WHY YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENTERTAIN A NEGATIVE THOUGHT
GETTING RID OF A PRIMITIVE BELIEF!
From Worry, "Do not believe that worrying will prove one bit useful but do believe that it will be very, very harmful." [Worry is certainly a way of "entertaining negative thoughts."]
The BuddhaKahuna
"Our control over emotional, mental, and physical energy is paramount to achieve and maintain high performanece [in sports and in happiness]. A casual observation of human behavior reveals large amounts of wasted mental energy expended on irrelevant cues like worrying about the future, the past, or issues that are not our responsibility (sticking our noses in other people's business or judging others)."
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THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO LEARN IN LIFE
It would appear that handling negative thoughts appropriately is the most important thing to learn in life. It ruins lives.
However, it takes some convincing...
We believe that we must entertain the negative thought to keep it "top of the mind" so that we handle the threat and survive. (The latter is more "implicit".) We are so convinced that we believe the truth that we will not consider that it is false .
IT IS BASED ON SOME SUPER VAGUENESS
Like many of the poor thinking practices we humans have it is based on some super vague non-reasoning, with "ghosts" seeming to lurk about in our minds.
In trying to extinguish that belief, I have written several pieces that may have some overlap but which I recommend you read so that you are able to completely stop that harmful, false belief. (They are linked from the box at the left.)
If you "get it" (understand the concept), then you'll be practicing one of the greatest insights of Buddhism and the other wisdom disciplines.
The overall conclusion is that when there is real danger, we simply react and soon it is over. Otherwise, we simply note the signal, see it as being from an untrue "neuronal pattern" that has set off a false alarm.
Kick it upstairs to the adult to simplye decide if it is valid and needs action - then the adult needs to reinstruct (reprogram) the rote brain that everything is ok....and that next time it is not a matter of concern. The adult might have to repeat that several times, as the lower brain does not have alot of moxy...
NOTICE WHEN YOU FEEL STRONG HOW THIS CHANGES
The primitive mind, in its automatic and strong survival mode, wants to solve any threats - and that is one of the operating modes that saved us!
If we feel weak, the primitive mind is working hard to protect us from vulnerabilities.
But, if we feel strong, the primitive mind receives the feedback and its "concern" level drops way down.
The key here is to keep ourselves in a High State Of Resourcefulness (high functioning) not only for the obvious benefits but also to reduce the tendency to ruminate on negative thoughts!
Stephi Graf, one of the greats in tennis
