It is easy to spiral into negative thinking.  Whether it is about your significant other, or lack of a significant other, sickness, your children, lack of children, money, career, neighbors, the neighborhood, church, the city, the state, the country, the world! …. there is always something negative to thing about.

The thinking creates primal emotions which produces the flight and flight survival response.  It is necessary phenomenon, and can be valuable in protecting you from harm or danger.  In the short term, the body can easily re-calibrate itself and continue to exist in balance and harmony.  However, these emotions expressed repeatedly over and over again, over and over again, can become a toxic drug.  Your body literally produces hormones from different glands that can cause disease when the production is constant.

A great technique to use is “Stop!, and Think Another Thought”.  I use this most days!  When I start to have thoughts or feelings of anxiety, worry, unworthiness, competition, aggression, jealousy, insecurity, hopelessness, anger, frustration, and realize I am doing that, with God’s help, I make a decision to “Stop, and Think “Another Thought:”.  You can do the same.  Just like working a weak muscle, over time, you can become much better at breaking the cycle of negative thinking.  It is not about being unrealistic.  On the contrary, you are considering the situation carefully, but not obsessing over the situation or creating drama in your mind.

Even when you are considering eating non-nutritious foods, you can use this technique to enjoy the empty calories you eat in moderation and move on.  If you are feeling guilty the entire time you are eating the fries or ice-cream, you are doing a further dis-service to your body.  It is probably worse than eating the junk foods or drink.  Instead of living in an unconscious state and going into auto pilot and before you know it, you knock off a large bag of chips, be intentional.  Make a decision that you are going to have have the chips and enjoy SOME.  If you are going to be guilty about it; don’t do it!