Techniques to Control Negative Thoughts

Whether you worry endlessly over how you're going to pay all of your bills this month or over a particularly stressful situation at work, negativity can consume you and take over your life. Learn how to control and manage negative thinking in order to lead a more fulfilling and healthy life.

Good Influences

• Surrounding yourself with good influences can be an effective technique for controlling negativity. Joy can be infectious. If you feel like negativity is running your world, make an attempt to be around people who are positive, optimistic and encouraging. Hang out with the funniest and wittiest people you know. Chances are, if they make you laugh you'll forget your woes for a little while and even be able to put things into perspective.

Breathing

• Concentrating on deep breathing can work wonders for dealing with negative feelings. Relax and focus on inhaling in a controlled and deep manner, straight from your diaphragm instead of your chest. This method can be effective for controlling negativity due to the fact that this type of breathing can decrease blood pressure, and as a result, overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety. As you do this, try to visualize a soothing mental picture as well, whether it's of a serene forest or a cuddly kitten.

Positivity

• Anxiety and negative feelings can hit fever pitch at key points throughout the day. At these times, make a point to remember all of the positive aspects of your life instead of the things that take over your mind with dread and anxiety. No matter how unimportant the good things in your life may seem, they are still something.

Smile

• No matter how worried or at unease you may feel, try to smile as much as possible. You may find that it's harder to think about the negative components of your life when you're smiling, even if it seems less than genuine at first. Smiling can help decrease stressful feelings and elevate mood.

Meditation

• Meditation is a common method used for relaxing. The main goal of meditation is to completely clear your head and remove any distractions from it. Go off by yourself to a quiet place, close your eyes and repeat over and over a positive, soothing and motivational mantra such as "I will get through this situation." Apart from relieving your stress, anxiety and negativity, meditation can also help decrease feelings of depression, sleep issues and exhaustion.

Get Outside

• If you're feeling run down by negativity, change your scenery for a bit. Go outside and socialize. Get fresh air and bright sunshine; sunshine encourages the body to make Vitamin D, which is a natural mood enhancer. Visit the mall with some of your closest friends. Hit the beach for a day. Start volunteering at a local homeless shelter. Go for regular runs in your park.

Help Others

• If you're in a slump about yourself and your life, shift the focus from yourself for a while. You may notice that helping another person will make you feel good and make the other person feel good as well. Also, the busier you are helping another person, the less time you will have to focus obsessively over your own negative thoughts and problems, real or imagined.