Mindfulness Demystified: Shifting Negative Self-Talk
A 4-Step Guide To Use the Breath to Shift Negative Thoughts
Everyone, at one point or another, has gotten caught up in the occasional downward spiral of negative thoughts. What starts as one seemingly random negative thought can quickly shift the trajectory into a downward spiral.
Suddenly thought after thought shifts, taking a nosedive into the worst-case scenario. Only changing course often proves a challenge. If this resonates in the least bit, you are not alone. This post will delve into four steps that support you in redirecting your thoughts to align with your highest intent.
Thoughts Are Things
Everything that is manifested in physical form is energy. From the foods we eat, the thoughts we think, the cadence of our speech, trees, flowers, animals, and inanimate objects, to every manner in which we experience and interact with the world. The only difference is that we are spiritual beings having a human incarnation with the ability to think independently of circumstances. We experience the world through our physical senses through the central nervous systems.
All we consume, engage, and interact with possess a vibration that oscillates and spans the spectrum between high and low frequencies. Every feeling and sensation we experience as joy, happiness, sadness, and anger, along with every other energetically charged emotion, emits a distinct frequency; higher vibrations reflect pleasant feelings of harmony. At the same time, lower vibrations project a sense of emotional pain that manifests as a form of suffering. Likewise, what we vibrate and hold within our inner world is inherently reflected in our external world.
Whether we experience thoughts of joy, happiness, contentment, fear, anger, or any other state of being, all we hold in consciousness is mirrored in the outer world. Regardless of whether we willingly consent to allow the world to see and know our true feelings, it’s reflected for the world to see. Notably, energy can’t be broken or destroyed. Therefore, no matter how much you attempt to mask your feelings, it is freely put on display for the world to see, whether we like them or not. In essence, what we say to ourselves matters.
From the disempowering negative low vibrational self-talk to the reciting empowering affirmations, every fiber of your being hangs on the vibration of your words. Whatever you experience in consciousness carries a vibration that fluctuates from minute to minute. However, your predominant frequency creates and maintains the state of being. Likewise, whatever you possess in consciousness is mirrored in the outer world around you. In essence, your vibe attracts your tribe, as we are perpetually reflecting what we hold in consciousness. As the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
This is reminiscent of what commonly occurs when someone attempts to mask their emotions to those around them. Vibrations attract similar vibrations and repel all that misaligns. Depending on how well acquainted you are with an individual, one can get a general sense of what is unfolding within. People often mask, exaggerate, and hide, the truth and even lie to themselves. However, energy never lies. Perhaps you’ve attempted to console someone who appears to be suffering in silence, only to be met with complete denial and reassurance that everything is fine. Only, beyond words, their frequency is undeniably clear that there is more than meets the eye.
Contrary to popular belief, we don’t think thoughts; we obtain them from the universal field. In other words, you have a mind that can think, but you are far greater than the content of your thoughts. Depending on the scope and nature of our thoughts, one negative thought can quickly lead to another, catapulting our awareness into a downward spiral and sending our energy plummeting into a low vibration. Instantly one thought leads to another until our attention is lulled out of our physical being and into our imagination (aka our heads). Likewise, this raises an interesting question, what the h** is negative self-talk? How can it be solely responsible for decreasing our frequency? So glad you asked.
The Effects of Negative Self Talk
Be it spoken, heard, or imagined, everything we say to ourselves is sensed and felt far and wide. Much like small children under the impressionable young age of seven, who literally and figuratively soak up every bit of the information they glean from watching our every move, the whole of our being is listening. Notably, it is not what you profess; it’s what you do, say, express, and project into the world. Thus, every thought, emotion, and semblance of sensation, not only reverberates within our mind but is broadcast throughout the whole of our being.
From our organs, circulatory, and cardiovascular systems, to every bodily system and function to the smallest minute cell and microscopic component, vibrations reverberate and extend the depth of our being. As we are energetic beings, change is the only constant, as nothing stays the same. As spiritual beings, our divine birthright is to be in a perpetual state of growth, development, and unfoldment. Anything that misaligns and sets us goes against the truth of our being creates disharmony. Thereby putting us in a state of dis-ease. Rightfully so, change, growth, and unfoldment are an inevitable constant. Likewise, we are not the same as a year, a week, a day, or even an hour ago.
Beyond merely thinking and identifying with the thoughts we think, we can observe our thoughts as they flow into our awareness objectively. Thoughts infused with intention are powerful, as they equip us to curate a life that serves our highest and best good, changing course as we see fit, as often as needed. With the practice of infusing thought with intent, pausing, and taking a few deep cleansing breaths, anger, frustration, and discontent can be transmuted into peace and relaxation.
A 4-Step Approach to Stopping Negative Self Talk In its Tracks
It’s no secret that we’ve all fallen prey to the downward spiral of negative self-talk. Just as easy as it is to get pulled into what feels like an endless spiral of your greatest fears, it’s exponentially harder to shift. Here is a four-step approach to stopping the flow of negative self-talk dead in its tracks.
1. Take Stock of Where You Have Placed Your Attention
At any given moment, we tend to get so caught up in our thoughts that we often lose sight of our attention. Anytime you sense that your thoughts are centered in any tense other than the present moment, take a moment to pause, and assess where you are holding your attention. Release placing any judgment on what is unfolding, and recognize where you have placed your attention. Notice if it resides in any place other than the present.
2. Pause and Take A Few Deep Cleansing Breathes
Unlike our thoughts, breath can only ever occur within the present moment. Leaning into this autonomic (aka automatic facility courtesy of the subconscious) facility supports us in reclaiming our attention and redirecting it away from its past or future focus and onto the present moment. Likewise, being that everything is energy, it disrupts the thought pattern and calms the body, allowing you to regain volition over your attention.
3. Still the Body
The mind and body are interconnected, meaning the more active the body, the more active the mind. The more you actively engage in multitasking activities, the more prone you are to be in a state of busy racing thoughts. Calm the body; you essentially calm the mind. This supports the body and mind to transition into a more restful calm state.
4. Revisit Your Intention
When we increase our awareness of all that is taking place in the present, stay present with all that is within the scope of our attention, release judgment and resistance, and accept what is. It frees us from the stress, strain, and discomfort of holding on to that which no longer serves.
Whether you consciously start your day with intention or not, the universal intent is to have life more abundantly. No one plans that the course of their day will be riddled with undue emotional pain, sadness, and suffering. Or prefers to amplify a felt sense of low vibrational thoughts and experiences.
Check-in with yourself to assess whether your current thought pattern aligns with your intent. If the answer is no, pause, breath, and revisit it as often as need be. Allow yourself to tap into your imagination to feel the very feeling representing your intent (i.e., joy). The biggest obstacle is to feel into and persist in this feeling despite any thoughts that affirm otherwise.
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