In retrospect, if I had been offered only one tool to select for my therapist’s toolbox, teaching about and reinforcing the power of the human mind would win hands down.

Drilling down even more specifically, the power of positive thinking would be the battle call for making change work for all personal growth, and to conquer anxiety and depression.

Positive Psychology has made a huge difference in psychotherapy results, and in identifying specific behaviors and cognitive resources for clients.  To find out more Google:  Positive Psychology.

Growing From Difficulties

Inevitably, we must make our way through the changes and difficulties life loads upon us.  Only the adapters among us survive well and grow.  Indeed, I would go so far as saying that the positive thinkers come out the best in all possible ways.  They have the best survival rates- literally live longer and better, the least stress and emotional disturbances, and, in all likelihood, the most fun.

Staying positive is unquestionably difficult when trauma and “bad things happen to good people.”  The huge buy in has to be accepting the power of your thinking in learning to cope and developing workable strategies.  Personal growth cannot occur without positive thinking.

Fear, Anxiety, Depression Influences

If struggling with fears and anxieties permeates your every day, you have no room left to expand your world, improve self-esteem, or foster a strong inner spirit to help you meet challenges.  Negative thinking propagates anxiety and depression which, in turn, promotes a narrowing of coping ability and obsessive preoccupation with all you can’t do.

Thoughts Or Emotions Come First?

Of course, what is being described above is a cat chasing her tail.  It is hard to say what the first misstep is—whether negative thinking arises, then fears come, or the more fearful you become, the higher the occurrence of overwhelming negative thoughts.

Let’s make it simple.  All emotions grow from our heads.  Control your thinking and only allow a positive spin for a change that will really make a difference in your life.

Stopping negative thoughts is like cutting off the blood supply to negative emotions, and it is guaranteed to help you cope with change, stop scary emotions and make better choices for yourself.

The Way Out–Change Thinking

Just so you won’t get too overwhelmed, start with a small step.   As with all learning, start mastering one small chunk.  Become intimately aware of every word you say to yourself.  We all run an ongoing tape in our head.

Try to find a time each day that you can be by yourself and relax for a while.  Review the thoughts that have been  running  in your head.  Write down what you’ve been thinking.  Try to figure out why these thoughts have been on your mind.  Likely, the thoughts  have to do with what you’ve been doing, or who you’ve been with.

What is the content of the thoughts?  What has been the theme?  It may seem like there is no pattern.  Look deeper.  Be a scientist.  Take notes, and keep a record of your new realizations.

Now Do An Analysis

Begin by taking a baseline, discovering just where you allow your mind to roam.  Then note exactly what  thoughts arise about yourself.  Note, too, what events have been happening.  The events may be internal (thoughts) or external (outside events).

After becoming aware of your thoughts for a period, decide how much negative time you spend with yourself.

Take On Change

Stop negatives, and since that might create a vacuum in your thinking, be ready to add a positive thought that you really believe about yourself to replace the negative.

Make sure you don’t criticize, put down, discourage, degrade or otherwise allow negative messages to yourself.

Perhaps It’s Harder Than It Looks

It’s never easy to make change, but it is doable.  Changing thoughts will reward you in ways that will surprise and please you.  You may even be taken aback at how negative thoughts are such a part of that running tape in your head.

Also, it is even harder to stop thought, if your thinking is obsessive, a subject for later.  For now, be that little mouse in the corner who watches and learns.  The subject of the learning is fascinating:   it is you!