3 Easy Exercises to Break Negative Thoughts

If it is anything I want my clients to walk away with is the knowing that they can control their thoughts and have the clarity to recognize that it is not their external triggers which necessarily stress them out, but more likely the meaning they attach to those triggers which causes stress. My most empowering belief which I base my business on is the knowing that the quality of my happiness is determined by the quality of my thoughts.

Our internal story or dialogue will determine our meaning and that meaning will determine the quality of our reality. If we are experiencing negative emotions then there is a major likelihood that those negative emotions are stemming from dysfunctional thoughts which in turn lead to a negative focus.

True empowerment and resilience comes when we realize that happiness is not made up of what we have outside of us but what state of mind we have within us. 

And so the ability to refine and uplift your thoughts will create an internal state of happiness which will enrich the meanings you are giving to every situation around you. When you are able to take control of these meanings, then you can take control of your happiness.

So here are my 3 favorite exercises to shift my negative thinking and create a positive state of happiness within:

1.  Fact or Fiction

Make a list of all your thoughts. Go through each thought and ask yourself

whether your thought is 100% objective fact or is it your subjective thought, fiction. To be 100% objective, that thought needs 100% evidence to stand in a court of law J; so what evidence do you have to support that belief?

A factual thought is fixed and cannot be changed, but a subjective, fictional thought means there are multiple perspectives and you are in a position to choose which thought process feels best and works for you. Every time you challenge your thoughts and ask yourself if that thought is true, fact or fiction, you will enable yourself to think of new perspectives and activate healthier and more empowering thought processes.

So it works like this:

Today is Tuesday (Fact)
It is 7am (Fact)
I am writing a blog post (Fact)
I am unsure if this post will be read by many people (Fiction, my own internal story beginning)
I hope this blog will be understood or used by others (Fiction, blah, blah, blah
This topic could be really helpful (Fiction, I think so)
I’ve had many clients use these tools and shift their thoughts (Fact)

Go ahead list some of the thoughts you are thinking right now and try this out. Or list some thoughts you have regarding a stressful situation and see how many are fact (objective) or fiction (subjective)

2.       How does that thought make you feel?

Say a sentence to yourself and notice how it makes you feel. When you stop to ask yourself this question you will gain clarity around how your thoughts are programming your feelings. Are they empowering you and uplifting you, or are they bringing you down and causing stress?

Where do you feel them in your body and what is the feeling?
(Scan through your body and notice where it feels tight or blocked. This may be in your throat, stomach, gut, shoulders, neck, back, hips or legs)

If I use the thought above, ‘I am unsure if this post will be read by many people,’ and I ask myself how this thought makes me feel, I instantly get a knot in my stomach and in my chest which feels tight and makes me feel breathless. By connecting to these feelings I can now realize that this thought has led me to feel fear and so now I can attend to the feeling and shift it.

3.       Why are you feeling that feeling?

This exercise lets you connect with the triggers which activate stress and allows you to move through the negative feelings and turn them around.

This is divided into parts: Internal and External

Although, like I said earlier, it is our meaning placed on our external triggers which creates stress, it is still important to note what those stressors are so that you can attend to them. So list your external triggers.

To understand why you are feeling the feelings, you need to go within and understand what Core Beliefs are being triggered as it is these internal core beliefs which are determining your perspective of an event. If negative core beliefs exist, then they will trigger negative emotions, which in turn will create negative thoughts

Example 1: Negative

Core Belief:	I am ugly, unlovable, not worthy, not good at anything
Emotion:	Anxiety, nervousness, depression, fear, shame, guilt, frustration, sadness, self-pity
Thoughts:	I can’t do anything right, no one will love me, I will never succeed, and life is hopeless
Reality	Fear, procrastination, hesitation, no action

Example 2: Positive

Core Belief:	I am love, I am light, I share my positivity with everyone around me
Emotion:	Empowerment, peace, strength, energy, enthusiasm, passion, joy, happiness
Thoughts:	Everything I do has a positive effect on others and I am mindful of sharing my positive energy with others.
Reality	A completely new reality filled with purpose, clarity and passion.

Write out your own example…

And as you gain awareness around your negative core beliefs and you change those beliefs into more positive and uplifting beliefs, then everything else changes and you begin to create an exciting new reality.

Enjoy and please let me know how you go with these!

To your truth and freedom with lots of love,

Cheryne 

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