Did you ​know that the thoughts that you think dictate the feelings that you feel? Feelings and emotions are a result of chemical reactions taking place in your body. These reactions are responsible negative emotions like anger and sadness, as well as positive feelings like love and happiness. So it makes sense that in order to overcome negative thoughts you must change your thought pattern, otherwise known as using "thought stopping."
Getting Started
Next time you are feeling down, upset, or negative try keeping track of your thoughts for a few hours. Carry a small notebook, or use your phone or tablet to keep track of every negative or sad thought that you have. You might be surprised to see how many of your thoughts are negative. Of course the fact that you are even keeping track of your thoughts can impact what you are thinking about. Studies show that the average person thinks a negative thought every two minutes! After writing down the negative or sad thoughts, immediately write down or say out loud a positive thought.
Come up with a list of positive thoughts that you can tell yourself, or use
our list. Keep your list with you so that it is ready when you encounter negative thoughts.
Practice
The more that you practice thought stopping and start replacing those negative thoughts with positive statements, the better you will feel over time. Negative thinking is a habit, and like all habits, it takes time and effort to break.
In the same way, positive thinking is a skill that must be used over and over again before it becomes effective. By learning to take care of yourself and by controlling your thoughts, you can learn to overcome negative feelings associated with depression. Give yourself
30 days to work on changing your thoughts and you will start to notice significant differences in the way that you feel.
