6 Ways to Take Control of Your Mind

Your mind is the most powerful and mysterious tool that you will ever possess. However, if you don’t use it properly, the mind can be a destructive force in your life. It will affect your perception, your thoughts, and even how you perceive reality. For this reason, it is important to maintain control over your mind. 

It is said that, on average, a normal person has about 70,000 thoughts throughout the day. Needless to say, if a majority or even a significant portion of these thoughts are self-abusive, unproductive, or filled with despair, hatred, or other negative emotions, they can significantly impact your mental health. Hence, such thoughts are not only a waste of energy but also harmful to you. 

So ask yourself this question. Is it alright to let your thoughts run rampant, allowing them to cause destruction, especially when you can take back control? All you have to do is become someone who is consciously and actively capable of taking back control of your thoughts. Become someone who is a master of their own thoughts and mind. 

While in most cases, you can take control of your thoughts by following a few pieces of advice, sometimes obsessive and self-destructive thoughts are an indication of something more serious. In that case, acquire professional help from a therapist or join a counseling group at any treatment center locations near your home. But first, let us discuss strategies that can help you take control of your mind. 

You can understand your mind and learn to control it only when you realize that you fully control your physical and mental state. The reason is that your body, thoughts, and emotions are all interconnected. Therefore, you can use several mind and body techniques to become more aware of your thought processes, which in turn help you control your feelings. 

Keep in mind that the basic principle of becoming self-aware and aware of your surroundings allows you to control the situation and drive it towards happiness. In fact, the more you feel in control of the circumstances around you, the more likely you will be able to stay grounded and feel happier and more productive. 

Also, don’t forget reading: How to Regulate Power of The Subconscious Mind For a Happy life

Another part of self-awareness is to be aware of your thoughts, especially the extremely critical, judgmental, and self-destructive ones. Therefore, figure out what is actually going on in your mind before you can attempt to control it.

While it is normal to feel down and discouraged from time to time, maintaining control during such times to avoid depression and anxiety from taking over your mind is a whole task. Keep in mind that the intrusive thoughts pass away quickly, but problems arise when such thoughts persist. Some harmful thought patterns include:

• Negative talk about yourself
• Looping thoughts
• Different types of cognitive biases
• A constant pessimistic outlook on life

Identifying your thought patterns will help you plan and execute the strategies better. 

It is human nature to want to avoid pain. Working on this principle, we tend to avoid thinking about things that can cause us distress. However, pushing away distressing thoughts is as far from control as you can get. In fact, suppressing them will only intensify them even more. To gain control, you have to do the opposite, that is, to accept them. Only when you acknowledge your fears can you confront them face to face and work towards healing yourself. In such times, maintain perspective to ensure you are not overwhelmed by negativity. 

One great way to open your mind and accept unpleasant thoughts is to meditate. At first, it may seem futile, as your mind never seems to stop thinking, and your head never gets cleared. It may seem like a waste of time, especially when you’re not reaching the relaxed stage everyone promised you would. However, meditation is slow working medicine, and it has the power to change your mind slowly and over time. The trick is to notice your unpleasant thoughts, accept them, and let them go. Just like that, you are not only allowing yourself to have some peace but also gaining back control over your mind. 

Read This Also: Easy Inner Child Mindfulness Script for Inner Child Guided Meditation

Pep talk and self-talk are popular ways of shaping your mind, and for a good reason. The reason is that the way you address yourself and talk about yourself matters a lot. If it sounds silly to talk to yourself, the third-person perspective method would usually work. It may seem awkward initially, but the reappraisal strategy has several benefits. 

For starters, it allows you to gain a third-person perspective on your thoughts and emotions, allowing you to assess the situation without letting your emotions take hold of you. Secondly, looking from a detached perspective allows you to view the whole picture and consider all perspectives. Moreover, it allows you to find an answer to confusing thoughts and emotions, which helps you gain more clarity about the situation. Therefore, distance yourself a little from your hardships and look at them from an outsider’s perspective. 

Reframing your negative thoughts into a reappraisal strategy helps you become less critical and judgmental of yourself. Remember that thinking positively doesn’t mean you have to ignore all your problems and pretend there is nothing wrong. Instead, the focus is on finding hope and positive aspects in such situations. While reframing your thoughts may or may not impact the situation’s outcome, it will change how you think and feel. Therefore, instead of blaming yourself and being your worst critic, opt to practice self-compassion. It will not only help you maintain control of your situation but also help you deal with rejections, disappointments, and losses in a better way. 

Conclusion

One out of three people is experiencing depression, stress, and anxiety. Most of the time, there is a lack of control over the mind and thoughts. For this reason, people acquire therapy to rearrange their thoughts and make more sense of the situation. It allows them to feel more positive about themselves and their situations. Therefore, if your thoughts are running amok, don’t be afraid to get professional help. After all, these are only a few strategies that can help you. But they are in no way an alternative to professional services.

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