Our experience is always changing. Without awareness, mental patterns related to what we crave and what we fear make life harder. Long past the time for valuable problem solving or learning from experience, rumination and other patterns continue and amplify stress. Thinking can be the problem, not the solution, when there’s nothing more to fix or to be done.

Not that it’s so easy to let go of what triggers us, or even to decide which ideas require action and which do not. It’s not our fault that we get stuck in old mental ruts. We easily blame ourselves for having a less than useful habit in the first place. But we’re all constantly experiencing all kinds of thoughts and can do no better than the continued effort to work on what we’re able.

With all of that exploration, mindfulness still doesn’t mean staring at our lives through a microscope. It’s not meant to increase thinking about thinking itself. Instead, we create mental space to develop awareness of what influences our lives. If we’re thinking about that concept too much—that’s another thought too.

Just because we think something doesn’t make it true. Yet often times we simply accept that what we are thinking must be accurate. This is particularly problematic when it’s a negative thought directed at yourself. A good way to challenge a negative thought is simply to ask the question: The thought is real but is it accurate?

Activity: Challenge your negative thoughts

Pay attention to your negative thoughts when they happen and challenge the accuracy of each one. For example: 

• Thought: I’m lazy. 
• Challenge: I’m not lazy at all because I work hard at my job.

To learn more about challenging your negative thinking, contact me to schedule a free phone consultation. This topic is well suited to my approach to therapy as I use Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) when working with my clients.