Disclaimer-mark
This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
Disclaimer-mystory

How to Be a Master of your own thoughts by Following these Simple Rules

Thoughts govern our actions big time. It’s the thoughts that come first and lay the groundwork for whatever we do or say. Put simply, if you harbor thoughts of success, you will invariably develop the zeal to act upon the milestones. 

How to Be a Master of your own thoughts by Following these Simple Rules

Friday November 10, 2017,

5 min Read

image

“As you think, so shall you become”- Bruce Lee

Thoughts govern our actions big time. It’s the thoughts that come first and lay the groundwork for whatever we do or say. Put simply, if you harbor thoughts of success, you will invariably develop the zeal to act upon the milestones. On the other hand, if you encourage procrastination and negative thoughts, they will only channelize to nothingness. How you want to see yourself in near future is deeply influenced by your layer of thoughts. Our mind is exposed to both positive and negative situations. Consequently, you will gather both positive and negative thoughts. The challenge is to train your mind to filter out unproductive thoughts and motivate yourself towards constructive thinking.

The post below shares some simple rules to help you become a master of your own thoughts.

1. Learn to pause

Our mind is always packed with swarming thoughts. Not all thoughts are welcome and if encouraged might make you do unwanted stuff. Thus, before you encourage any thought to grow further- pause. It’s especially important when a particular thought is making you too excited or too tensed. Ask yourself, whether it’s right to channel your thoughts in that specific direction. Your subconscious knows everything and will always provide you the right answer. When we pause, we allow us to collect ourselves and our feelings which give us a clearer picture of the situation. Thus, learn to practice pausing before letting your thoughts run free. It will enable you to stop unwanted thoughts and allow constructive thinking.

2. Take control of thoughts with deep breathing

At times we can’t stop ourselves from doing unwanted things. It’s simply because we couldn’t stop ourselves from thinking unwanted stuff. If you want to master your thoughts for positive outcomes, you have to know how to control them in the first place. One of the best ways to control your thoughts is deep breathing. The moment you realize your thoughts are getting beyond control, immediately warn your mind. Tell yourself to STOP and cool down. Then, take 7-11 deep breaths and don’t think about just anything when you are taking the breaths. Experts suggest deep breathing for minimum 90 seconds.

Deep breaths help to deviate your mind from uncontrolled thoughts for a moment and extend a breather so that you can re-think with a clearer mind. The whole process will help you to block the unwanted thoughts and allow only what you “should” think.

3. Try to understand triggers of difficult thoughts

Sometimes we can’t help having negative thoughts that prevent us from channelizing our mind to constructive thinking. These could be because of certain particular triggers that knowingly or unknowingly abet difficult thoughts in you. It could be the sight of a person who had been really hard on you. It could also be a particular place or a situation which invoke fear, anxiety, insecurity or overwhelming vengeance in you. Your task is to locate those triggers and act accordingly. After you locate them, ask yourself whether you can do something about them. If so, do it. If you can’t do anything about them, try to stay away from those triggers.

4. Practice meditation

Practiced by saints and monks, meditation is the oldest tool to attain mastery over your thoughts. Disrupted and negative thoughts are the products of a disturbed tensed mind. To be a master of your own thoughts, you first have to take control of your mind. And this is where meditation comes in. The age-old practice calms down the brain so that you can achieve a clarity of mind. A clear stress-free mind encourages positive thoughts and prevents unwanted and negative thinking. A 5-10 minute session every day would be enough. There are different meditation apps today and you will also find meditation tutorials online.

5. Encourage positive feelings

When you feel positive from the inside, you think positive and act accordingly. So, try to surround yourself with things that evoke a positive feeling in you. As mentioned, when you make yourself feel in a particular way, you get the same effect with your thoughts. Study quotes and motivating stories that will inspire positive and constructive thoughts in you. Locate people who help you to feel positive. Try to be with them to encourage such goodness in your life. It will invariably translate into positive thoughts.

6. Seek inspiration for desired thoughts

The task is to find out what will make you channelize your thoughts in the way you want your actions to be. For example, you want to achieve high scores and you wish to direct your thoughts to encourage you to study hard. Thus, you have to surround yourself with those things that will inspire you to have such positive thoughts.

7. Don’t ruminate over past

There is no point in thinking over certain past events that are beyond your control. More you allow yourself to ruminate over uncontrollable stuff, more you lose the power to master your thoughts. You have to understand there are certain things that you can’t do anything about. You have to make peace with this fundamental realization and look forward with a positive attitude. Unless you allow yourself to rise up from the ashes, you cannot guide your thoughts in the desired direction.

8. Believe in yourself & visualize

Visualization is another great technique to channel your thoughts towards the realization of your dreams. You have to make yourself believe in your goals and aims in life. Such confidence will encourage you to develop desired thoughts which will further inspire you to act accordingly. You should also encourage yourself to visualize what you wish to become or achieve. Strong visualizations will prepare your mind to think about the plans and methods needed to meet those achievements.

Final words:

You should also make it a point to take care of your mental health. Maintain a balanced healthy diet, keep yourself hydrated, get sound sleep and don’t encourage evil thoughts. Don’t forget to take breaks when needed. A healthy mind is always easier to manage and master than an unhealthy agitated mind.