There’s a reason why it’s called the monkey mind.
Sometimes it’s hard to control and often times it can seem like it’s controlling us.
Negative thoughts have no mercy for what you have planned, your goals, or what you wish to accomplish.
They form consciously but if not rooted out they stick around longer than they should.
Sinking into our subconscious mind, requiring rebooting every now and then.
So where do these thoughts even come from?
Can you ever not have negative thoughts?
Like can you train your brain through meditation or breathwork to control every thought you encounter?
What happens when you leave these thoughts unchecked and unchallenged?
And how do you challenge these thoughts the right way?
The effective way?
We’ll be answering these questions and so much more as we embark.
Let’s dive in.
What is the Main Cause of Negative Thinking?
Negative thoughts come from a bombardment of negative and evil pictures, words, and sounds we encounter over time since childhood voluntarily and involuntarily as well as our own memories.
In the world we live in now, you can’t control what your senses come across 24/7.
For example, just by scrolling on social media, you will see a ton of ads and pictures that you didn’t set out to see.
A curated ad experience that knows your Google history and shopping history influences what you see, click on, and ultimately hear.
Doing something as “normal” as watching the news can implant negative and pessimistic worldviews within your mind and your heart.
You notice most of the stories are troubling, worrisome, and full of violence because emotion sells.
Here are a few examples of negative thoughts that are caused by media …
- “Wow. Her body looks so good. I wish my body could look like that or be that shape.”
- “That house is so beautiful. My house is nowhere near as nice. I could never decorate like that.”
- “This person is so talented and successful. How come I can’t accomplish what they have?”
- “How come I can’t afford that lifestyle I must be doing something wrong or they’re just lucky.”
Keep in mind that oftentimes you don’t verbalize these things, it’s often just an automatic thought.
If you’re in a place of comparison and feeling inadequate, then The Powerful 10-Step Solution for Common Feelings of Inadequacy as a Woman, How to Stop Unhealthy Comparison and Perfectionism is for you.
Why you have negative thoughts today is largely (but not solely) influenced by the media.
So far in your life, you’ve had good thoughts come to you, and bad thoughts or negative thoughts arise.
Good thoughts come the same way negative thoughts do.
Through your memories, because you watched or heard something inspiring and motivational, because you read a good book, or went to church on Sunday and heard the Word.
Anything that entered your senses specifically through seeing and hearing.
There’s another unique way that thoughts can enter your heart and your mind, and that’s through the realm of the spirit.
Big term, but simple meaning.
You’re a spirit in a human body so other spirits can communicate with you.
That’s basically what that means.
Sometimes God (or His Spirit aka the Holy Spirit) can stir up your creativity and give you a vision that never came across your 5 senses.
Sometimes He can stir up your intuition and have a thought come to your mind that could save your life or protect you but you never thought of before.
And the same way that good thoughts can be implanted into your mind and heart so can bad thoughts.
In Mark 7:21 Jesus makes it clear that from out of the heart of men comes thoughts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, wickedness, jealousy, self-righteousness, and foolishness.
So how exactly did these thoughts get into our hearts and mind?
We weren’t thinking about these things as babies.
But over the years as we started hearing, seeing, and touching things that were bad for our soul- because everything leaves an imprint on your soul good or bad– we started to carry these memories that get called to our remembrance.
So not only does the mind remember, so does the body.
The body stores memories as well.
For example, a soul-tie is how your body remembers and the soul remembers your previous sexual partners.
How do I Get Rid of Negative Thoughts for Good?
So can you ever get to a point through positive thinking, meditation, or breathwork to never experience negative thoughts- no.
Even the most optimistic person will still have bouts of worry, anxiety, negative thoughts, fear, and so on.
The key is to claim your power. You have control over your mind.
You have the power to accept or reject any thought that comes to your mind.
Until you rest in that power and exercise that power to not just accept any thought as your own and true, you’ll make the negative thoughts a part of you, identify with you, and form a belief system around them.
See the cascading snowball while it’s still in the stages of infancy and reject the lies that your mind tells you before they reach your subconscious mind.
What happens if you don’t challenge your thoughts?
Here’s a good quote that one of the greatest mentors that lived gave about what to do with negative thoughts:
He said, cast down your imaginations and take your thoughts captive.
They shouldn’t take you captive, and they shouldn’t control you.
Before it gets to that point you need to aggressively and diligently (meaning do it always) take hold of your thoughts.
Here’s the thing, whichever narrative you feed, that’s the one that will grow.
If you water and give sunshine to your negative thoughts they will sprout.
Your dominating narrative is what ultimately controls your life- because you’re gonna believe what you repeatedly hear.
And that’s exactly what happens when you don’t challenge your negative thoughts, they become your dominating narrative.
They become weeds in the garden of your mind and choke out any inkling of a positive thought that may want to sprout.
How many times have we repeatedly told ourselves that we couldn’t do something?
Even in the midst of encouragement and support from someone else, you hesitate to believe you can do it because that has become your dominating narrative.
So how exactly do we challenge these negative thoughts?
We don’t agree with them, verbally or non-verbally.
Sometimes you don’t have to come out and say you’re ugly to agree that you’re ugly.
It’s the way you look at yourself in the mirror as that thought passes- you silently agreed.
It’s the way you admire the way another woman looks, just to downplay and dismiss your own appearance through comparison and envy.
You don’t have to verbally say you’ll never have financial success.
It’s the way you’re scared to check your account balance-you silently agree.
It’s the way you always talk yourself out of great opportunities and calculated risks.
These negative thoughts are not only showing up in your head but also in your behaviors.
You have to uproot these belief systems that you’ve formed that support these negative thoughts and are allowing them to thrive.
One … Be fully aware and present to be able to identify negative thoughts that come to your mind without identifying with the thoughts.
Meaning, the thought doesn’t have to become your reality.
You don’t have to believe it.
And you don’t have to act upon any thought you choose not to.
Two… After acknowledging the false narrative, disagree with it verbally and non-verbally.
If you’re walking down the street and you see your dream car and a thought enters your mind that you will never have it …
You can immediately tell your mind that’s a lie and verbally speak an affirmation like “I can accomplish anything I put my mind to and get any luxury items I want with hard work.”
Don’t just give in to the narrative because you’re so used to hearing it.
Maybe it’s a voice of fear that’s been tormenting you and keeping you on the sidelines.
Maybe it’s a voice of being overly cautious, or even intimidation, or shame.
The day you declare that it no longer has power over you, will be the day that you start to see change.
Wrapping it up
We have learned why you have negative thoughts and how to challenge them the right way.
Remember that negative thoughts will come regardless of how much self-work you do or your level self-development.
True character is only displayed and demonstrated when there is a test.
Through what we see, hear, and experience that sometimes is out of our control, we can be influenced by evil and negativity and therefore experience negative thoughts related to our experience.
We challenge these negative thoughts by identifying and acknowledging them.
Being present enough to actually be aware of them when they appear and disagreeing with them and accepting a different and more positive narrative.
If you want an even deeper look at how to quiet negative thoughts, 4 Compelling Secrets to Quiet the Mind Instantly is for you.
