When you know how to stop negative thoughts, you feel more in control of every area of your life.

Do you ever feel as if something is holding you back in life? Almost as if there is an invisible weight that is getting in your way of success? Welcome to the power of negative thoughts.

Overcoming negative thoughts is one of the biggest challenges that people face. Limiting beliefs are the result of unconscious conditioning that usually manifests themselves at an early age. They are comprised of the assumptions that we make about ourselves, others and how the world should be.

Once you identify what your limiting beliefs are, you can then take charge to replace them with positive ones. Whether or not you believe it, you are in control of your thoughts. Thoughts become things, so you need to be conscious of what you think about on a daily basis.

In the words of Ann Bradford, “Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up.” Are you ready to learn how to stop negative thoughts from controlling your life?

In the video below I talk about the power of limiting beliefs and how to stop negative thoughts.

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In his book, The Happiness Trap, author Russ Harris says that 80% of everyone's thoughts contain some sort of negative content.

The problem isn't that we have negative thoughts. Rather, it's that we actually believe that our thoughts are true. That's when we get into trouble, and why we need to learn how to stop negative thoughts.

Are your beliefs limiting you from living a happy and fulfilled life? If so, I've got great news. You can change your story at any moment.

We all have negative thoughts that pop into our heads from time to time. Here are some quotes about negative thoughts that highlight how powerful negativity can be.

“Your day was never bad. If you think you had a bad day, check your mindset!” ~ Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

“When we allow negative messages to fester in our head, they take on a life of their own.” ~ Lolly Daskal,

“Believing in negative thoughts is the single greatest obstruction to success.” ~ Charles F. Glassman

Are you ready to stop intrusive thoughts from getting in your way of living up to your full potential?

When you know how to stop negative thoughts, your world becomes brighter.

You don't need to spend one more day allowing negative self-talk to dictate how you feel and move throughout your day.

What if I told you that you could actually stop your negative thoughts before they even happened?

Oftentimes, negative thinking comes with warning signs that take the form of quirky behaviors that we may not even be aware of. Take a moment and think about what happens to your mind and body when your inner critic starts to act up.

Do you start to binge eat? Do you fidget? Do you drink a lot of coffee? Do you get agitated or find that you are unable to concentrate?

Once you have an awareness of these behaviors and are able to identify when these triggers occur, you will know how to stop negative thoughts dead in their tracks and take back control of your day. When you change your thoughts, you change your life.

In the words of Tony Robbins, “Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”

Let's explore 6 techniques for how to stop negative thoughts from occupying your mind and controlling your life.

1. Recite Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are one of the most effective ways to improve your attitude by replacing a negative, intrusive thought with a more positive one. As part of my morning ritual, every day I recite affirmations out loud to myself, like “I am strong” or “I am in control of my life.”

The beauty of positive affirmations is that, when practiced on a consistent basis, they can counteract the negative thoughts that play out in your mind, thereby enabling you to feel more in control of your life.

You need to ensure that you choose the right affirmations for the intentions that you want to manifest. When practicing affirmations, I suggest that you look in the mirror and recite them out loud. By doing this, it's amazing how fast your mood can improve.

The next time that you feel an anxious thought coming your way, say an affirmation out loud to yourself. This is how to stop negative thoughts right away. By redirecting your thoughts and imprinting positive messages in your mind, over time those negative thoughts will become few and far between.

2. Express Your Negative Thoughts On Paper

Oftentimes we bottle up our emotions inside and don't express how we feel. Journaling is a great way to get your negative thoughts on paper and express how you feel.

Be specific. What emotions are you experiencing that is preventing you from living your best life? What actions do you need to take in order to release this negativity and feel more positive?

You can either keep your journal and reflect upon it, or you can destroy it, as a symbol of your commitment to removing negative thoughts from your mind once and for all.

This idea is supported by a recent Ohio State University study, where a group of people were asked to write down negative thoughts on slips of paper and then later throw the papers in the trash. Another group was asked to do the same thing, except keep the papers with them.

The results? Researchers discovered that throwing out a negative thought literally helps discard the thought mentally.

The point of writing down your negative thoughts on paper is to be a witness to them so that you can analyze why they are are coming up. Once you know why then you will feel empowered to take action.

3. Surround Yourself With Positive People 

The reality is that who you spend time with is who you become. Based on this line of thinking, if you hang out with negative people who are drama queens and energy vampires, you will end up modeling their behavior.

Negative energy is draining. It affects every area of our lives. Research has shown that people who cultivate negative energy experience more stress, more sickness and experience less opportunity over the course of their lives than those who choose to live positively.

It is extremely difficult to become positive when the people around you don't operate in a high vibe state. Step back and ask yourself, “Are my friends uplifting me or bringing me down?” If it's the latter, it's time to find new friends.

Cutting out the negative people in your life is one of the most effective ways for how to stop negative thoughts before they even start. Make room for positivity. A solid group of positive friends can inspire you to achieve your goals and dreams.

4. Don't Play The Victim

When negative things happen it can be easy to fall into victim mode. When people play the victim game, they blame others and the world for their problems. When we engage in self-pity all we see are problems. From this place, negativity breeds like wildfire, and there is no hope of finding a silver lining.

Yes, life isn't always fair. Bad things happen, but it's our responsibility to rise above our circumstances and become the CEO of our lives. Do you want to be the victim or the hero of your story?

When you choose to take responsibility for your life, it immediately shifts your mindset from one that is disempowering to one that is empowering. You start looking for the positive, instead of dwelling on the negative.

In the words of Marcus Aurelius, “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”

5. Adopt An Attitude Of Gratitude 

Adopting an attitude of gratitude is a great way to silence your inner critic. It forces you to focus on what you already have, instead of dwell on what you don't have.

People that aren't able to appreciate all of the blessings that life brings aren't able to live from a place of abundance. If you feel as if you are constantly lacking something, your attitude will follow suit.

It is impossible to be grateful and negative at the same time. Gratitude is infectious, so once you start appreciating your life, people start to pick up on it, and it creates a beautiful synchronicity in your relationships with others.

I encourage you to practice gratitude on a daily basis. Wake up and think about how lucky you are to be alive, to breathe the fresh air, to walk, to see, to hear. It's the simple things that many of us take for granted that mean the most. Adopting this mindset will make your life more fulfilling and positive.

6. Don't Take Life So Seriously

Our busy lives, long to-do lists, and crazy work schedules can feel all-consuming at times, making us feel like we are on auto-pilot. Don't forget how important it is to relax, laugh, smile, and not take life so seriously.

Becoming more positive means giving yourself a break, celebrating your accomplishments on a regular basis, and letting yourself off the hook when you mess up. Mistakes happen.

Life is so short. Why spend it being serious all the time? Lighten up and enjoy every day to the fullest!

When you can learn how to laugh at yourself and not become so consumed with doing everything the right way, you will become lighter and happier. Work hard, but make sure that you play even harder.

These 6 techniques are the best ways for overcoming automatic negative thoughts.

Negative thinking can impact every effect on our lives if we allow it to. Are you ready to free yourself from negativity? If so, I encourage you to take action and commit to reconditioning your beliefs. Your thoughts create your reality, so focus your attention on the life that you want to create.

Lao Tzu said it best:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habit.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Keep in mind that none of us are superhuman, which means that there will be moments when our minds will get the best of us. When this happens, acknowledge your inner critic, thank it for stopping by and attempting to get you down, and then walk the other way. This is the best way 

You are more than your thoughts. Within you resides a vortex of unlimited possibilities that are just waiting to be shared with the world. It's time to say no to negativity once and for all. Are you ready to put yourself in the driver's seat of your life?

Do you want to receive cutting-edge strategies for mastering every area of your life? CLICK HERE to join my Life Mastery Accelerator program!