, you should tackle bad thoughts by doing the following;
1. Acknowledge your feelings
A lot of people tend to disregard whatever emotions they feel on different occasions. You shove it to the back of your mind and pay no attention to it, like a parent ignoring a badly behaved child.
Let’s say you thought about flopping your presentation now. Instead of saying the traditional “God forbid”, how about you acknowledge the nervousness you feel? Telling yourself that it is part of being human and not a rare occurrence.
You can then proceed to say positive affirmations about how you are going to ace that presentation and wow your audience.
2. Scrutinize your thoughts
Your thoughts shouldn’t be left to run wild. Evaluate your bad thoughts like you would a witness on a stand using facts and figures. Evaluate what brought this thought on and doing this weakens its stronghold.
3. Be self-aware
How well do you know yourself? Do you know the environments that trigger these thoughts? Do you know the people that bring these thoughts to the surface? How often do you dwell on a bad thought when it crosses your mind?
Answering these questions and others truthfully can shed more light on areas that you need to work on.
4. Replace negative thoughts with positive and realistic ones
Being positive doesn’t mean you won’t have any negative thoughts. It simply means replacing negative thoughts with realistic and positive ones. Instead of thinking
“I am going to flop this presentation, why did I agree to this?”
You can replace this thought with;
“I have prepared for this presentation and I’m going to have an excellent presentation.”
Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones rewires your brain to change the narrative about the situation.
5. Talk to a friend
Venting your frustrations about a hectic day at work or a slow day for your business can help you release pent-up emotions that might have led to having negative thoughts.
Speak to a close friend about your experiences. If it is something, you need help with it, ask this friend for solutions to your predicament.
Internalising your problems every time can be a breeding ground for bad thoughts.
Conclusion
Do not allow bad thoughts to rub you off the little time you have to enjoy life with your family, friends and loved ones.
Acknowledging your fears, scrutinizing your thoughts, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, talking to a friend and being self-aware are ways to fight off bad thoughts in your life.
Read here: Letting go of your past and moving on
Researched by Adejoke Toye
