How to Change Your Thoughts

News reports and social media can spark fear in our minds at times. Media’s delivery of national and international health issues, political attacks and the state of the economy can make us feel vulnerable, and we begin to worry. In these times, it is important to have a personal strategy to process these messages in a healthy and honest manner.

It is valuable and healthy to feel compassionate for others and world situations. However, allowing the messages to paralyze us mentally where we replay stories in our minds can be counterproductive to us and the situation.

The negative media you replay in your mind affects your emotions and ability to be productive. It’s important to identify those habits that take you off task such as watching the news or reading social media posts. Once you are aware of what is taking you off track from working on your goal, you can change it. This realization can also help you choose a better way to manage the information you hear about world events in a constructive way. As you continue to be aware of world events, choose behaviors that will honor your humanity about the incident without losing yourself in the information. There will always be events that happen in the world that are disturbing and cause you feel a host of emotions, but it is important to know what you can and cannot do to help. Worrying and losing focus on your personal goals and responsibilities is not always the right choice.

Learn to practice exercises that bring you back to yourself. Take the time to feel the emotion that comes to you for you. Be honest and embrace your emotions for a period. Can you help in a way that honors your feelings and that is constructive? If you cannot change the situation, acknowledge this truth and be compassionate and return to your life’s responsibilities and goals where you can make the best affirmative impact. Take the time to bring your mind back to the space where it can serve you well. Read material that will bring your thoughts back to a place where you can take in information with perspective. Come back to yourself.

When you realize that you have thoughts that take you away from your goals and responsibilities, this is the time to get help and support to create an exercise that will help you change your thoughts back to your goals and dreams. Reaching your goals means keeping them in the forefront of your mind and taking actions that will lead you to the realization your aspirations.