Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.—Shirley MacLaine
Now that’s a bit Negative
Negativity seems like the hardest thing to change about the way we think and ultimately feel about ourselves. Most of us spend a great deal of time engaged in an inner conversation of trash-talk about ourselves and others.
The majority of us will say things to ourselves that we’d never dream of saying out loud to anyone else. But eventually this negative inner image soon shows up in all we do as low self esteem and/or insecurity. And more than likely eventually will spread into all our relationships, personal and professional.
Negativity is like a computer virus that spreads rapidly once it’s unleashed. Think about it…you start out having a wonderful day, then you encounter someone who unleashes the negativity bug. Next thing you know, you’re in a rotten mood thinking the worst. And, passing this “bug” to everyone you come in contact with until it seems like everyone has been infected with this awful virus.
The above analogy really isn’t that far from the truth. The way negativity spreads is through vibrational energy. You literally pick up on the negative vibrations that are in the air. I know most of us have walked into a room and felt the tension between other people. The room generally has a heavy feeling, and sometimes the hair on your neck or arms will stand up and you just don’t want to be there.
This isn’t coincidence. You’re literally mentally and physically picking up on the negative energy that is being expelled. And, if you don’t learn to let it go and you hold on to it, it will become a permanent part of your thinking and being.
Dispelling Negativity
With a computer virus, you can’t just keep downloading new programs on your computer and hope they’ll work. You first, have to run your virus scan locate the infection and remove it. Then you can download new programs that will run correctly. You work pretty much the same way.
You first have to remove the faulty “programming” before the new “programming” can work correctly. That means learning how to let go of negativity as soon you feel it. And it also means learning how to stay positive even in negative situations.
Now this doesn’t mean that you’re never going to experience negative periods in your life. You will, it’s all part of the learning and growing process. It’s how you handle those negative times that will make all the difference in the world.
The first thing you should do is to try to isolate the source of your negativity. What kind of inner trash-talk do you engage in? Are you constantly finding fault and putting yourself down, saying things like, I’m stupid, I’m fat, I’m ugly, I’m useless, I’m worthless, I’m no good. Or, do you think that you have no faults and trash-talk others?
Both come from being out of connection with your Higher Source. When you lose your connection to Source, you in essence put up walls that stop the flow of positive energy into your life. Any real change comes only when you can quiet the self talk. So start by getting quiet and realigning yourself with your Higher Source. There are many different techniques that you can use. But one of the easiest is to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for at least 15-20 minutes.
Sit comfortably, try to keep your back straight and close your eyes. Begin breathing deeply. Be sure to do this at a pace that’s comfortable for you. You shouldn’t be gasping just find a rhythm that works best for you. Listen closely to your breath and say to yourself, “I am aligned with my Higher Source and I am open to receive all that is, that is Source.”
Then remain quiet until a point when the self talk starts to bleed through, then simply say to yourself…delete. Then return to listening to yourself breathe and repeat “I am aligned with my Higher Source and I am open to receive all that is, that is Source. Any time the self talk starts just remember to say delete and repeat, “I am aligned with my Higher Source and I am open to receive all that is, that is Source.. You may find the first several times you try this, all you’re saying to yourself is…delete and repeating the affirmation.
But be patience that will change. You’ll find that after a while you’re able to quiet your mind and just hear yourself breathing. Once your mind is quiet, say to yourself, “right now in this moment I know that I feel negative about myself, my situation, and others and I can openly accept this negativity with Sources help.”
Once you’re able to embrace the negativity, now it’s time to work on letting it go. In part 2 I’ll go over the steps you can take to help you get past the negative trash-talk and learn to let go of the deep rooted negativity that has built up over many years.
