Talking Ourselves Out of Negativity

Waking up some days is a hazy and an avoided prospect because of the dark thoughts that come flooding to mind. Fear grips the heart. Unsavoury images fill the mind. And a general sense of loathing accompanies our psyche.

Negativity seems to save itself for seasons, not simply days, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Negative thinking becomes the pattern we spiral down into. We can simply forget there are broader prospects to be considered.

Talking ourselves out of negativity is easier than we think at the time. We just need to find ways of doing it consistently. And talking ourselves out of negativity is not denying our problems; it’s simply keeping them in proper perspective.

Compartmentalising The Problem(s) – Using the Logical Mind

Our negativity is framed by somewhat irreconcilable problems—or maybe simply one. Our unconscious minds are consumed by finding a solution. This fact weighs down our conscious thinking.

But, if we could compartmentalise our problems, and contain them safely, we could save space for more positive thinking. More space would be freed up to consider the things that are actually working in our lives.

More emotional freedom would be experienced because our thinking is, even for critical moments, a little more balanced.

What happens when we don’t do this is negativity may drive the position of our thinking, and the good things are put away and undervalued, whilst the bad things become a source of high focus. We do this unconsciously.

We have to stop the pervasiveness of our negative thinking. And the only way of doing that, with the best effect, is create a special compartment for our problems, by creating equally special compartments for the good things occurring in our lives.

With both compartments, then, we give each their due recognition, and we plan to spend time tending to both. Maybe our logical minds will advise that the positives, so far as hope is concerned for the future, outweigh the negatives that appear to be so pressing right now.

Experiencing Hope By Faith

When all we can see is negative, and we feel hopelessly helpless, it is difficult to conceive the process of faith, let alone apply faith consistently.

This is where we need plain reminders to live for faith.

Reading our Bibles, praying, and searching for, and reading, inspirational words and poems, etc, all help to shift our thinking from hopelessness to hopefulness. We could also try to spend some time around bright, empathetic people.

The plain reality for supporting our compartments of positivity is balance. We balance our negativity when we experience hope by faith. This means we choose to be positive; to see the positives in their truthful light. There are always positives. Indeed, there are many things that negative thinking shuns that could be raised in stature to provide us hope.

By faith we can navigate our way through any negativity, one moment at a time. By faith we experience hope. And by faith we balance our realities—all is not bad in anyone’s life.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.