There are some ways to kick them out for the moment (not forever, just for the moment). When our mind gets invaded by negative thoughts, we have to replace them somehow. Ideally, we would replace them with some strong positive thoughts, but since that involves a deeper and more complex technique, we still need to do something right now.
- The first method is concentrating on a certain object. When we notice we’re having some negative thoughts, we should concentrate on a certain object, like the most colorful cup we have. If we start describing to ourselves that cup in the most detailed way, with every color that covers each part of that cup and the shape of the cup and how we sip some hot coffee and burn our tongue because we need that f*ckin’ coffee, we will totally replace those negative thoughts.
- The second method is focusing on surroundings (the fancy name is sensory awareness exercises). If we’re concentrating on what we hear, see, touch, taste or smell, we could ignore those negative thoughts. Questions like Do I smell some coffee? or WTF are those two dogs doin’? can help.
- A third method for ignoring the negative thoughts is by doing some mental exercises, like asking yourself How many people do I know whose name begin with letter D? and start thinking about that. Also, remembering some positive situations in the smallest details can help in this case.
These methods are not useful to fix the problems, but they help in making those problems worse. They are also useful to avoid thoughts we don’t want to have.
What methods do you use to keep yourself from felling in the “dark side”?