Worrying About the Future? Remember This

One of the main reasons negative thoughts can feel so overwhelming is because they feel so real.

And because they feel real, we accept them as true. It's this tendency to believe our thoughts that brings a lot of the drama and emotional pain to negative thinking. Let's say you have to offer your perspective on an important project at work, and fear comes along and tells you that you're going to really embarrass yourself by tripping over your words... already, you feel a sense of shame, and you shudder at the thought of what other people might think... these are your colleagues, after all, you have to see these people every day, and.... Wait a minute! This hasn't even actually happened. And yet it feels like it has. Negative thoughts can be so powerful that they yank us right out of the present moment and into a new reality, one that we feel has happened, even though it hasn't. What a rollercoaster! So how can you climb off? One essential step to dealing with these types of negative predictions is to remind yourself that your thoughts are just thoughts. They are not facts. They represent one mere possible future - and there are many other outcomes you cannot even imagine, most likely better and more enjoyable than the outcome fear is predicting. Tara Brach's notion of "real, but not true" is really helpful here. Your thoughts feel real, sure. But they are not true. P.S. Join the waitlist for the Positive Perspective Course, the 10-week programme that helps overcome negative thinking, accept yourself, and live with joy, here: www.positiveeq.com/waitlist