How to free yourself from negative thoughts

Read time - 01:46
The workplace as we all know has its fair share of employee negativity. This is because most people are operating under the notion that their thoughts are true. This is okay, but the problem comes when the thoughts are negative. It is estimated that we have 50 000 to 80 000
thoughts per day. Depending on how you look at it, that is 50 000 - 80 000 opportunities to think positively about yourself or to doubt
yourself. You choose!

Here is what you need to know about freeing yourself from negative thoughts at the workplace.

Do away with 'what if' scenarios
Sometimes we cannot do away with all the 'what if' scenarios so the best practice is to change all those 'what if scenarios' into positive ones, for example instead of thinking 'what if I am late? Ask, 'how about I wake up early? 'What if I do not get that promotion? Say 'I want a promotion, how can I prepare for it'? By asking positive questions, you can train your brain to do so as well.

Do not linger on the thoughts
Negative thoughts must be fleeting. They should not affect your emotional and psychological life. They should not stay more than they need to in your mind. For example, if you find yourself saying, 'this won't work', stop and let the idea pass. Tell yourself that if it is a bad idea, it will still be a bad idea even after you have explored it more thoroughly.

Negative thoughts are not all bad
According to research, predicting obstacles is an important part of getting things done. Negative thoughts can help you predict obstacles as they encourage critical thinking that heightens your problem-solving abilities. This can help you achieve improved results. 

Truth is, when it comes to curbing negative thoughts, the trick is not to be positive all the time but rather to bear in mind that being positive does not mean you are supposed to agree with everything everyone else says, e.g. saying 'no' needn't translate to negativity, you can still disagree with an idea without being negative.

You will enjoy your mind if you can reconfigure your relationship with your thoughts, and remember you may not be able to control what thoughts pop up, but you can control how you respond to them.

If you are feeling overwhelmed in your current career and are in need of something new and positive, we can help you. We connect Great People to Great Careers. Visit our website to learn more about the Great Career opportunities we have.