Dark Side Thinking Patterns is the best phrase I can think of to describe unwanted thoughts. These may be thoughts about ourselves or others. They may repeat like a broken record in our heads or come up when we are triggered.
It doesn’t matter what they are about because it will be different for each individual.
I used the phrase “Dark Side” because I relate to the Jedi on a deep soul level. (I will talk about that another time.) As I am not a psychologist, I like to use terms that I identify with and that others can relate to.
If my relative geekiness is too much for you, please bear with me and just call it negative thinking patterns.
Dark Side Thinking Patterns are habitual thought processes that have become ingrained within us. They are usually oriented in the past (as depression) or the future (as worry or anxiety) and have no meaning in the present.
I wrote this post because I still struggle with negative thoughts and I intend to break free from them. Completely.
If you have a lifelong battle with unwanted thoughts in the form of anger, hatred, worry, fear, anxiety, or feelings of low-self worth, I’m talking to you. If you have struggled your entire life in some area that no one around you has a problem with, I have been there also. Many times.
If you have no problem with negative thoughts and you know of someone who may benefit from reading this post, please share it.
Dark Side Thinking Patterns may be deep-seated fears caused by our beliefs that we are not good enough on some level. We may be more critical of ourselves than others. Our thinking patterns may carried-over from previous incarnations. We may not even be consciously aware of the reason.
In order to grow, we must break free of these negative thoughts in whatever way we can.
Here are techniques that I use:
STOP
STOP stands for the 4 parts of this technique.
The following is from the Cognitve Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles blog.
- S: Stop. Whatever you’re doing, just pause momentarily.
- T: Take a breath. Re-connect with your breath. The breath is an anchor to the present moment.
- O: Observe. Notice what is happening. What is happening inside you, and outside of you?
- P: Proceed. Continue doing what you were doing.
It is all about mindfulness, being in the present moment. Shifting your focus to the here and now. Which leads us to the next technique.
BEING PRESENT
You are not your thoughts. You are the one thinking the thoughts. Thoughts are mental projections created by you. When you are lost in Dark Side Thinking Patterns, you are not in touch with what is happening outside of you.
Being present and looking around wherever you are is a way of bringing you back to where you are. Just observing the present moment, the temperature of the air, the scents, the sounds, the feeling of the ground beneath your feet. Take a moment just to be in the present. This is practicing mindfulness. It is even more helpful when practiced along with the next technique.
GRATITUDE
When we are in a negative emotion, we have lost all sense of everything. Practicing gratitude allows us to see that things are not as bad as they seem. I think about how grateful I am daily. I have a roof over my head, heat, and warm clothing. As I write, the sun is shining and I’m grateful for that as we haven’t had many sunny days lately. I am grateful for the breakfast I just ate. I am grateful that my fingers can type these words. I am grateful for my computer. I am grateful for the chair that I am sitting on. I am grateful for my eyes. I am grateful for my breath.
Just going through a small list uplifts me. I have so much compared to others in the world. When I express gratitude, the focus shifts from me to everything else.
If I stay in the feeling of gratitude, I can feel the shift internally. This brings me to feeling a great sense of compassion for others. Oftentimes when I express gratitude, the Buddhist Metta prayer of loving-kindness comes to my thoughts.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to
the light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.
We are all in this together. When one person helps themselves to break free of negative thinking, everyone benefits. Imagine how uplifting the world would be if we all do.
May you break free.
Always,
Alice Always
P.S. The Metta Prayer is available as prints and on other products. To see more designs, visit my Prayers and Blessings Galley on Fine Art America.
