How to Control Your Thoughts

As I awake each morning, my mind tends to hurriedly wander off in anticipation of the day’s pending events. To do lists and deadlines note their urgency in my mind before my eyes even have the chance to focus. An immediate sense of panic rips through my cortex, causing me to jump to my feet and stumble to the bathroom sink where I splash cold water onto my face (much like sticking one's finger in a light socket). After a brief face making exchange with the mirror, I try to talk myself out of going to the gym while my thoughts desperately move in the direction of the coffee pot. This all takes place within a matter of a minute. And this is when I’m not running late.

Does this sound vaguely familiar? If it does, then I wrote this article just for you.

Breathe. The few minutes it takes you to lay in bed, take a deep breath, gather your thoughts and set them in the right direction for the day ahead will not cause a collapse of the infrastructure. Quite the opposite actually; focusing your thoughts in a relaxed and positive manner will make you more productive and give you more vibrant energy. And I'm all for having an enjoyable day, how about you?

When I wake up in a panic, the first step I take is to recognize that my mind is running amok. Next, I halt the madness. Recognition of thought is imperative and the first and probably most significant step in the self-growth process. Without developing this skill, you will endure a struggle with nearly every effort you put forth. The reason for its importance is simple. If you aren’t controlling your thoughts, then they are controlling you. If you can honestly say that the majority of your thoughts are positive, then you have a huge advantage and are hopefully using it to better the world! But for most of us, the majority of our self-talk is negative and only through conscious effort and positive affirmations are we able to change that.

So, how do we do this? How do we recognize our thoughts when there are so many of them and usually we react before we even realize what took place? Yelling, slamming a door or quitting your job in the heat of the moment, are all examples of reacting before recognizing. This can vary in its severity and is the type of uncontrolled thought and reaction that often leads to regret and guilt.

We can control our thoughts by becoming aware of our emotions. Not aware in the sense that we feel bad so we express it as such, “I’m not in the mood for this today". But we become aware in a way that when we feel bad, we stop right then and there and listen to the thoughts we are having. If I become angry or upset at a person or situation, I immediately take note that my mind needs intervention . Rather than allow myself to react right way, I stop and listen. What conversation is going on in my head? I then set forth to change whatever negative thoughts I’m having by replacing them with positive, solution based thoughts, thus changing my mood. I control the conversation. After all, it’s my mind. It seems kind of ridiculous not to have some degree of control over it.

This simple act will transform your life. It will improve your relationships with others and open doors that you never would have even knocked on before. If your thoughts are turning on you, there will be an emotion that follows. Pay attention to it. What is your mind up to now? Change the dialogue and tell it something that you want to hear; something that will empower you.

Before you get out of bed tomorrow, take a minute to simply lay there and listen to yourself breath (don’t worry, the world isn’t going to leave without you, I promise). Then think of things that you’re grateful for. Set your mind with the idea that the universe is planning the entire day in your favor and all you have to do is show up!

As with any skill, the more you do this, the better you will become at it. Do it daily. It will take some effort at first, but before you know it you’ll be a natural. Make it happen!