I’m seeing a lot of memes declaring that we need to be getting rid of negative thoughts. What are negative thoughts?
I’m truly confused when subjective terms are thrown around. Some others that confuse me are “kind”, “poor”, “rich”, and “hate”.
What’s extra confounding is the frequent nodding of heads in unison when these terms are used as if everybody knows what they mean but me.
I’d agree that any thoughts we tell ourselves that offer crippling doubt about our own worthiness to pursue happiness are negative. Self-destructive thoughts aren’t good for us.
But I sense there’s some other measure of “What’s negative?” floating around. It seems to be connected to anything contradictory to the thoughts of others or any notice of problematic things. In fact, sometimes it has been used to describe all thoughts that would take someone away from a “mellow comfortably numb” state of mind. That is a great place to visit but who’d want to live there? It’s even been suggested that your life will improve if you spend more time there AND it’s also suggested that our lives actually improve when we try not to recognize and address our problems because “It’s not so bad”.
DUH… I don’t think so. Am I on the wrong planet? lol
Well, that odd mindset explains the increasing volume of recreational drug use in our country in a nutshell, doesn’t it? People actively stripping our individual freedoms from us love when we spend a large amount of time sweeping all those troublesome questions and concerns from our thoughts. If I listen closely, I can hear them, “Comfortably numb minds for all. Just relax, we’ve got this.”
I guess not wanting to know about or having to deal with problems is the new-age kind of “freedom”.
Excuse me, I just had a dizzy spell…because THAT “thought” is the most frightening and “negative” one I’ve had all day. 😦
I want to know who the creator of the meme below is and ask him, “What IS a negative thought?” and “How long have you worked for the communists?” 😉
Sillyfrog's Blog 
Recreational and Rx mood drugs are too widely used, imo, unless they are truly medically necessary. Not only do they turn people into zombies but also a lot of them cause weight gain, so then we need more drugs for obesity and diabetes. Ugh!
Telling someone to “banish” a negative thought is about as effective as demanding they not think of an elephant. How about sitting with the negative thought until it loses its power?
Beautiful comment with which I agree. Thanks, Paula. ❤
It seems to me that “Peace Pilgrim” has trouble thinking ANY thought at all. What a ludicrous idea that we have complete control over every thought that pops into our head. (An example would be how right at this very moment I am having a completely involuntary negative thought about the statement Peace Pilgrim made.)
LOL…funny AND true. Thanks! 🙂
I can tell you first hand, numbing out is not advisable. I did that for years, until I could not do it any more, and then when my emotions finally exploded it was a huge mess, best to face the problems your having head on even if you hate doing it!
Good advice, Carol. Sorry about the difficulty that produced it. ❤
Interesting thoughts – we’re living in a time where we’ve been bombarded by wordsmiths telling us what to believe or not believe. It’s hard not to wonder what the heck is going on! 🤔😉
Thanks for the visit, Shelley. I’m to keep things ‘real’. 😁
You’re welcome. It’s the blogger’s way of life 😉
Negative thoughts are prompts. They say “whaddaya gonna DO about it?” Example: “My job sucks!” You could go home and hit the bottle and wallow in it, or you could dust off your resume, network with your family and friends, develop new skills, check the job boards, look for ways to earn passive income, think about other things you could do etc. It might take time, but you’re doing something to change a negative situation.
Anoher example: “The world’s going to hell in a handbasket!” Do things that insulate you from that. stock up on food. Keep cash on hand. Learn to shoot. Buy a gun.
Darn shootin’… I mean tootin’ 😉
Very interesting & advisable thoughts . We are living in a time. What to believe or not believe. Think about other things you could do etc. It might take time, but you are doing something to change a negative situation.
Exactly. Thanks!
You are most welcome!