What types of thoughts do you find yourself
spending the most time on?
Consider how unproductive these
types of thinking are:
·
Thinking about the past in a way that creates regret. This is a common type of negative thinking that has no positive
benefits. Remembering that time you embarrassed yourself in high school or had
a huge argument with your partner only serves to lower your mood and put you
into an unresourceful state.
o
The solution is simple. Catch
yourself as soon as possible when you’re thinking about the past and redirect your attention to something more
positive.
·
Thinking about the future in a way that creates worry. We also tend to look at the future and imagine the worst. We might
only look ahead 10 seconds and imagine being rejected by the person we’re
approaching. Or we might look ahead further and imagine our yet non-existent
business failing.
o
The solution: Notice that you’re
thinking unproductively and bring your mind back to the present.
·
Daydreaming in a non-directed way. It’s fun to
daydream. Who wouldn’t like to imagine spending time with a movie star, being
able to fly, or other fanciful thoughts? Most of this type of thinking isn’t
productive. It only wastes time.
o
Why are you daydreaming? Are you
bored? Stressed? Is it just random behavior? Think of better ways to spend your
time when you notice that you’re daydreaming.
·
Focusing on problems rather than solutions.
Focusing on problems creates stress and fails to address the issue in a useful
way. Focusing on solutions puts you in a
much more resourceful state and provides a chance for success.
o
Notice when you’re focusing on
problems and start thinking about possible solutions for them.
These types of productive thinking
create tremendous value in our lives:
·
Planning for the future. It’s nearly
impossible to be successful by relying on luck and chance. Success for any
individual person is unique. It’s very precise. Making plans to craft your
future is a great way of using your mental faculties.
·
Learning from the past. Looking at the past
can be productive if it’s done with the intention of learning. Each success and
failure can be useful for the future.
·
Seeking solutions. Focusing your thoughts on
finding solutions for the challenges in your life is a powerful way to use your
brain.
·
Looking for potential obstacles and threats.
Looking into the future isn’t always a negative action. Looking forward can be
useful if you’re identifying and preparing for roadblocks and threats. Then,
the trick is to use your brain to find solutions, rather than just worry.
·
Thinking about what you’re doing. Try spending
most of your day with your attention focused on whatever you’re doing. You’ll get more done and increase the
quality of your work if you pay attention to what you’re doing.
Your brain likes to think. That’s what it was
designed to do. It will provide a never-ending supply of thoughts even if you
don’t want them. Unfortunately, much of the thinking we do each day is of little
benefit. In fact, the majority of it is harmful. We make ourselves feel bad or
waste precious time with most of the thinking we do.
Directing your brain to focus on whatever you
choose requires a lot of practice, but you’ll
get better and better at it the more you practice.
Like my posts? Please follow me on Facebook or Instagram under Recovery Enthusiast. I also have a podcast on Anchor and Spotify under Motivations 4U. I'm also on YouTube under Doreen Cunha; you can follow my journey. And if you really can't get enough of me, you can check out my courses on recoveryenthusiast.com
As always,
stay blessed and live your life Enthusiastically!!
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