Your thoughts control your entire life. How you think can dictate your mood, your energy, the way you interact with people, and how you handle your goals. Sometimes we go into our head and we end up allowing our thought to get in the way of being and doing the things we have always wanted to do. This post gives helpful tips to help you clear your head and release negative thoughts that may have been holding you back.

Below is a Reiki video designed to help release negative thought patterns. You are welcome to play it in the background while you read this article to help promote positive energy. If you feel inclined, you may also use this video during meditation with the intention of letting go of negative thoughts.

How to Release Negative Thought Patterns

1. Check your words. – Notice the way you speak to yourself. Are you always putting yourself down? Even if we don’t truly mean what we are saying or thinking it can stick with us. Speak highly of yourself or stay neutral. A quick way to tell if you are speaking to yourself negatively is to question “Would I be friends with someone if they spoke to me like this?”.
2. Stop being a critic. – Stop criticizing everything about you, your friends, and your life. Just let things be. When you consistently critic things and especially yourself you are focusing on the bad without even noticing. You are just seeding new negative thoughts and beliefs.
3. Notice when you are having negative thoughts, patterns, and the ego. This one may take practice but learn what patterns cause you to spiral into negativity. Learn to tell when you actually have a negative thought or thought from the ego. How to do this is to evaluate how you feel, if you feel awful after you think or say something it is a thought from the ego and you can pretty much let it go.
4. End the spiral. – This goes hand in hand with the statement above. Learn what causes you to spiral into a stream of negative thoughts and consciously choose to not allow it to happen. When you worry you do not help your situation. If a thought causes worry, maybe instead try focusing on a solution instead of worrying even more. If you can learn to release an ego-based thought as soon as you have one, you can also avoid the spiral. Usually when we spiral it is all irrational beliefs that are worse case scenarios and either hasn’t even happened or are in the past and should be released.
5. See the irrational. – Notice when a thought or thought pattern is completely irrational. Our minds can tell stories that are very easy to get lost in. Let’s say you are on a weight loss journey. You lose ten pounds and then gain two back. Suddenly you spiral into thoughts of “I will never lose weight!” or worse “I’m ugly.”. This is all irrational. You only gained two pounds but you LOST SEVEN. You are losing weight and who even brought up ugly?  Take a step back and breath and question why you had the thought you had- logically. View it as an outsider to gain clarity.
6. Recognize your worth. – Often we get stuck in negative thought patterns and belief systems because we don’t see our true value. We think just because things were one way that is how they always will be. You are not the person you used to be.
7. Look for the good. – Sometimes we get stuck in negative thought patterns because we don’t see the good. Instead of focusing on all of the bad and negativity shift your awareness to the aspects that you like about yourself and your life no matter how small they are. If you are working towards a goal instead of thinking about not being there yet and spiraling in thoughts of how hard it may be to get there think of the progress you are making.  Focus on the successful steps you have taken already and celebrate them no matter how small. The goal is to really dig to find the good and consciously choose to focus on it.
8. Rest. – This one might seem basic. But, sleep and rest are important to your brain function. When you are tired you don’t see things clearly and it is super easy to get into a funk. Take time to rest, even if it is just a mental moment to yourself. You deserve it.

ProTip- Developing a mindfulness practice helps a lot when it comes to taking control of your thoughts. Being present and in the moment can do wonders for your stress, add mental clarity, and help you recognize negative thought patterns that need to be let go.

Please note: Depression is something you do not need to suffer with alone. Never be afraid to seek out help if you need it. In addition, you don’t have to be depressed to talk to a professional. You can just feel mentally exhausted or overwhelmed. At times having a non-related person to talk to about what is on your mind can do wonders! Never be afraid to take care of your mental wellbeing – it is important and YOU are important.