Mindset is something we’ve discussed often here.  Normally I stick with the concepts of maintaining a positive mindset and choosing positive thoughts.  Today I want to talk about the other side—the engrained negative thought patterns that seem to creep up before we are even aware of them.  It’s important to address this because part of learning to make more positive thought choices is understanding our thought patterns.  A negative mindset is poison inside.  It deteriorates how we see the world and how we feel about the world. It changes how we feel about ourselves and others. It alters how we make decisions.  If we operate from a place of fear and scarcity, that is what we will see and what we receive.  If we operate from a place of belief and opportunity, that is what we will see and what we receive. 

In doing the healing work, I’ve recognized the negative tendency in my mind.  I would cough and automatically assume I’m dying.  My son would get sick and I’d picture him dying too, same with my husband.  I’d make a mistake at work and I’d be losing my job.  This is the disease of perfection and the trap of throw-away culture.  It suggests that if things aren’t perfect we need to dispose of them.  While we logically know that isn’t the case, we often find ourselves in that habit.  We often fail to give space for learning and growth and that closes us in.  That fosters the idea of perfection further and that creates fear around everything when it isn’t perfect.  Couple it with a negative focus, always looking for the bad, and you’re set up for a rough go of it.  Negative thoughts can destroy the body, mind, and soul.  I’ve had digestive issues my whole life, fear and anxiety, and a distinct lack of trust/faith in the universe…I know I’m not alone.   

The good news is we are fully capable of taking control of these thoughts.  It takes a ton of work and conscious effort, but it is attainable.  Studies have shown the power of changing thoughts showing that changing our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors express new proteins in the body.  New thoughts change our internal environment, creating a healthier internal system that functions better.  Thoughts aren’t just about feeling better, it’s about actually functioning better as well.  This is something that should give us all great hope.  We have the opportunity to change how we see the world, how we feel about the world, not just on the surface level, but internally.  We can change the thought pattern and come up with a different result. 

The first step is understanding how your mind currently functions.  What does it do now, what are your tendencies, what are your beliefs.  I’m not talking about what you’ve learned or been told to believe, I’m talking about what you intrinsically believe, what you viscerally feel and know in you.  If that comes from a negative place, then you’re in trouble.  I know that because I was there.  There are days I’m still there.  But once we see how bad these negative thoughts are for us, we have to know that we are capable of making a different choice.  What was lost can be found, what was causing harm can be turned for good.  The brain is a powerful tool and we can program the messaging it delivers to the body.  Don’t let your thoughts poison you.