12 Methods To Rid Yourself Of Negative Thoughts That Are Holding You Back

If there’s one thing we can bet on in life is that we will wrestle with negative emotions at various times.  It could be sadness, anger, fear, disappointment, or a host of other emotions.   We start experiencing negative thoughts and/or emotions in childhood.  The reactions we got from our caregivers are likely to have impacted us all the way into adulthood.

How do you feel about life in general?

Do you think you have a predominantly positive or negative attitude?  Do you feel good about your physical appearance and personality?

Many people contend with a lot of negative thoughts. This consistent negativity can impact their lives. They might not be completely miserable, but they may struggle with sadness, anxiety, disgust, and more.

For example, someone might tell one lie that triggers another lie and another one until they become quite the liar and have a difficult time owning any truth.  Or perhaps someone has low self-esteem because they believe they are boring. So, they isolate and lives a lonely life.

Furthermore, and this one is quite common, someone may believe that they are unworthy, so they keep sabotaging their relationships.

Negative thoughts and emotions certainly exist, but we can modify them. However, in order for change to occur or to let go of those negative emotions it is essential to get to the underlying beliefs that lie in the subconscious.

The World Of The Subconscious

Your mind is made up of two parts:

• The conscious
• The subconscious

When you go about your day, you might think that your conscious mind is running the show, but actually your subconscious mind runs the show between 90 to 95% of the time.  What this means is that your past memories, thoughts, and beliefs are influencing what you think, say, and do each day whether you realize it or not.

Think of your subconscious as a tape that is playing over and over and the information on that tape is mainly from what you heard, experienced, and learned your first six years of life.  On top of that, other memories and events since then have contributed to the voice on that tape.

When you are not in conscious thought mode (living mindfully in the present), that old tape is playing and influencing your life.  This is why many people continue years and years in negative cycles such as depression, anxiety, bad relationships, hot temper, etc.

It is important to realize this because if you want to see real and lasting change in your life, you must understand how to change the tape that is playing in the subconscious. You must learn how to eject that tape and put a new one in that plays more positive thoughts and beliefs.

Changing negative emotions comes from changing negative beliefs and this can be done by targeting the subconscious.

Changing Subconscious Beliefs

Now that you understand better the role that the subconscious mind plays in your life, you probably want to know how you can change what’s going on there.

Fortunately, there are plenty of men and women who have come to our rescue and have created wonderfully transforming methods that aim to modify the brain at the subconscious level.  They have tested their methods out, along with many others, and have found some success.

Keep in mind that what works for one might not work for another, as each individual is different. For example, Cindy might experience super amazing results by using guided meditations, while Joe may have tried them and didn’t feel he experienced any change. However, when he used The Presence Process, he noticed that his thoughts were rapidly changing from negative to positive.

Here is a brief overview of some common methods of subconscious modification that can help you change and/or limit negative thoughts and faulty belief patterns. Note that the methods take somewhat of an understanding of the process, time, and practice.

1. Sedona method and Release Technique – this method focuses on feeling the unwanted emotion, sitting with it momentarily, and then letting it go.
2. Affirmations – conscious repetition of positive words or phrases about ourselves, which in time sink into our subconscious mind.
3. Guided meditations – a speaker gently guides you through visualizations to work on changing underlying beliefs that may not be serving you.
4. Regular meditation and mindfulness – meditation is a technique where you sit quietly and go within, focusing on your breath.  As you tune out the world, you become more attuned to your inner landscape, and the mind quiets down. Mindfulness is being in the present moment, focusing on the now.  Practicing mindfulness and meditation regularly can help us better understanding ourselves and become more centered.
5. The Work- Byron Katie’s method to come to understand what is hurting you and address those problems with clarity.
6. Silva Method- Jose Silva’s approach to change based on Alpha and Theta meditations, visualization, and more.
7. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)- emotional release techniques based upon tapping certain meridian points on the body and speaking to the subconscious.
8. The Presence Process: to release emotional burden from the childhood past – this lets you live in the present.
9. Inner Influencing- inner directed methods that help you gain control over your emotions.
10. Matrix Energetics- uses light touch and intention to transform thoughts and beliefs.
11. ENERGETIC WELL BEING PROCESS(c) (EWBP)- this method focuses on what is causing the negative emotions and removing the blocks that keep you stuck there.
12. Shadow Work – Shadow work is a tool that psychotherapist Carl Jung created many years ago. Essentially, he proposed that throughout life, we tend to form a “shadow side” in the subconscious that holds negative and some positive thoughts/emotions.  Illuminating those shadows to feel, heal, and integrate them can help us get rid of such negativity.

As you can see, many people are dedicated to helping humanity discover and heal limited, negative thoughts and/or emotions. This is wonderful!

These methods can be used on their own, but also combined in different ways for a greater impact. Some of the methods complement each other quite naturally.

For example, you can use meditation as a means to discover deep, buried emotions and then use the Release Technique to process and let the emotions go.

There is hope for everyone who struggles with negative emotions.  It does take some knowledge and effort, but the effort is well worth it.  We were not meant to be a slave to negative thoughts and emotions, so begin to delve into these methods and give them a try.

Image by Alfonso Cerezo from Pixabay