How Do You Turn-Off Negative Thinking?

[Grama-Herc]

I am starting-again-to have negative talk sneak back into my head. It
has such a negative impact on my life. I hate this.

I am open to any and all suggestion on how to stop this. It is affecting my relationship with mother.

I also seem to be isolating from her now! Not good. I know that I am imposing stress on myself that is not necessary.

What is it about this PTSD that makes us think we do not deserve to be happy?

[sisu]

Have you tried meditation? They have tons of CD's on meditations. Find a positive mantra to try to stomp out that negative talk in your head. You can also say out loud the opposite of what you are thinking in your head. (I would recommend doing this at home :eek:)

I think ptsd or not we all have negative talk in our heads from time to time. I am sure at different extremes, but negative talk all the same.

Repeat: I am a good person, I am worthy of loving and being loved.

Sisu :Hug_emoticon:

[She Cat]

Hey Herc,

Well I guess that the both of us are in deep do-do with the negative thinking style. Hmmmmmmmm I wonder if it's catchy????

Ok, I will sit there and write to you and tell you that it isn't so much of shutting OFF the negative thinking, as it is REPLACING the negative thoughts with positive ones. Now the interesting thing to all of this is.....You HAVE to be receptive to the new thinking pattern, work at it (sometimes a minute by minute) pattern or you will fail, and the negative will creep back in.

Another thing to do is to do something that you haven't done either in a long time or never before. Challenge yourself, do it, and then congratulate yourself for a job well done.

Writing out the positive things about what you have accomplished in your life. All of the good things that you have done to help others.

So now that I can sit here and tell you what you can do to help yourself.....I wish I had it in me to do the same. Fact is... I just don't care anymore. I have given up. No more hope.

I do hope that you can turn around your thought pattern. I kind of miss the old Herc. The one that used to make me laugh.

Hang in there.

[Lucky Laser]

For me its forcing myself out of the house and away from any place where I'd have time to sit and brood on those thoughts. Going to work/school works the best for me but if those aren't in season a trip to the bookstore works wonders at least for a little while.

[Seeking_Nirvana]

Hi Grama Herc, I notice the negative thinking was creeping back in a couple of weeks ago. I realized that it always will if I don't keep myself aware of it. It started out with small things like "Why do I have to take medications" etc. Then it moves into "You are a piece of $hit and why in the world would anyone love you" etc. At that point I knew it was time to practice the techniques I used to get it to stop in the first place.

I meditate and bring myself into the current moment.
A lot of times I argue with the negative voice as if it was a separate entity LOL. I tell it the opposite of what it is saying and that I don't have to listen to it's abusive, counter productive messages.

So far this has worked for me. So maybe you can go back to what technique you used in the first place and practice it again until the negativity leaves.

Hey She Cat, your great. Don't give up!

Hang in there
Tammy

[Grama-Herc]

She

I'll make you a deal! If you will try again and not give up, I'll make every effort to make you laugh again!

Do we have a deal? :thumbs-up

[She Cat]

Herc,

I don't make deals, and I don't promise anything that I know I can't keep. Fact is.....I have already given up!

[Seeking_Nirvana]

She Cat, maybe you have only given up for a bit? Otherwise you wouldn't be here posting. You're in here hoping to find the answer, and I think if you keep at it you will find bits and pieces until you crawl out of the slump your in.

Please hang in there.
Tammy

[custombeds]

i just dont get it...i almost make myself sick with all the negative thinking..when i get like this, my ex wife wont answer the phone and that drives me crazy...i convince myself that something has to be wrong...i was happy a couple days ago, guess thats what triggered it...is there ever an end to this