Quite often we find ourselves with many negative thoughts going through our mind. These trains of thoughts can become very powerful as we endlessly repeat them in our mind. The problem is that that the more we focus on the thoughts, the more powerful they become. Therefore, it can become very difficult to stop these endless cycles of thoughts.
However, it is definitely possible and these are a few tips to control our thoughts.
1. Make a conscious decision to Stop the thoughts
The problem is that sometimes we attach ourselves to certain ideas and problems, and we subconsciously get a kind of pleasure from going through a certain problem / issue. If we subconsciously keep inviting the thoughts, we will never be able to stop them. Therefore, the first stage is to make a clear and conscious decision to stop the repetition of the thoughts. Be aware of their negative impact and don’t allow them to come any more. This conscious step is an indispensable stage in controlling our thoughts.
2. Look upon the Thoughts as being Outside of yourself.
When we first try to stop the thoughts, it seems very difficult because they feel such a strong part of our mind. Therefore, the second stage is to feel that the thoughts are separate to our self. When a thought appears in your mind, look upon the thought as coming from outside yourself. This is a very powerful way to reduce the impact of thoughts on our mind. Once we realise our thoughts are separate to ourselves it becomes possible to stop them.
3. Who is it who listens to thoughts?
This is a technique to try and discover the origination of your thoughts. Whenever a thought appears, just ask yourself, who is it who is thinking this? What we do is to try and discover the source of thoughts. Through asking this question we realise that there is an “I” which can decide to accept or reject thoughts. By asking this question we will be able to stop the thoughts as soon as they enter. You are not a victim of your own thoughts, it is you who either rejects or gives life to thoughts.
4. Catch thoughts as soon as they appear.
This exercise requires a determined effort on our part. We need to be vigilant and watch every thought that enters our mind. As soon as we see a negative thought enter, we must immediately discard it and refuse to follow it. The more we follow thoughts, the more difficult it becomes to stop them later. Therefore, it is best to catch them as soon as possible.
5. Concentrate on Something else.
If we have a train of thoughts which have gained a stranglehold over our mind, the best solution is often to just try and do something completely different. Don’t just sit around, go and do something which gives you no opportunity to ruminate over your thoughts. By doing this we ignore the thoughts completely, and they lose there hold over us.
“Wrong thoughts are inside us just because we identify ourselves with these thoughts. If we identify with something else, immediately they have to leave us.”
– Sri Chinmoy [1]
6. Meditation
Meditation is the best way to learn how to control our thoughts. Meditation involves the art of concentration and quietening the mind. In meditation we not only try to control our thoughts but we also can bring to the fore our inner qualities of peace and oneness. If we can invoke the calming power of our own heart, then we use an alternative force to take the place of the negative mind.
“The mind has its own power, and right now this power is stronger than your present eagerness and determination to meditate. But if you can get help from your heart, then gradually you will be able to control your mind. The heart, in turn, gets constant assistance from the soul, which is all light and all power.”
– Sri Chinmoy [2]
We should meditate every day so that we can bring to the fore as much as peace as possible into our mind. If we only meditate when we are overrun with thoughts, we will find meditation very difficult. But, if we gain peace of mind through our daily meditation then we develop our inner capacities to control our thoughts.
Related:
References
[1] Mind Confusion – Heart Illumination at Sri Chinmoy Library
[2] The Silent Mind
Photo By Unmesh Swanson,
My deep gratitude for sharing your wisdom and teaching others.I have spent most of my adult life in trying to learn to be the best that I can. I am fortunate to be a contented person but I have a dearly loved relative who is rarely happy despite having a comfortable life. I am the only relative who will still bother with her…I sincerely love her, but my every contact with her only elicits a barrage of complaints. I’ve been left feeling wounded by a brief chat today when she says how badly life has treated her; nobody understands or cares.I kept silent as I thought of the millions who suffer dreadful lives. I came away feeling ill and dispirited and wondering how I can continue to care for her, though I know I always will. So I “asked” the magic computer and your site came up. What wonderful advice you offer…lightening my darkness.
very interesting piece of article. helping me.
how to gain control over our thoughts… is a very interesting article,generally all of us face such situation in our lives when we are badly trapped by our own negative thoughts,which further leads to a negativity in every aspect of our life whether in our inter-personal relations, our interests, our dreams etc. That’s where this article is an absolute bliss, i must say.
I will certainly keep on reading such enlightening articles.
all article is very much effective for my personal life as well as my professional life i really get inspired.i am a development officer of lic of india ,siliguri,west bengal ,india,my primary job is to motivate my agents to work hard.give some tips
I’ve found freedom from thought by realizing that the ‘thinker is the thought’ (that there is no separate ‘thinker’ separate from the ‘thoughts’) and that the word, the thought, the image is not the actual thing. This takes ‘me'(actually in this living non-conclusive state ‘me’ is recognized as just another concept) into pure unidentified ‘Awareness’ where there is only the ever new living mystery. But I’m at the point where when I get to this free point I’m usually very easily trapped once again by thought and have to realize the whole thing again before I get free again. I guess one cannot experience freedom unless one experiences entrapment.
Something that works if I want to stay within the realm of thought and try to control them is realizing that “of myself I do nothing”…I only have charge of what I think…The Spirit is the manifesting agent. What I think and believe The Spirit eventually manifests. This takes absolute faith in ones own ‘Working Power Of The Word’ and absolute faith in The Spirit that when “one asks for bread The Spirit will not give one stone” Therefore it is simply a matter of what thoughts and desires one deems effective(to be manifested by The Spirit) and which thoughts and desires one deems noneffective(not to be manifested by The Spirit). This can be a long interesting process but if the faith is sufficient it can bring peace of mind. I know we can’t have good without bad…but at this point most of us agree on what is bad or undesirable and have experienced it long enough to have its contrast and enable us to keep what is good and desirable manifested. I think as long as we have the memory to contrast what is good and bad we can keep what we want manifested and what we don’t want as memory to contrast it by.
Thanks this article helped me a lot. We are not prisoner of our thoughts we can take hold of it.
I LOVE THE THOUGHTS AND I’LL LOVE TO RECEIVE EMAILS OF ANY KIND THAT WILL HELP MY DAY GO BY…………..THANKS A LOT.
I loved the article ^_^ In fact, I am speechless on how much am I grateful to every single point I read ^_^
Really thanks
i really don’t think that meditation is the right answer to control over your thought, it is you that what did you think, how you think, what is your opinion for that particular task or person you are talking about. There are alot of reason behind your thinking may be the subject have negative points. Always think positive so you may be proud over yourself not be ashamed.
1. “Make a conscious decision to Stop the thoughts”, this is also thought.
2. The controller is not separate from that which he wants to control.
3.”Meditation is the best way to learn how to control our thoughts” …WRONG! Meditation is just to watch your thought, become aware of your thoughts. It is NOT to assume that thoughts are coming from outside or inside but just to become alert.
4. “As soon as we see a negative thought enter, we must immediately discard it and refuse to follow it.”
Thought is thought, it is never positive or negative. To watch the network of thought without choiceless awareness is meditation.
5. “Meditation involves the art of concentration” Meditation is NOT art of concentration, it is art of being alert without any choice.
6. “We should meditate every day so that we can bring to the fore as much as peace as possible into our mind”. Peace will never come to mind, as long as there is mind there will be no peace. Peace is beyond mind.
this helps a lot. i keep seeing goat demons or watever it’s called cause i’ve seen pictures of it and i don’t want to think aaabout it but i still do. i try my best not to think about them but i still do and this should stop i hate devils
i am very happy, thank you veryb much
Excellent Post i will start practicing on each point from today…Thanks
thanks for the post.it was a timely article with the best of advice. cheers =)
excellent points on controlling thoughts…looking forward to employing your tips.
it’s very good and i think it wii really work for me . i am in great need for it . i am suffering a lot that’s why these ideas are best for me.