Do you find yourself having a negative attitude about your negative thoughts which makes you feel even more negative?

I woke up in a funk today. It would be a quiet day because if I had nothing nice to say… you know how the saying goes.

There’s a lot of ways to pull yourself out of a negative mindset. Treat yourself to something nice or fun. Spend time with others who are positive and upbeat (Okay, that one makes me feel worse when I’m in a funky negative groove).

Rarely though do people look at a negative attitude as a sign.

They either become its victim or try to eliminate the mood with superficial short-term methods. They look at it as a pesky symptom to banish. They are uncomfortable and want to alleviate that feeling as quickly as possible.

What will make me feel better? Like, now!!

The thought alone of having negative thoughts is enough to make you irritated. It can leave you exasperated when others are promoting positivity as if it were as easy as a perpetual forecast of sunshine and rainbows.

However, just as irritating is the idea that meditation can magically whisk away all those negative vibes. Does it really?

I hear it all the time. The number one reason people stop meditating is because….wait for it…”it doesn’t work“.

“I don’t feel happy.”

“I’m stressed out.”

“I still get angry.”

“I still have negative thoughts.”

This is due to the fact that many people perceive meditation as a “fix”; something or someone else will fix you. And it’s not completely your fault for adopting this perspective.

We’re taught money will solve almost all of your problems. A psychologist can fix your brain and doctors/medications can fix your body. Gurus are wizards who fulfill your wishlist. So where do you think this leaves the concept of mind-body-spirit connection?

The mind-body-spirit connection is cultivated in meditation. You listen. You see what you normally wouldn’t see when you’re otherwise busy.

As “connected” as we are to the Internet and everything out there, we are deeply disconnected to ourselves.

The mind-body connection generates intuition and signals you when your brain/body/spirit need attention. How strong is that connection within you when solutions depend on someone else?

The answer or the fix isn’t always somewhere out there, it’s often within you.

In the current societal perspective, it’s the money-doctor-medication mindset or the money-guru-product mindset. (Please don’t take this as not utilizing medication or professionals). This mindset has nothing to do with you personally because it’s all based on a generalization of people- that all people will be happier with more money or all patients with X, Y, Z ailment will be helped with a certain medication.

If you are always searching for external solutions rather than becoming acquainted with your internal wellbeing and mind-body-spirit signals then mediation becomes just another external fix…and it doesn’t work that way.

I can’t solve all your problems, but I can shift your perspective to see that your negative attitude is a signal, a sign that you need attention. The easiest way to regularly pay attention to yourself is with meditation.

For me, on this particular day with my bad attitude, I realized I’ve spent a great deal of time lately taking on responsibilities that are not all mine and giving my time away to things I resented.

I would not have realized this if I didn’t check in with myself. When I get in a negative head space, I meditate at my earliest convenience. Negativity is a sign. Meditation is seeing.

When you feel that negative cloud looming overhead, go meditate, the sooner the better! At the very least it stops the cycle of negativity building up into resentment, blame, and a negative attitude.

When we keep doing and doing we don’t stop and see what is going on within us. All of our negativity transfers to external reasons for our attitude. Unless you can completely control others and events around you, you’ll stay frustrated.

I might not always find an answer in meditation , but sometimes it serves as a time-out all the meanwhile I am growing and nurturing that mind-body-spirit connection so that in the future the answers come more readily.

If you’re in a funk or you just have nothing nice to say, that’s the perfect time to give yourself attention through meditation instead of condemning yourself for having a negative attitude or stuffing it away with fancy notions of chocolate cake, political bashing and blaming loved ones.

 Negative thoughts are normal but if the negative thoughts turn into a negative attitude or your personality and your emotional/psychological/physical wellbeing are affected, you need meditation.

In our fast-paced world we are bombarded by external stimuli. Visual processing is an automatic priority to our brains; we process visual cues first. So yeah our brains are on visual steroids now with technology.

We rarely recognize when we need something from ourselves. We ignore the signs until they become problems or a semi-permanent attitude.

Downtime is filled with social media check-ins instead of checking in with yourself during meditation.

You expect that same “high” from a meditation break that a social media break fulfills. Long-term though meditation gives you a bigger bang for your buck.

We can’t shut off our thoughts, but we can shut out the distracting visual and external stimulation and receive internal input more regularly. This trains your brain to become less affected by negative moods and attitudes.

Instead of viewing negativity as a bothersome habit or a monkey on your back, see it as a sign and a need unfulfilled. A call for you to connect. A need that likely you can fulfill. Meditation will get you closer to uncovering that need and alleviating it than any other “fix”.

 

If you’re tired of controlling your negative thoughts, try releasing them with this meditation:

FREE Guided Meditation: Release Negative Thoughts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace and Be Well,

 

Laura