How to Deal with Negative Thoughts - 6 Quick Tricks..

• Challenge them. When we are stressed out or sad we project our inner state to the outer world. And everything around us starts to seem joyless and gloomy. It is natural that during our “down’ times a lot more negative thoughts race through our mind. All you have to do to end this negativity flow is tell yourself, “STOP!”. Your mind will be so shocked that for a whole 2 seconds it will actually stop thinking at all. This is your opportunity to counter your negative thoughts. Just recall the situation in which you feel self-confident and calm. Visualize it in great detail. Bring that feeling of joy, pride and satisfaction to the front of your mind. This will help you take your focus off the negative thoughts and look at the problem more objectively.
• Reframe them. Things are rarely as bad as they seem at first. Avoid jumping to conclusions. Look at the big picture. Will this situation or problem matter in a week? What about in a month? Or a year? Is it really worth getting so upset and stressed out over it? If your answer is “no” there is no point in getting yourself worked up over it. Use the energy to find solutions, not to mull over of what has gone wrong.
• Segregate them. Negative thoughts have an ability to drag more negative thoughts behind them. After a while you might feel overwhelmed, helpless and depressed. That is why it is crucial to stay clear on each separate issue instead of letting them become one big jumble.
• Look for the positive. Often, if we just let our mind calm down and really reflect on the current negative situation, we might discover an opportunity to turn the situation around. I have got to be honest with you, only some problems later become positive opportunities, but most problems become valuable lessons that we can learn from.
• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, do not  be afraid to voice your concerns. It does not mean that you have to be rude, overly critical or sarcastic about it. Always communicate your problems or concerns in an open and respectful way. For example, if your friend is making jokes about you being overweight, you might feel reluctant to address them directly and ask them to stop doing that. But on the other hand, if you do not do anything about changing this situation your resentment will most likely build up and it will definitely weaken your friendship.
• Search for the reasons. If someone is being rude to you or is treating you badly, try to find an explanation WHY they are doing it? Maybe they have had an argument with their spouse, or have had a stressful day at work, or something really bad happened in their life that has made them become this way. 99% of the time when people initiate negativity, it is just a reflection of their inner state expressed externally. And you just happened to be in front of that expression. It is not about you! It is about them and their insecurities.