Discover how to harness the power of thoughts and transform negative thoughts in 10 steps for a happier life.
I don’t fix problems. I fix my thinking. Then problems fix themselves. – Louise Hay, The Power is Within You
The power of thoughts is extraordinary. What you think influences what you feel, and what you feel influences what you do. For example, thoughts of fear and self-pity generate anxiety, self-hatred and anger, hindering improvement. But how to harness the power of thoughts?
To change your reality, first realize that your perceptions shape it. This principle restores you to the power of thoughts and reaffirms your responsibility: everyone influences their own experiences, both positive and negative.
When you recognize the power of thoughts to influence your experiences, you regain free will over your life. In this article, you will discover how to harness the power of thoughts and transform your life in 10 simple steps.
- How to harness the power of thoughts and words
- How to harness the power of thoughts and feelings
- How to harness the power of thoughts through self-awareness
- How to harness the power of thoughts and words
- How to harness the power of thoughts in 10 steps
- 1. Identify thoughts that need to be changed
- 2. Develop awareness of your thoughts
- 3. Apply techniques to interrupt negative thoughts
- 4. Practise self-compassion in front of a mirror
- 5. Analyze thought patterns
- 6. Analyze what thoughts are true
- 7. Analyze what thoughts are false
- 8. Change perspective and reframe thoughts
- 9. Affirm positive thoughts
- 10. Find social support
- How to harness the power of thoughts: takeaways
How to harness the power of thoughts and words
If you are afraid, you will never apply for that new job. If you don’t value yourself, you will never ask for a raise. If you don’t trust anyone, you will push away even those who could help you. If you think you don’t deserve good things, you will allow yourself nothing but bad things.
This is the power of thoughts and words: our perceptions shape our reality. This principle was already enunciated by ancient thinkers such as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus. Today, this idea is supported by cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, a practice recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This approach has been shown in some cases to be more effective than antidepressants, as explained in the book “Feeling Good” by David Burns.
Have you ever stopped to examine your beliefs about life? Reconstructing your belief system is easy: just keep track of the things you think and say. Let’s do an experiment: which of these phrases do you recognize yourself in?
- “Not trusting is better” or “others are a resource of help and support”?
- “I don’t make a good one” or “I have many qualities, and even when I make mistakes I learn and improve”?
- “I always get stepped on” or “I can learn to defend my space assertively and communicate my needs clearly and respectfully”?
When you do this simple experiment, you realize that the things you think and the things that happen to you are closely related. And this is the starting point for unlocking the power of positive thoughts, as we will now see.
How to harness the power of thoughts and feelings
It is certainly true that our life events influence our thoughts. But we seldom notice the opposite: our thoughts also influence our life events.
This interdependence is well theorized by cognitive behavioral therapy. This practice recognizes the mutual influence between external events, thoughts and beliefs, and uses the power of thoughts to treat generalized anxiety and panic disorders.
When you recognize the power of positive and negative thoughts over your life, you regain control over what happens. This does not mean assigning blame to yourself. It means regaining the power to improve your life. By recognizing your role in creating your current circumstances, you become able to respond to life’s circumstances with intentionality.
How to harness the power of thoughts through self-awareness
How aware are you of your thoughts? Do you know what thoughts you had today? Were they positive or negative thoughts? What words did you use? What emotions did they generate in you? How well do you remember your thoughts of the last few hours?
The truth is that most of us are not fully aware of our thoughts. And the power of hidden thoughts, those we are not aware of, is perhaps the greatest. You may believe that you have a good understanding of your thoughts because you remember many things you have thought. However, what you remember is only a small part of the continuous stream of thoughts running through your mind.
Don’t believe it? Try keeping a journal of your thoughts. Put a reminder on your cell phone that regularly asks, “What are you thinking about?” Make notes in a notebook or on your cell phone notes. Jot down all the thoughts you can remember, paying attention to the words you use and the flow of thoughts throughout the day. This exercise can help you become aware of the amount of thoughts that run through your mind constantly, like a flooding river.
By rereading your journal, you will begin to identify recurring thoughts, common themes, repeated words. You will recognize meanings behind your hidden thoughts. These implicit subtexts reveal deep beliefs of which you may not be fully aware.
How to harness the power of thoughts and words
So let’s see how to harness the power of thoughts. Start by observing your repertoire of daily thoughts.
Think about how often you make negative statements and how often you express a positive perspective. Many of us tend to dwell more on negative thoughts. In doing so, the inner monologue often degenerates into streams of limiting thoughts. It then flows into anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
What if we are in a difficult condition? How to harness the power of thoughts in this case? Positive thoughts are not aimed at negating a potentially difficult
condition. Rather, they allow you to reframe your perspective on the situation, restoring your power over it.
Each of the negative thoughts we formulate can hide limiting beliefs or cognitive distortions. These distortions alter our perception of the world, inducing feelings of helplessness or fear that hinder improving or resolving actions. For example, negative thoughts on the left tend to:
- Focus on the negativity of the situation (negative mental filter)
- Magnify it (catastrophic thinking)
- Exclude alternatives (all-or-nothing mentality)
- Generalizing one experience to all similar situations, creating pervasive negative beliefs (overgeneralization).
Once you recognize these distortions, how do you harness the power of thoughts? Read on for 10 practical steps inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy.
How to harness the power of thoughts in 10 steps
1. Identify thoughts that need to be changed
To learn how to harness the power of thoughts, start by keeping a diary of your daily thoughts. Keep track of the things you think about. Jot down on a sheet of paper or on your cell phone notes all the thoughts you can remember.
Your cell phone can help you: we carry it with us all the time, so it is easy to use it to jot down thoughts wherever we are. It can help you to put timers on your cell phone that quiz you on what you are thinking. If you want more insights into turning your cell phone into an ally in your mindfulness journey, read our article “Unlock Nirvana: 5 Cell Phone Hacks”.
Another effective technique is to spend time freely writing down your thoughts on a specific topic. You can incorporate this activity into your night routine. For example, take time to reflect and write about topics such as relationships with others, love, work, and money. Let your thoughts flow freely on paper or computer screen, without judgment or censorship.
Then reread your journal periodically-you can identify the thoughts you wish to change and focus on them during the next steps. Underline recurrences and group the most persistent thoughts. These exercises will help you map out your thoughts. You will identify recurring thoughts that affect your mood and behavior.
2. Develop awareness of your thoughts
Developing awareness of our thoughts is the key to eliminating nagging negative thoughts and transforming them into more positive and realistic thoughts. The thought journal from the previous point helps you retrospectively recognize your recurring thoughts. However, it cannot help you stop negative thoughts at the very moment they emerge.
To be able to nip negative thoughts in the bud, ask yourself this question often, “What am I thinking right now?” While in the car, while doing the dishes, while cleaning the house. With this simple exercise you will learn how to promptly intervene in your thoughts.
As an exercise in presence, meditation can also help you develop greater awareness of your thoughts. If you want to learn more about it, read our article on “Morning Meditation: 10 Techniques to Change Your Life in 15 Minutes”. There are also numerous meditation apps that can help you.
3. Apply techniques to interrupt negative thoughts
When you notice that you are immersed in a stream of negative thoughts, try to consciously interrupt it. You can do this by practicing this powerful exercise: consider each thought as an offer that you can accept or reject. Naturally, you will want to accept the positive thoughts and reject the negative ones. The next time you find yourself mulling over negative thoughts, try saying to yourself, “I reject this thought.”
If that is not enough, you can take concrete action. Try relaxation techniques such as mindfulness, exercise, take up artistic hobbies or an activity you are passionate about. This will help you regain control and allow you to harness the power of thoughts.
If none of this seems to be enough, try taking a nap, or sleeping if it is evening. When we are tired, we are more vulnerable to negative thoughts. Nothing beats the power of sleep in interrupting a vortex of negative thoughts and doing a reset of our mind, bringing it back to a state of neutrality.
4. Practise self-compassion in front of a mirror
It is normal to have negative thoughts. You are not alone. When you realize you are slipping into negative thoughts, treat yourself with kindness and don’t self-criticize. Do not let this path of personal growth become another opportunity to criticize you and accuse you of not being enough.
To change your perspective, approach yourself with the same kindness and compassion you would reserve for a friend in need. Do not be ashamed to go in front of a mirror to address words of comfort to yourself. It may seem strange initially, but it is an extremely powerful gesture.
5. Analyze thought patterns
Deal with your thoughts in a focused way. One issue at a time, one negative thought at a time. Examine the deep-seated beliefs that fuel the negative thoughts. Ask yourself, “What beliefs are influencing the way I interpret the situation?” Identifying these beliefs will enable you to challenge negative thoughts more effectively.
To help you analyze negative thoughts, look carefully at the words you use. Too many “musts” could indicate rigidity or an excessive need to meet the expectations of others. Too many “never,” “always,” or “all” could suggest that you are generalizing and amplifying a specific negative event.
Or again, too many “buts” could indicate a tendency to create false dichotomies, that is, to think that two things must be mutually exclusive when in fact they could both be reconciled without waiver. Read our article “How to Live a Happy Life: 10 Words to Eliminate” to explore this issue further.
6. Analyze what thoughts are true
Start by acknowledging the validity of your negative thoughts. Disqualifying them as simply false, or trying to suppress them by asserting their opposite, is of no help.
After all, no thought is completely true or false. Our thoughts are simply patterns of interpretation of reality. They can be based on factual evidence or interpret reality in a distorted way. Typically they will contain both elements of truth and elements of distortion.
Try to understand what your negative thoughts stem from. What are the hard facts that support them? For example, if you have difficulty trusting others you may frequently think : “Not trusting is better,” “from others only trouble comes,” “people always have ulterior motives when they approach me.”
Certain thoughts definitely have a basis in concrete experiences you have had. So ask yourself, “What have been the experiences throughout my life that support this belief?” It should not be hard to find them. Examples will abound, precisely because these are your dominant beliefs.
Don’t dwell too long on this step: an exhaustive list of facts that support your negative belief is not necessary. When you have recognized the source of the negative thoughts, you can continue with the next step.
7. Analyze what thoughts are false
Now examine whether there are any false elements in your negative thoughts. Question the irrational beliefs that might be feeding these thoughts. Look for contrary evidence or experiences to refute them. Ask yourself, “Is there a different way of looking at the situation that might be more realistic and constructive?”
This part will be much more difficult than the previous one. Here we go looking for evidence that contradicts your dominant belief. Don’t give up. It may be very difficult to find examples that contradict your belief, but remember: no thought is 100% true.
For example, if you have difficulty trusting others, look for examples where someone has helped you in a selfless way. It is important to be thorough here. Try to find as many examples as you can-it is not easy to shake an established belief.
Once you have identified examples that contradict your belief, try asking yourself if your belief is fueled by a distorted worldview. Perhaps you are not seeing things clearly and objectively. Perhaps you are interpreting situations negatively, making pessimistic predictions about the future, or drawing wrong conclusions about your experiences.
8. Change perspective and reframe thoughts
Once you have identified the distorted beliefs behind your negative thoughts, try to change your perspective and reframe your thoughts in a more realistic and positive way. Ask yourself, “How can I see the situation from a different point of view? What might be more constructive alternatives to my current thoughts?”
Perhaps, when you think that “others always have ulterior motives,” you are generalizing too much based on specific experiences. Just because it happened in the past does not mean it applies to everyone. You might also have misinterpreted the intentions of others based on your past experiences: are you sure there were really ulterior motives? Or you might be viewing your experiences with a mental filter that leads you to see everything negatively. It is true that relationships often have components of interest, but there are nuances: interest does not necessarily exclude genuine liking or other elements of sincere interaction.
It might be more accurate to say that although you have met people in the past with ulterior motives or hidden interests in relating to you, this does not exclude the possibility that your relationship with them had elements of genuineness. It also does not exclude that more sincere relationships are possible with other people. It is important to appreciate past experiences with gratitude: these will help you in the future to recognize the authenticity of a relationship and constitute valuable baggage not to be disowned.
9. Affirm positive thoughts
After reframing your negative thoughts in a more positive and realistic way, reaffirm these new positive perspectives often. Repeat your positive thoughts whenever the negative thoughts associated with an event emerge. Become your own counter-argument: counter your negative beliefs whenever they reoccur.
Remember: this is an exercise in persuasion. It took years to convince you that “not trusting is better.” It will take time to convince you that “although it is right to be cautious, others can be an asset and it can pay off to trust.” Reaffirm the positive wording. Over time, you will be able to reinforce the new thought patterns and learn how to harness the power of thoughts.
10. Find social support
Finally, do not underestimate the importance of social support. Involving family and friends can create a supportive environment that will help you learn how to harness the power of thoughts.
Talk openly about your thoughts with friends, family, or a mental health professional. Seek support and outside perspectives. Sharing your thoughts will help you analyze them critically. You will find support and a more balanced and realistic view of your experiences. For example, you will scale back the tendency to generalize or magnify negative events.
How to harness the power of thoughts: takeaways
Understanding the power of thoughts and mastering them is critical to your well-being. With the 10 steps outlined in this article, you will gain the ability to identify, challenge and reframe the negative thoughts that influence your emotions and actions.
Change takes time and constant dedication. But remember that you have the power to shape your thoughts and improve your life.
“We think so often that we are helpless, but we’re not. We always have the power of our minds…Claim and consciously use your power.” – Louise Hay
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