Effective Tips to Calm Your Mind and Stop Negative Thoughts

January 17, 2025

Effective Tips to Calm Your Mind and Stop Negative Thoughts

Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
17 January, 2025

Effective Tips to Calm Your Mind and Stop Negative Thoughts

Our brain is an incredible organ- and it continues to evolve everyday because we experience something new in some or the other way. All of those experiences may not be good or positive. Some may be okay, some may be bad or even worse. When that happens, our inner voice takes over- saying ‘we shouldn’t have done that’. You can think of the inner voice as a threat radar of sorts and it is always cranked to a pretty high level, because that literally helps with safety in many aspects. The problem begins when we act on them in the wrong way. This does NOT mean that you can get rid of such thoughts permanently. This early warning system is there for a reason, so let us learn how to deal with it effectively, when it goes overboard.

How To Practice Mindfulness To Stop Negative Thinking

Mindfulness basically means not multitasking and always focusing on only one thought process for the most part- this is a method used to reduce distraction in our daily lives. So, when we apply mindfulness to negative thoughts, it will go something like this- you let the mind think about something bad and just go with the flow, by not acting on it. Approaches to stop negative thinking from ever happening won’t work because when you actively try not to think about something, your brain tends to fixate on that specifically- which means it will amplify our fears more than ever. So, to stop that from happening, you need to treat ‘negative thoughts’ as ripples in a pond- which come and go, but the pond generally remains unaffected. Meditation and doing yoga everyday is great- as in both these instances, you are asked to concentrate exclusively on breathing in and out- and taking deep breaths can literally calm your body down. Your mind is occupied with taking deep breaths and counting them while you feel good after all the exercise.

How To Calm Your Mind Before Sleeping At Night

Some breathing exercises and practicing sleep hygiene are great ways to ensure that you get that much needed shut eye every night. You can also sit down and maintain a journal- where you write down everything that happened today and what seemed to affect you more than the rest. Another approach is simple but seems to work for most folks- talking to yourself like you would have a conversation with a friend – this hack is based on the fact that talking about our feelings and thoughts with someone we trust can help us feel lighter afterwards. One more hack is to schedule the negative thinking and worrying at a particular time – like for 10-15 minutes everyday from 6-6:15 pm for example. Switch up after that- like go out for a walk or meet friends or go prep dinner to break the process up. One other approach doctors say will work is – if you ‘catch’ a bad thought, you should ‘hold’ it or replace it with a more realistically positive affirmation and then let it ‘go’.

Effective Stress Management Techniques For Daily Life

Deep breathing, like we mentioned above, is a great way to feel calmer, in a matter of a few minutes actually. There are many types of such breathing exercises- like pranayama, diaphragmatic breathing where you inhale and exhale with the stomach going in and out, taking 5 deep breaths within 30 seconds or breathing in for 4 seconds and exhaling over 8 or basically double the amount of time you inhale for You can also try to get some exercise everyday- like dancing, cycling, walking, swimming, running – whatever you like doing, because movement can force your brain to make serotonin in higher amounts- and this is the feel good hormone.

Conclusion

We have listed out a few handy tips to NOT get rid of negative thinking, but to be able to work around it. There are many techniques that can help you- you will need to try some of them to see which work for you and which don’t.One thing about these thoughts- most of them have specific triggers. So, if you work on identifying them, you can find out what is troubling you. Then it becomes a matter of choosing the right coping mechanism to deal with the issue. What other self help hacks do you know of? Let us all know, won’t you?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best techniques to relax during stressful moments?

The best way to feel better very quickly is to take a few deep breaths in a short span of time. You can also try to listen to music, count through your breathing, think of something else, meditate, call someone you trust, and have a conversation with them. The main thing here is to NOT get overwhelmed and instead focus your energies elsewhere, because this moment will dissipate and you will feel better in some time.

What breathing exercises can I use to reduce anxiety?

Pranayama, diaphragmatic breathing, 5 deep breaths in half a minute or inhaling once and exhaling for twice as long seem to work for many people. You can also do square breathing- where you inhale for 3 seconds, hold for 3 seconds and then exhale over 3 seconds. The 4-7-8 technique is similar- where you inhale for 4 sec, hold for 7 and exhale for 8 seconds. You can also try to breathe in and out using only one nostril, while the other is covered.

What are some daily habits to maintain a calm and focused mind?

Eating well and drinking lots of water, getting exercise and finding effective ways to destress are all necessary for a calm and focused mind.

Can meditation help stop overthinking and reduce stress?

Yes, it can help by removing distractions and helping you concentrate on what is actually needed.

What should I do if my negative thoughts don’t go away?

It is super important to know this- if you think there is something genuinely wrong and you just can’t stop yourself from thinking about something, you should talk to a medical professional and get help. They will be able to help you come up with sustainable coping mechanisms.