T he worst enemies of human beings are his negative thoughts. The persistence of negative thoughts for longer periods of time badly impacts the quality of life. In course of time victims of negative thoughtsfall prey to different psychosomatic ailments, depression and severe neurotic and psychotic complications. Negative thoughts weaken the brain'srational and logical thinking power. Career goals are disturbed. Self-esteem is lowered. Interpersonal relationships sufferalot. There is all pervasive disappointment in life. Hence, it is imperative to control negative thoughts at earliest to restore balance and overall health. In this article I am going to discuss two very simple mind management techniques which have been found to be useful in alleviation of the problem of negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are like the cobwebs where victims are trapped and find it difficult to come out. The more one tries to dwell on negative thoughts, the stronger negativity becomes.

 

Victims of negative thoughts are glued to the fears of the future. They are insecure about the future. It is found that some of the victims of negative thoughts are over cautious about the present also. Those who are prone to over thinking about the past also suffer from negative thoughts. Traumas or bad incidents which had occurred in the past are also the source of negative thoughts. In some of the cases the victims are found struggling with some financial, family, social or other problems in their life. Mental health issues like bipolar disease, schizophrenia, depression, etc, also cause negative thoughts. If a person is not able to achieve his goals despite his best efforts, it may also cause negative thoughts. Lack of self confidence, self blame, over rumination on some issues , etc are also the sources of negative thoughts. The first mind management technique which neutralises negative thoughts to a great extent is the breathing method of 3:6:9:3. One has to inhale for 3 counts. The inhaled breath is to be held inside lungs for 6 counts. The exhalation which follows should be of 9 counts. After exhalation the pause should be of 3 counts.

 

The full circle consists of 21 counts. If someone finds it difficult initially, one may go for a circle of 11 countsinhalation 2, retention 3, exhalation 4 and pause 2. This pranayama works fantastically because it activates our parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for relaxing and healing. Secondly, the rushing pace of the mind is slowed down. This practice of Pranayama generates a deep level of breath awareness which elevates our consciousness and one feels a state of joy. The second mind management technique is called journalism. It is a simple way of writing down negative thoughts every day. After seven days one becomes aware of the patterns of negative thoughts. Papers on which negative thoughts are written need to be torn up and thrown into the dustbin. This psychological trick also proves very useful in fighting the menace of negative thoughts. I myself have derived immense benefits from these two mind management methods. Shared these techniques with others and they also found them quite useful and effective in managing negative thoughts.