girl on mountain

Those nasty negative thoughts. That silent voice in your head. Heart-pounding anxiety. Worried thoughts that morph into frightening scenarios. Terrifying visions stuck in your head that won’t go away.

Negative thoughts are unpleasant, scary, and the cause of anxiety. They are also the destructor of a happy life.

Now imagine those thoughts- larger, stronger, and louder. That’s what it feels like to someone with ADHD. Every thought is magnified, intensified, and amplified; making it impossible to function, or think of anything and anyone else.

No matter what your thought processing (ADHD or not) style is, no one escapes the curse of negative thinking. However, it does have a positive side. (Don’t go away, we’ll get to that soon.)

Negative thoughts suck the pleasure out of your day.

Negative thinking begins with one little thought. It’s a trigger that sets off an explosion, like a tiny pebble breaking away on a snowy mountainside crumbling into an avalanche, tumbling out of control. In a flash, you are buried underneath and can’t get out.

All day and All Night

Sunlight doesn’t stop the negativity. In the 3:00 a.m. darkness, you try to sleep;  but involuntary worries, fears, and frightening dramas appear from the depths of your subconscious mind. Like a broken alarm clock, you can’t shut them off.

Negative thoughts have no boundaries. Swirling out of your control, there is no end to their vicious cycle.

How to Distract Your Thoughts- Negatively

Your first line of defense is the “distraction method.” A tactic used by parents of young children. Frustrated and unable to stop a crying child because his favorite blankie was left in the restaurant, the parents introduce a bright and shiny new object to take the child’s attention away from his sadness.

Are you still using the “distraction method” to soothe yourself? I definitely am!

When I want to stop the negativity in my mind, the first thing I do is reach for something sweet. Cookies are my drug of choice. But a  piece of chocolate, or anything sweet seems to take my mind away from those intruuding, undesirable thoughts. Strange, but true. 

Are you a binge-watcher finding relief sitting in front of the TV for hours; watching zombies, politics, or the sword fights in Westeros?  Completely absorbed, there is no mental space for a single negative thought to enter. 

Sadly, some binge behaviors become harmful. It’s easy to start over-using alcohol, drugs, food, video games, gambling, work, shopping, and yes, even the internet. Thanks to technology, we never have to be alone with our obsessive minds.

Have you ever tried to stop your negative thoughts eating a bag of potato chips or a pint of Talenti ice cream until you feel so full, that all you can think of is how gross you feel? Which only results in feeling bad about yourself because you have no control over your impulses.

At that point, you are so far removed from your original negative thought; you can’t even remember what it was. Yes! The distraction was successful.

How to Distract Your Thoughts- Positively

Negative thoughts are beneficial because they give you a chance to prove (to yourself) just how strong you really are. Gaining control over your mind is a power skill that elevates your self-esteem. 

Every day is filled with many opportunities to let negative thinking rule your life and destroy your happiness.

Taking control of your thoughts is a skill you must develop if you want a happy life.

Negative thoughts cannot be stopped. However, you can control how long they stay in your head.

You control your mind. You decide what you let in and what you kick out. 

Mind Control is a character strength you need if you want a stable life.

There is a way to distract your thoughts without expanding your waist size, feeling guilty, or staring at the TV for hours.

The Benefits of Mind Control : 5 reasons why it’s important to distract your thoughts positively.

1. You will feel like a Super-Hero.

Mental strength is not letting your mind go wild. Nothing feels worse than falling into the endless pit of mental darkness. And nothing feels better than pulling yourself out of the darkness, finding the light, and putting yourself on the path to safety.

You will feel a mental super-power like you’ve never felt before.

2. You will have less conflict

When negative thoughts are less dominant in your mind, you are less agitated. Feeling calmer, you have the ability to disengage from conflict. Little things fall into perspective and appear as they are- little things not worth fighting about.

Ask yourself: Is this worth my time, energy, and mental health? Issues that are important can be handled in a more productive, respectful way.

3. You will sleep better

It doesn’t mean the nightmares and disruptive dreams won’t come. They will. You can’t stop them. BUT- you can learn how to dismiss them and get back to sleep, instead of tossing and turning in the darkness for three more hours.

4. You will be the master of your mind

Repeated behaviors (even silent mental ones) become engrained in your subsconscious mind. The more you practice gaining control over your thoughts, the more it becomes a part of you. Soon it will be natural. When negativity strikes and you need to fight it off, your subconscious mind automatically brings up the “positive distraction method.”

5. You will feel inner peace

Mental strength is knowing that you won’t fall off when the storm comes and your boat starts rocking. It’s a feeling of being in control, while remaining strong, and calm. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Now that you know the benefits of controlling your negative thoughts, the next blog will teach you how to take control of your mind. Coming soon!

Sorry, binge-watchers, please forgive me. I don’t mean to insult you. I just want to help you find your inner strength and take control of your life.