10 Ways to Release Negative Thoughts
And it’s not about reciting positive affirmations
I remember a couple of years ago as I was preparing for a big milestone event with my family, I needed to get a few things completed before we left. But I found myself unable to stay on task for any length of time whenever I sat at my desk.
I was constantly allowing distraction to take over, which usually isn’t like me.
The kind of distractions where you know the task being worked on will get you further in one of your outlined goals or projects but somehow you intentionally, yet subconsciously at the same time, you bypass getting it done.
I know you know.
I wasn’t really running on empty either — that lethargic, energyless feeling that can sometimes take over. Nope. I just knew something was up. Something my subconscious mind was holding on to but didn’t want to clue me in on just yet.
Whatever was happening though, was starting to regularly affect my everyday activities.
Emotions are a part of the human experience.
When we laugh, smile, cry, get angry or are just in a mood, this help define our life experiences, moments we distinctly remember and hold in our memory banks.
Our emotions also give insight into those things we experience that can be looked at later for future evaluation.
But, when you’re doing the work your business requires — meeting with clients, crafting projects, creating content to name a few— you don’t need your emotions at the forefront of your mind interfering with and affecting how you work.
When we choose not to deal with a thing, when our subconscious holds on to it, playing the thought loops on endless repeat in the back of our mind…..they are still there, in a low buzz, nattering kind of way, not making large ripples, but still affecting us.
When your emotions are hiding just beneath the surface without you being consciously aware of them, they tend to upset the balance.
They interfere with the daily goings on and, if not dealt with, they can certainly clog up the works.
This was my experience.
My emotional closet was bursting at the hinges and the door was about to explode off but I hadn’t a clue why.
My immediate go-to for clarity and to help clear out the build-up of emotion is to pull out my journal, letting the words that spill onto its pages do their work to help lessen the inner turmoil.
So I picked up my journal and wrote and wrote and wrote. On the 4th or 5th day of my evening ritual writing, a few new things were revealed to me.
My worry for a family member who was experiencing an ongoing medical issue was working away in the background. I was holding on to these worried thoughts instead of dealing with them by either expressing or talking about them.
Now my problem wasn’t solved in that moment but I knew then, what was holding on to a large part of my brainpower, my energy stores that prevented me from being fully present when I sat down to work.
You see, when we don’t clear up our head gunk (a “technical term” we’re just going with), it eventually begins spreading into all areas of our life and stops us from working efficiently and effectively.
How to prevent this from happening to you and taking over?
Open your emotional closet and choose to deal head-on with what you find there.
So about those 3 words, your emotional closet, I’m not talking about endless outbursts of emotion that most people think of when they hear those words.
(although if you are experiencing emotional rollercoasters that leave you feeling low all the time, please consider seeking professional help).
What I’m talking about instead is your mindset and the thoughts you hold on to that are a part of who you are as a human.
A human who also happens to own a business.
Humans have feelings. These feelings we have, we get to articulate them into language. But most choose not to because they presume it says something negative about them.
STOP it.
All it means is that you are a person experiencing something that you don’t have an answer for, or clarity about….yet.
When this happens it’s time to clear out the gunk so you understand the bigger picture, so you can move on to create your next step actions.
Below are a few ways to help you get clear and widen the portals when things feel awry or unclear…
— journal, write it out …head here or here for journaling how-tos.
— take a mental break to slow down, to pause.
— do some type of physical activity.
— listen to music and dance your heart out
— tap into your creative side …draw, paint, stitch, sing, etc
— sit in stillness in nature.
— find your favourite comfy spot, relax & let your thoughts roam.
— do some breath work [inhale slowly for a count of 4. Exhale for 4. Repeat]
— talk it out with someone you trust, someone who won’t bring in judgement.
— acknowledge it …sometimes we just need to say yes this happened to begin the process of clearing out.
But the best way to do this, to clear up the gunk, is to just ask yourself what’s up………then stick around to hear the answer.
Most times this pivot to concentrating on something else will allow your mind to let that thing rise to the surface. It’s those little nudges that guide your intuition, that will not steer you wrong.
It might take some time to get to the heart of whatever is going on, to get to the deep down root of it all but don’t give up.
Another thing if you need help sorting things out, reach out to your resilience team to help you manoeuvre through and deal with the stress and mess of it all (don't know what that is? Read this).
Final Thoughts…
Your internal spaces within is where this clarity information resides. Find some quiet time to ask your soul self what’s up and then listen for the answer.
Taking a peek inside your emotional closet is a good thing. Doing something about what you find there is even better.
Don’t let what’s hidden in your emotional closet hold you back. Look inside. Go on.
