The Power of Our Thoughts

It is estimated that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day.  Clearly, we do a lot of thinking, but rarely do we give our thoughts a second thought!  But what if we did; what might we notice?

Thought Patterns

According to research, about 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive.  That’s a lot of negative, repetitive thoughts that we have each day!  What’s more, is that repetitive thoughts form neural pathways – the more a particular thought or belief is activated and reinforced, the stronger these neural pathways become, and the more automatic our patterns of thinking and perceiving become.  Perhaps, for example, you’ve been labeled as or consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist, an idealist or a realist.  While we all have our natural and learned ways of viewing the world and our circumstances, and there are varying degrees of and reasons that play into thinking styles and thought patterns, our thoughts and the attention that we give them have the power to impact our course.

Why Thoughts are Powerful

Thoughts are the lens through which we view a situation, and in turn, they inform and impact our feelings and behaviors.  Said another way, your thoughts influence how you feel, and how you feel affects how you act.  Consider for a moment, as an example, that someone snapped at you, for no apparent reason.  Your thought could be something like, “that person snapped at me because I must have done something wrong” or you might think something like, “that person snapped at me because he/she is feeling bad about something.”  In turn, how would each thought about the situation make you feel?  How would it make you behave?

A single thought process in isolation may not seem like a big deal, but over time, we develop thought patterns that can impact our overall well-being.  Unwanted thoughts can, for instance, fill us with negative emotions and make us feel defeated, they can take us away from the present moment and can lead us to dwell in despair or to worry or into anxiety, or they may cause us to struggle with negative self-talk, as well as a number of other patterns and outcomes.

How can you develop control over your thoughts?

We all have our initial thoughts and ways of looking at the world, however, with practice we can learn to challenge our thoughts so that we achieve perspective and balance.  This begins with awareness and intention.  As you go about your day, it can be helpful to pause and notice, perhaps write down a note about what you are thinking or worrying about – just write it, without judgement.  Developing a thought record of sorts is one initial step at getting a view of what goes through your mind and is a very valuable tool that you can bring into a therapy session to use to gain insight and to further your understanding and development.  When you gain more control over your thoughts, through awareness and intention – a process and skill that takes practice – you have the ability to impact your feelings and actions and how you experience and handle what you encounter.

How The Mind Spot Can Help

The Mind Spot can work with you to explore your ways of thinking, identify helpful and not so helpful thought patterns and learn and put into practice methods that give you more power over your thoughts.  Make an appointment with Nancy Wendlandt or one of our counselors today.