Coping with negative thoughts

Jeroen

Mindfulness, mindfulness wherefore art thou...

Yes well. Thanks to mindfulness I’ve been tracking a bit more where all my thoughts come from, and it seems that most have their origins in fears and worries. I’m beginning to realise my brain is addicted to trying to peer into the future and worrying about stuff. What’s not worries is often passing fears or other negative thoughts about for example how little love there is in the world.

Have you ever tried to track where your thoughts come from?

lobster

Have you ever tried to track where your thoughts come from?

Tee Hee.
Sure ...

So you should view this fleeting world—
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightening in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.
Diamond Sutra

A sudden fart of wind
a gust of dust
a fall of petal
a tear in the vale

Jeroen

Yes, they are fleeting, but taken as an overview it still surprised me that there was so much negativity. I had always had an image of myself as a pretty positive person, that appears not to be true anymore, even after all the work I had done on myself.

lobster

Ah broken false selfie images and idols of self indulgent 'spirituality' ...
Wake up call for those whom it may concern ... 💗

The wake up comes from being with the flow of flotsam we refer to as 'US'. This in a sense is homework. Coming home again and again to what and who we are ...

Neti-neti
https://www.eyeofchan.org/all-articles/articles-by-author/by-yin-de/835-whoami.html

Jeroen

Indeed who-am-I or even better what-am-I ... although I did come across a sutra which seemed to indicate that this was not a good topic to think about:

Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the immediate present: 'Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where is it bound?'

"As he attends inappropriately in this way, one of six kinds of view arises in him: The view I have a self arises in him as true & established, or the view I have no self... or the view It is precisely by means of self that I perceive self... or the view It is precisely by means of self that I perceive not-self... or the view It is precisely by means of not-self that I perceive self arises in him as true & established, or else he has a view like this: This very self of mine — the knower that is sensitive here & there to the ripening of good & bad actions — is the self of mine that is constant, everlasting, eternal, not subject to change, and will stay just as it is for eternity. This is called a thicket of views, a wilderness of views, a contortion of views, a writhing of views, a fetter of views. Bound by a fetter of views, the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person is not freed from birth, aging, & death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. He is not freed, I tell you, from suffering & stress.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.002.than.html

The idea of right view on the self is not so easy to grasp; it is easier for a wrong idea to arise than to grasp what is right view.

David

@Kerome said:
Mindfulness, mindfulness wherefore art thou...

Yes well. Thanks to mindfulness I’ve been tracking a bit more where all my thoughts come from, and it seems that most have their origins in fears and worries. I’m beginning to realise my brain is addicted to trying to peer into the future and worrying about stuff. What’s not worries is often passing fears or other negative thoughts about for example how little love there is in the world.

That's awesome because, of course the answer is to love.

I really found it most helpful when I saw that I am not my thoughts. When I really saw that the train of thought is a tool and not something to identify with there was a lot of inner turmoil gone in a flash.

I still catch myself daily, but when I do I end up smiling instead of getting all pent up like I used to when I thought I was my thoughts arguing with myself.

Now it is much easier to be objective because I can let 2 sides debate in my head without getting attached to either one. I use what's useful and discard what isn't.

Have you ever tried to track where your thoughts come from?

Yes. Often times that's all it takes to snap out of a negative mindset or perhaps expand on a positive one.

And it's perfect if we can remember to do that when anger strikes because when we look closely at our anger and so disidentify with it, compassion can naturally arise.

paulyso

@Kerome said:
Mindfulness, mindfulness wherefore art thou...

Yes well. Thanks to mindfulness I’ve been tracking a bit more where all my thoughts come from, and it seems that most have their origins in fears and worries. I’m beginning to realise my brain is addicted to trying to peer into the future and worrying about stuff. What’s not worries is often passing fears or other negative thoughts about for example how little love there is in the world.

Have you ever tried to track where your thoughts come from?

what ive learn about brain function is interdependent brain feedback.so buddha is right,imo,about dependent origination,one thing affect another for it's arrisal.as we know 6 sense organ affect brain response.i.e smell something the brain becomes conscious of its affect.

the base 5 sense organ dose its normal thing.the 6 sense organ is tricky.this is where the doctor buddha,imo,gives some remidy.change mindset,a counterbalance. negative states imo be consider dukka states.the fact of brain conscious,the more you dwell,the more it lingers,this would be habit attachment in brain consciousness.reconditioning is not easy.our tools,from buddha,be less attach to negative state,substitute with neutral and positive states ,such as equimity through breath and aware.or d a mothers advise pay no mind to it.do something else.which is fine advise.

personally,there is still negative states.but being aware it's not permanent through conscious volition,the negative states doesn'nt bother me as it use too.the more we study dharma and observ-exprience it the more we see it's emptiness and dynamic change.so the grace of time and experience allow us nod at buddha and hopefully a smile.may we grow in dharma,namaste.

lobster

That's awesome because, of course the answer is to love.

Indeed.

It can be a trite saying but I feel you have genuinely turned a corner and therefore another great post ...

Shoshin

Have you ever tried to track where your thoughts come from?

"Hmm let me think...." SLAP..... "Don't think...feeeeel "

If you fear you shall suffer.....You already suffer what you fear
~Michel de Montaigne~

I would say they come from ignorance, that is not knowing ( not having some insight into) the workings of dependant origination

It would seem that thoughts are (in a sense) generated to help the psycho-physical phenomenon AKA the self, describe what is happening, eg, emotions & feelings that arise when the sense doors come into contact with sense objects...some objects may trigger a memory/an emotion/feeling negative or positive, which starts to recycle old thought patterns around these emotions or feelings....

...And where do the above thoughts of mine come from ???
How the heck would "I" know... I AM for the most part ...just a thought that thinks I AM thinking I AM just a thought...

"Our life is momentary, and, at the same time, each moment includes its own past and future ....In this way our momentary life will continue"

~Shunryu Suzuki~_

Jeroen

@David said:
the answer is to love.

That could well be it, that if you find in yourself the capacity to love others that you then are less concerned with the rest of the world. It is one of the things I find beautiful about spiritual teachers, their capacity to bring love to others.

I really found it most helpful when I saw that I am not my thoughts. When I really saw that the train of thought is a tool and not something to identify with there was a lot of inner turmoil gone in a flash.

That sounds like you’ve made a big step and a change in your life. Disidentifying with thoughts is up there with the realisations that’s really move you forward.

It’s something I’ve managed to do sometimes but not consistently. It’s like I have the thought of disidentifying with thoughts, which fades after a few moments and then other thoughts come. It’s all about learning to observe the mind, realising that you are not your thoughts but that the watcher is watching the thoughts.

David

@Kerome said:

That sounds like you’ve made a big step and a change in your life. Disidentifying with thoughts is up there with the realisations that’s really move you forward.

Well it helps for sure, no doubt. However, while realizing the thought stream is a tool and not self ends the inner turmoil, it also makes it easier to entertain them and get carried away.

The best method is probably still returning to the breath but when I did that before seeing through the identification with thoughts, the inner turmoil just got swept under the rug and the peace was manufactured instead of uncovered.

Lionduck

Negative thoughts
We all gets em
Grab em
Chuck em in a box
Move on

Peace to all

Bunks

It doesn't matter where they come from.

Welcome them - invite them in for a cup of tea and a chat.

Give them a hug and a smile.

"Hello old friend!! It's lovely to see you again. Please make yourself at home."

Nirvana

^ U May B Right sum of the time.

lobster

Stop weaving and see how the pattern improves.
— Bodhi Rumi - a notorious spinner

Bunks

The Buddha gave us 84,000 tools for our tool kit.

The trick is to know which one to apply when.

Good luck! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Jeroen

Today my negative thoughts consist of a stubborn cold... am sneezing 🤧 a lot