Wednesday Wisdom: How To Redesign Your Thoughts

Your mind is essential to ensuring positivity and happiness in your life. However, when not used correctly, you’ll create a destructive force in your life.

Overall, your mind affects how you interpret reality. And with the average person having around 70,000 thoughts a day, that’s literally (and metaphorically) a lot to think about. And, if the majority of your thoughts are negative, then they’ll drain you of energy.

But why let the negative thoughts get to you when you can take control of them today? Why not redesign your thoughts to where you stay positive and be energized throughout your day?

In this article, we’ll look at what makes your thoughts negative, and how you can take control of your mind in a positive manner.

Consciousness And Pausing

“Consciousness should come before tackling your thoughts,” says Abigail Selwyn, a yoga teacher at Australia 2 write and Next coursework. “However, if you try to focus on every thought that passes through your brain, you’ll get stressed out. So, when you come across a nagging negative thought, pause the thought. Imagine having a remote that you can pause your thoughts with, and just hit the ‘pause’ button so that you can examine the thought.”

Types Of “Thinkers”

First, recognize the unwanted “squatters” that hijack your mind and thoughts. Understand what these “squatters” are and what they do:

• The Inner Critic – The constant abuser who “criticizes” you. And here’s how:
• Other people’s words (i.e. your parents)
• Thoughts that are influenced by your own or other people’s expectations
• Comparing yourself to others (i.e. celebrities)
• Things you say as a result of painful experiences (i.e. betrayal and rejection)

Fueled by pain, low self-esteem, lack of self-acceptance, and lack of self-love, the Inner Critic will question your ability to deal with people and yourself.

• The Worrier – This person is obsessed with the “what ifs,” and is motivated by fear (often irrational and baseless). They worry about the future, and that the past will repeat itself.
• Reactor/Trouble-Maker – This one gets angry and frustrated, due to unhealed wounds of the past. Anything that closely relates to a past wound will set him off:
• Words
• Feelings
• Sounds and or smells

Without any real motivation, the Reactor’s poor impulse control will cause you to be hurt by past experiences.

• The Sleep Depriver – This person is made up of the following traits:
• Inner planning
• Rehashing things from past experience(s)
• Has a combination of both the inner critic and the worrier in them

The Sleep Depriver’s motivation can be:

• Fighting against silence
• Acknowledging neglected things
• Self-doubt, low self-esteem, insecurity, and generalized anxiety

Mastering Your Mind

As you pay more attention and observe certain thoughts that keep nagging you all the time, you’ll be able to put a name to those thoughts as if they were people in real life. The best way to control your thoughts is to catch them when they first occur.

Here are two ways to catch and control your thoughts:

• Technique A – Interrupt and replace them (for the Inner Critic and the Worrier)
• Technique B – Eliminate them altogether (a.k.a. Peace of mind) (for the Reactor and the Sleep Depriver)

These techniques help you reprogram (or redesign) your thinking, and help you better handle them in the future.

Create The Outcome You Want

“The best way to create the best of yourself is to reinvent your thoughts,” says Rosie Stephens, a writer at Writemyx and Brit student. “When you replay a thought in your mind, visualize hitting the ‘pause’ button, and ask yourself if that’s what you want or not.”

For example, if you’re stressed about winning a contract, and worry that you won’t get the contract, stop and think: “Do I want to win the contract?” The answer to that should be “yes.” In other words, words of positivity (“I’ll win the contract,” in this case) should be your answer, not negativity.

“Try thinking about positive affirmations” adds Stephens, “or wear mantras such as Manifest, Trust the Journey, Beautiful Girl You Can Do Hard Things, Braver Stronger Smarter, or Create Your Own Positive MantraBand from MantraBand to remind yourself about positivity.”

Once you reframe the thought, mentally press “Play” and hear your mind play that sentence on repeat.

Conclusion

As you let go of the stressful thoughts, and welcome positive ones, you’ll be redesigning your thinking for the better. Your mind should always be your best friend and motivator, so let’s keep it that way!

Mildred Delgado is a writer and editor for Origin writings and Coursework writing services. She also occasionally contributes to Thesis writing service. As a marketing strategist, she has assisted in several high-profile marketing campaigns.