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POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND MENTAL RE-PROGRAMMING

Part four of ADAM’S HOLISTIC LIFE MANUAL FOR HEALTHY & SUSTAINABLE LIVING.

As we observe our minds, we discover that many of our thoughts are negative and thus cause negative emotions. We have negative judgments and feelings about past events, decisions and people. We might have negative thoughts and feelings about our present situation. We might also have fear about our future that causes us to worry.

All these negative thoughts and judgments are only the subjective creations of our mind. Two different people will view the same situation quite differently according to their unique personal reference of experiences and values. This shows that our judgments are relative to our way of thinking. If we wish to move away from a negative mindset to a more positive one, we can apply positive thoughts to counterbalance our negative habitual thought patterns.

For every negative thought we think, we can apply an opposite positive one. For example the opposite of anger is loving-kindness and compassion. Anger can make us do some very destructive things that we deeply regret afterwards. Meditating on loving kindness and compassion on the other hand has been scientifically proving to generate the highest levels of joy and well being that can be registered in a brain scan. So actually wishing for the wellbeing of others is the most beneficial to our own well being

A few examples of antidotes to the mental poisons of negative thoughts are these: Love is the opposite of hate. Generosity and contentment is the opposite of greed. Sympathetic Joy is the opposite of jealousy. You can experiment with which thoughts transform negative mind states into positive ones, and use what works for you. For more inspiration in this field I recommend Buddhist mind training specifically called Lojong. Meditating on the four immeasurables: love, joy, compassion and equanimity have proven to have immense benefit.
To be continued.


Photo by Pete Linforth, United Kingdom



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