Can I Stop That Negative Thought?

The simple answer is "Yes, you can!" Not that it will be easy, but it is very do-able. The process will take FOCUS, COMPARING, and PERSEVERANCE on your part. The brain can be changed by how and what you think. Begin with using a journal and write down with quotation marks the very thought that plagues your mind. Examples many people deal with are "I'm worthless."  "I can't believe I did that. I'm so stupid." "Life stinks."  You get the drift!  Committing something to writing indicates you are serious about the process. We all have internal messages that might have originated from a voice in our past or we developed them all by ourselves. Either way, you know this one thought needs to be taken captive and removed from your life. So commit it to writing and start today with the first step: FOCUS. Be aware of when the thought pops into your mind.  I was taught years ago that negative thoughts are like birds flying over our heads, we can't stop the bird from flying through, but we can keep it from making a nest!  So FOCUS on when the thought flies through. Be aware of it. Second step, COMPARE! Go back to your journal tonight and compare the negative thought with a new one.  Write down the new thought you believe would be helpful in your life. Instead of "I'm so stupid" (doing a particular thing), write down, "I just don't know how YET, but I can learn if I work at it."  The next time the negative thought flies through, compare and replace it with the new one. The last step is the PERSEVERANCE. There is a beautiful example of this in a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He told them to "take every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah." Whether you are a Christian or not and reading this, know that Paul was onto some very good brain science! This is just as cognitive-building as it is character-building. So are you ready to try the three stop process of FOCUS - COMPARE - PERSEVERE? I think you are! Let me know how it goes!  Jeanne