by Cate Ferguson

Created on: November 20, 2008   Last Updated: November 21, 2008

Thoughts are our most potent creative force and yet, if we take the time to really take stock of our thoughts we might get a shock at the negative and futile patterns, running in endless feedback loops through our minds.

What can we do to tame these negative thoughts?

It's a good question and after much consideration and reflection I've come to the conclusion that we must look them squarely in the eye and own them. That is what I said, own them for what they are and where they have come from. Give them their due. Accept them and then very carefully and firmly let them go.

It's so easy to say and often so difficult to achieve.

These negative thoughts have created unconscious patterns through our lives for years, maybe even decades. They carry with them memories, emotions and fears. We have become attached to them and the roles they play in our lives. Some of us relate so strongly to these patterns that we believe them to be true, we believe them to reflect who we really are.

There are a few simple tools and tasks that anyone can undertake to begin to get a handle on exactly what form their negative thinking takes and my favourite is to undertake a bit of an audit.

What am I thinking? - Audit

Ideally this will be undertaken over the period of one whole week...Ideally. I've never actually accomplished this and have usually only managed three or four days. That is enough, if you follow the system closely to get the maximum value from the task.

For the next seven days carry a small spiral notebook and a pencil with you everywhere you go, even when you go to bed. Be mindful of what you are thinking about. It may help to attempt to monitor your thoughts at each turning of the hour while you are awake, or perhaps each time you begin a new task would be a useful reminder to check in with your thoughts. Just observe them, catch yourself at your 'self-talk'. Is it supportive, positive, encouraging? Is it negative, defeatist, afraid?

No matter what it is, write it down and spend a few minutes taking note of what your thoughts actually are.

If you have a dream during the night and you can remember it's theme or some of it's details, write them down too as they will be reflections of the thoughts you have while you are sleeping.

At the end of seven days take some time to review what you have written. Group your entries into positive and negative. See if you can see patterns emerge - when you do certain things are your underlying thoughts usually negative? When you are with certain people are your thoughts usually positive? See if you can determine the overall pattern of your thoughts. This will bring you into a deeper understanding of what you are actually thinking. It will help you own your thoughts in a really conscious way and this will be the first practical step you can take to really taming your negative thoughts.

Buy a journal, carry it with you, record your thoughts regularly in different circumstances over the period of a week. Find the patterns, name them. Own them.

Only then can you decide if they serve you in creating the life you say you want to live. Only then can you see if they support you in being the person you say you want to be. If not, then you now have the opportunity to begin changing the thoughts you no longer wish to own.

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