Overcome Negative Thoughts with Daily 10-Minute Practice

negative-thoughts-practice - 4

I want to begin by saying that having negative thoughts isn’t ‘bad’. It’s completely normal and it certainly won’t doom your life. It’s perfectly okay to stay exactly as you are if that’s what you choose. This information is intended for those who are actively seeking to make a change. And of course, I still have negative thoughts. It’s not healthy to think positively all the time, just as it’s unhealthy to only have negative thoughts. We experience thousands of thoughts every day and naturally, they vary. However, we also have many recurring thoughts and sometimes it’s quite apparent that they aren’t doing us any favours.

Let me use myself as an example. About 10-15 years ago, many of my thoughts looked like this:

  • I look terrible 
  •  I need to lose weight 
  • I have fat arms
  • I am so dumb
  • I wish I didn’t say that
  • That person doesn’t like me
  • I really suck at this
  • I am so embarrassed 
  • What do they think of me? 
  • I suck
  • I’m fat
  • I need to eat less
  • If only I could lose weight
  • I wish i looked like her
  • She’s so much more fitter and prettier
  • I need to go on this diet 
  • I just need to change, everything.

Far out I am glad to not be consumed by these negative thoughts any more! Now I can see what an awful waste of my time! But when you’re in the thick of this negative thought pattern, it feels normal.

Looking back at these thoughts, I realise I was trying to meet some impossible standards. I was trying to be a ‘perfect’ (non-existent) version of myself.

We all have these kinds of thoughts sometimes. But when they are constant and repetitive, they can get you down and take up a lot of space in your mind and your life. They steal your attention and you end up living life through the lens of self-criticism. Instead of simply experiencing life, there is a constant negative (often untrue) narrative.  

How to stop the negative thoughts?

Recognising that these were just thoughts, not facts, helped me change how I talked to myself.

Byron Katie’s method of asking:

Is this thought true? 

… really helped.

This simple question opened up a new perspective. I learned that just because a thought pops into my head doesn’t make it the truth. It’s a simple and doable step to slow down and even stop the spiral of self-doubt or criticism.  

The practice of self-acceptance was also a game-changer for me.

This approach worked far better than self-love. For me, self-love felt unattainable and somewhat overwhelming. Accepting myself as I am, and showing compassion towards myself felt more doable. They felt like nurturing and healing practices and allowed me to embrace all of me, my strengths and my imperfections. Also, the best thing about these practices is that even when you ‘suck at them’ you don’t spiral into a negative loophole, instead you feel self-compassion and acceptance for not feeling self-compassion and acceptance (haha, I know this sounds weird but I promise this works!). 

The best thing I did was link my self-acceptance practice to a daily activity, my Yoga and Pilates.

It was even more powerful as often my exercise was used as a self-hate practice. A lot of the above thoughts were said while I was exercising. 

As you might know, this is what led us to create MerryBody. A method of Yoga, Pilates and Meditation. that is linked to the practice of self-acceptance. 

If you want to try a MerryBody class, sign up over here and we will send you one of our Yoga and Pilates Fusion classes straight to your inbox. 

free-yoga-pilates-fusion-classes

If you’re ready to begin working on your negative self-talk and thought patterns, here’s an easy 10-minute daily practice to get you started.

The Power of a 10-Minute Practice

Introducing a short daily practice focused on movement, meditation and affirmation can shift your  negative self-talking mindset. The key is consistency, just like one set of 30 squats won’t really do anything to strengthen your butt muscles, but when you do it every day… well, you’re going to get strong glutes! 

5 Minutes of Movement

Physical activity, even just 5 minutes, stimulates the release of endorphins, chemicals in your brain that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators. Exercise can help clear your mind, reduce stress and improve your physical health. It can help you get out of your head and into the present moment, it can shift your thoughts. Even after just 5 minutes of movement, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Meditation

Meditation for 5 minutes daily can boost your emotional well-being. It allows you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgement, it provides you with a break from the constant self-criticism. Over time, meditation helps increase awareness of negative thinking patterns, so you can then take action to shift your thoughts. We’d recommend beginning with a guided meditation, as often if you don’t have a guide you can accidentally flood your mind with negative thought patterns. If you want to try one of our guided MerryBody App meditations, try this one, it’s available on our podcast for you to test out. 

Positive Affirmations

Once you’ve ticked off your movement and meditation finishing off with a positive affirmation can help to strengthen your daily practice. Words like “I am capable,” “I am worthy,” or “I am enough,” repeated a few times can shift your inner narrative. This is why we end each and every Yoga and Pilates class inside the  MerryBody app with our mantra:

“You are amazing, just as you are, right here and right now.”

Our members hear these words every day after they complete a MerryBody class. They hear it enough and they begin to believe it. 

Once you start doing this on a daily basis you might notice a shift in your mood and self-esteem levels. Not only is it a doable method to help you shift negative self-talk but it also creates space for self-celebration and growth. It takes you from a self-critic to a self-advocate… and it starts with just 10 minutes a day.

Always merrymaking,

Emma (and Carla)

Scroll to Top