During the Christmas Holidays, I did some catching up on my reading. I read a book by Matthieu Ricard (The Happiest Man on Earth) called The Art of Meditation. Ricard has a whole section on negative thinking. According to him, and many other mindfulness gurus and followers, the best way to get rid of negative thoughts is to see them for what they are: thoughts.
Obsessive or negative thoughts can make living miserable when you are plagued by them, so transcending the mind and getting rid of them can really transform your life.
Many people try to push away negative thoughts unsuccessfully, by attempting to suppress them, self-talk or replace them with positive thoughts. The problem is when you try to suppress thoughts, you're focusing on them and as a result, it actually has the opposite effect: you obsess even more. I have experienced that first hand.
Mindfulness believes that the secret to stopping obsessive or negative thoughts is to detach from the mind, to see your mind as a separate entity from the real YOU. And then, to observe your thoughts as they pass.
When you think about it, all thoughts are just neutral energy forms. It’s “your” interest or association with the thoughts that makes them obsessive and creates an emotion that transforms them into a belief. So, if you choose to watch them come and go. If you don't hold on to them, then thoughts will not have the chance to make you suffer and become a belief. If you just let them be, then they will fade. Over time, they will no longer come. And if they do, they won't affect your emotional wellbeing.
I can't say I have mastered the art of completely detaching from my thoughts, but I believe that, with practice, I will keep getting better at it.
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