Negative Thoughts

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" -Stuart Smalley  Positive affirmation is great! In some cases it can even help with those negative thoughts creeping around in your brain. But is that the only tactic that can help you deal with your negative thoughts? Other strategies that work similarly to positive affirmation are:   Journaling Reading Staying busy All of these strategies do one thing; they fight the negative thoughts. In the last few years I have found that fighting the negative thoughts only masks the unwelcomed ideas and that whatever you resist, persists. Negative thoughts keep us from becoming the best, content, version of ourselves. This is a very important issue to unravel in order to maximize our happiness in our life.  Do you find yourself living the "what if" lifestyle? Do you go back into the past and regret something? Do you move your mindset into the future and anticipate that something will go bad? Trying to live in the current moment is the best thing you can do when your brain creates these "what ifs".  If you are finding yourself in this "what if" lifestyle and are struggling with negative thoughts, which believe me, we all are, take it from someone who knows. I am someone who has been through it, dealt with it, read a multitude of self help books, sat through therapy and still struggle at times to cope with these thoughts. Although, I have learned over time two valuable tactics when trying to deal with and not fight these unwanted thoughts:   You cannot eliminate negative thoughts Don't ignore it, recognize the thought then let it go. Negative thoughts and suffering are a part of life. All we can do is learn about ourselves and realize how each of us can deal with these challenges.