Thoughts Are Things….

Have you ever thought about thoughts? What they are? Thoughts are something of a mystery, and the ultimate answer of just what thoughts are is above my pay grade. But I do have something for you to consider.

Every thought you ever indulge has an impact on your psyche and your body.

Would you sit there with a piece of sandpaper and rub your arm day in and day out with it? Of course you wouldn't. Or if you did, at least you'd recognize this as harmful.

And yet most of us do something similar all day long. We repeat patterns of thinking that have a deleterious effect on our minds, bodies, mood, health -- everything.

Thoughts Are Actual Things

• worry is a thing
• anxiety is a thing
• joy is a thing
• love is a thing
• regret is a thing
  
  

Do you have a regret from life that haunts you? A love lost? Something you did that was deeply wrong? A mistake you can't take back? Welcome to life. But if you don't get this addressed, and you keep turning it over and over in your mind, it's like poison to your body and soul.

Do you constantly tell yourself you are not attractive, or not smart, or have some other "flaw?" You might as well get out that sandpaper and start grinding away--except the stress and harshness of this negativity affects your heart and other core internal functions.

Don't lose heart. The first order of business is to realize that THOUGHTS ARE THINGS. Thoughts are just as real as your arm or eye or ear. They are real, not just abstractions. How you think has a tremendous impact on your health, life, and everything else. Just recognizing this on a profound level will start the shift towards healthier thinking practices.

The second order of business is to use this technique to free yourself of the destructive mental loops. As I mention in the video in that posting, don't get lost indulging your regrets and attachments. Just deal with them briskly and firmly and cut (purge) these loops out of your psyche.

Negative Thoughts and Emotions DO Have Their Place

Just to be clear, I am most definitely NOT saying that negative thoughts such as anger or frustration don't have a place. These emotions and thoughts are crucial in life. When you get frustrated that you aren't making progress on project X it can impel you forward. When someone mistreats you and it makes you angry so that you take (non-impulsive) action to address the situation, that anger helped you.

Developing The Habit of Healthy Thinking is a Lifelong Practice

Just as if you eat junk food for a year it becomes a habit you must turn around, in the same way mental loops and patterns can become deeply ingrained patterns. So developing the habit of healthy, positive thinking is a long-term life practice. It takes time. So be patient, but firm with your intention to train your thinking just as you would train your body or choose what food to put into your body.

That said, the habitual negative thinking and regrets are like a poison. Let's end it now and flourish together.