However, maintaining a negative mind won’t help you cope with life any better. In fact, it will likely hurt you more than anything.

Having frequent negative thoughts can lead to having them chronically. When you chronically have negative thoughts, everything –even fun, exciting experiences — feels negative. Chronic negativity can also have physical repercussions, such as depression and heart disease.

Fortunately, there are numerous exercises that you can take to decrease the amount of negativity darkening your mind. Let’s take a look at a few!

Exercise

Exercise is a great way to raise your dampened spirits. Running, biking, stretching, set-ups, push-ups — they all get your blood circulating and your endorphins kicking. In fact, exercising is recommended for those who are battling depression.

But exercise does more than just get your blood and endorphin levels up. It gets you away from negativity. It forces your negative mind to concentrate on something besides its bleak thoughts.

So if you’re feeling down, break out your bike. Slip on your running shoes. Even a simple walk around your neighborhood is enough to raise your mind into a more positive place.

Write (or Draw) Your Thoughts

Sometimes, there’s just too much kicking around in our brains.

When you feel like you have too much going on in your mind, try writing it all down. It doesn’t have to make sense. Just write whatever comes to your mind exactly when you think it.

Afterwards, review what you’ve written. See what is taking up so much room in your head. From there, determine what you can do to lessen the strain it is causing on you.

You don’t have to limit yourself to writing. You can also draw or paint out your feelings. If you know how to play an instrument, you can play them out.

Being creative doesn’t just help you express your feelings. Like exercise, creativity helps you put distance between yourself and your negative mind.

Talk To Friends and Other Confidants

Some problems are so great that they distract us ceaselessly. Such problems include financial troubles, relationship issues, and identity crises.

When you find your problems are negatively affecting your mind all the time, it’s time to talk. Reach out to trusted friends. If need be, consult a professional.

Talking about your problems doesn’t just get them out in the open. It allows you to examine them from a third party’s perspective. This perspective lets you see how your troubles compare to the grand scheme of things.

Social Media Detox

Our lives may be busy, but so is our Internet consumption. From e-mails to Facebook news to Twitter notifications, our minds are always gobbling up something. And forever consuming multiple pieces of information at once is draining.

What’s more, constantly engaging with social media makes us more aware of ourselves in relation to others. The temptation to compare ourselves to them is stronger than ever. Indulging this temptation can lead to lower self-esteem, depression, and, of course, having a negative mind.

As such, it’s important to keep your social media consumption in check. If you find it is taking up more and more of your time, likely you feel yourself growing more and more negative. If this is the case, it’s time to do a social media detox.

A social media detox entails logging out of all of your social media accounts and not checking them for a period of time. It gets your mind away from all of the unnecessary multitasking and information overload that comes with using social media.

Social media detoxes can prove challenging at first, especially if social media is your main source for news and social interaction. But many who engage in these detoxes note their minds calming and quieting after kicking their social media habit.

Spend Time Alone

Sometimes a negative mind comes not just from social media but from the people around you.

Of course, talking about your troubles is important. But it’s also important to spend time with yourself to understand how you feel about them.

The opinions of too many people can often cloud our brains and make them feel even more muddled. This serves to further confuse us and plunge our minds into negative thinking.

As such, you should find time to spend with just yourself. During this time, let your mind wander into a peaceful state. Let it think about whatever makes you calm, positive, and happy.

Transform Bad Thoughts Into Happy Ones

When negative thoughts flood your brain, it will be tempting to try to block them. This is rarely successful, though, and usually ends in frustration.

Instead, acknowledge your negative thoughts. Say, “Okay, thanks for your feedback,” and then move on.

If possible, though, turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. For example, instead of thinking, “I’m awful at this!”, think, “I’m still learning this.”

Change Your Scenery

Take a look at the space around you. Would you say it’s more positive or negative? What makes you feel that way?

Memories and emotions make for powerful associations. If something negative happened in your space — the death of a loved one, for example — it may be time to simply change your scenery.

A change of scenery doesn’t just remove negative associations with your old scenery. It also allows you to “wipe the slate clean” and start anew somewhere else.

If you think a change of scenery is what you need, go somewhere for the weekend. See how your mind reacts to the new scenery. If it reacts positively, you may have found the key to ridding yourself of negativity.

Need Help Cleansing Your Negative Mind? Contact Us!

Avatar® is a self-improvement program designed to help you rediscover yourself and align yourself with what you want to achieve. Our program is delivered by licensed Avatar Masters, and many who’ve completed Avatar consider it the most powerful self-improvement program available.

If you’re interested in learning more about Avatar or finding self-help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We’re more than happy to help you and provide you with the resources you need for total self-empowerment.