How The Thoughts and Pictures in Your Mind Determine Your Life
Have you heard the phrase 'Thoughts become Things'? This phrase embodies the idea that the thoughts you have and the pictures your brain creates based on these thoughts influence how you behave and act and, therefore, what happens in your life.
Your brain stimulates a chemical reaction for thoughts you focus on, triggering an emotional response. As your brain engages with the thought, it makes a new circuit that sends a signal to your body and causes you to react in a certain way. The more your brain repeats this pattern, the more things are reinforced in your brain and in your body, so your thoughts and your brain's reactions become habits.
This reinforcement can, unfortunately, mean exaggerating negative or bad things because your brain has a habit of focusing on adverse outcomes, this may exaggerate negative feelings such as anxiety making you feel stuck, confused, or even depressed.
So, to change your life for more positive outcome, you need to retrain your brain by creating more positive thoughts and pictures in your mind. Though it might seem complex, you can change your habitual thinking patterns and replace negative thoughts with positive ones that will positively influence your life.
You have the power to change your thoughts and, therefore, your life!
Here are some tips for ensuring the thoughts and pictures in your mind reflect the life you want to live.
Be Mindful of Your Thoughts
The first step toward changing your life is to become aware of your negative thoughts in the first instance so you can begin to alter your thinking. Being mindful and practising mindfulness will allow you to identify thoughts and thought patterns, as it creates some distance between your thoughts and lets you see yourself as separate from them.
Question Your Thoughts
Once you identify yourself thinking something negative, you can challenge these thoughts and ask yourself whether they are true. For example, if you thought, "oh, I wasn't able to do that, I'm such a failure, I fail at everything," ask yourself whether this is actually true. Think of times you have succeeded and then tell yourself, "I'm not a failure; I'm able to succeed in life".
If you put this into practice regularly with all your negative thoughts, you'll soon be able to change your thinking patterns and replace them with more positive ones that will help you feel happier.
Stop Unwanted Thoughts
Another technique is to stop yourself whenever you think something negative, and instead of falling down a rabbit hole of lots of negative thoughts, say, "No. I choose not to engage with these thoughts," and move on to thinking about something else. By actively stopping yourself from engaging with negative thoughts, you're creating new thought patterns in your mind and will be less likely to overthink in future.
If you're having issues with negative thoughts controlling your life, Thashna Walsh Lifestyle Therapy is here to help. We can work with you to help you create the beautiful life you deserve, giving you quick and long-lasting results. Please book your free discovery call now to get started, or email us at thashnawalsh@gmail.com.
