So far in my mindfulness journey I have learned and made adjustments in my life that have produced positive outcomes. But the one skill I have learned that has made the biggest impact on me, is how to deal with negativity in my life. I know I have already talked about negativity in a previous blog post, but today I want to talk about how it has really impacted me since reading about it four weeks ago. This post feels a bit vulnerable for me because it is talking about my internal thoughts about myself and the world around me, but I thought it is important to share because the way I now deal with those internal thoughts has helped me become a better person. 

The technique I have been using when I have negative thoughts comes from an exercise in Jay Shetty’s book, Think Like A Monk. Jay says to become aware of the negative thoughts, then stop and think, and then swap it out with a good thought. Four weeks ago when I read this, I decided to give it a try, and I have been practicing this ever since. I will give an example of me spotting a negative thought, stopping to think and then swapping it out with a positive one. I was driving to school and I saw a biker with a bright lime green bike that had tassels flying around in the wind. My first initial thought was oh boy that is a crazy weird looking bike, but then I recognized that I wasn’t thinking in a very kind way. Instead I swapped that negative thought with a positive one. as I looked at the person riding the bike, I noticed their smile, they looked so happy on that bike, and I had no reason to judge that. When I saw their smile and thought positively it made me smile and I felt really good. It is quite a beautiful thing to be able to see the positives in life rather than the negatives. It was like I was purifying my mind, I became free of creating toxic impulses. Just because that style of bike wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean I had the right to think negatively towards that person who looked awesome riding it. Negativity comes naturally to humans, but it’s how you react to it that has the most impact. 

I have been swapping out my negative thoughts with positive ones for four weeks now, and the difference I feel is awesome. I feel happier, and more connected to the earth around us, I see beauty in everything and everyone, I squash the negativity that is all around me and I don’t allow negative thoughts to be the norm. It is hard to explain the feeling I went through once I started being positive in my everyday life rather than focusing on the negative, so you will just have to trust me, and try it out for yourself! I am no expert but just by simply noticing a negative thought and swapping it with a positive one whether it is a judgment you are making, envy or being upset, it can make you feel a whole lot better. This is not to say that I don’t have any more negative thoughts, I do, and sometimes I can’t shake them, but by trying it has allowed me to give gratitude and allow me to deeply feel something positive in my life. 

Photo by Achael on DeviantArt licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

If you have time I would highly suggest listening to Jay Shetty’s (wow shocker)  podcast on negativity and how it is all around us, and ways we can avoid it to create more positive mindsets!

That’s all for now!