How Do You Make Yourself Aware of Your Thinking??????

[TWeedleBryant]

I don't get it! I don't know when I am thinking negative thoughts. How do you make yourself aware of what your thoughts are???? I want to stop because it doesn't seem possible!!!!

[CourageousKris]

I too am really struggled with this. I've been listening to the CD on my way to and from work and am finally starting to get it. I have this continuous dialogue with myself..in my head...all time and I'm not even aware of what I'm saying most of the time. This week I've actually been paying attention to what my inner dialogue is and it is so very negative. It's made me cry a few time as I struggle with being okay saying positive things to myself. I find that if I focus more on trying to say positive things instead of just looking for the negative, I end up say less negative things to myself. I must say that it is exhausting but I am encouraged by every small improvement I see. Don't give up. I just have this tremendous feeling that it will be so worth it in the end. Although, I also think you have to totally be at that point where you're ready to submit to the process and not fight it. Be open and try not to be afraid. I've been dealing with general anxiety and panic attacks for at least 12 years and probably even before that and wasn't aware of it. I am so done with being my own victim. Take comfort in knowing there are others out here that understand. God Bless and good luck.

[ariel2477]

What a good question!!
i have been on session 3 for about 1 month now. I am going to do the notebook thing soon.
i am starting to be aware of some negativity . I am already starting to tell myself positive things.
was having some health issues but now ready to continue with the course.
I think the negativiy is so ingrained in our thoughts like brushing our teeth its routine so much so we do not even recognize it.
the awarness of it will start as we begin to UN-Learn what we have trained our minds to think and how we think .

[Mina's Man]

Boy, sometimes I wish I could make myself "Unaware" of my thinking Like many of you, I find myself having this on-going dialog inside my head almost every moment of everyday. I have the devil's time turning it off. And guess what Most of what goes on in my head is total non-sense It's crap about myself, or about my circumstances. That doesn't mean my circumstances at this point aren't crappy...they are. But it is almost never as bad as my inner dialog makes it out to be. And how am I finding this out? By forcing myself to do junk that my inner dialog tells me I can't do or stuff that is supposed to be impossible.

All that is very encouraging but I sure wish those inner-demons would go bother someone else
Reginald

[AlphaDog]

Yes, this is a great question and i have been blessed by this discussion...the noise in my head gets so out of control that i would name it torment ...i made a decision to trust that i will feel better only by confronting my thoughts and replacing them with positive, kind,and compassionate thoughts...an extremely arduous task, but each time i acheive a period of quietness i rejoice...i never would accept that I am capable of changing my thoughts, and thereby my behavior...music and prayer help me also. Keep at for another day, everyone

[Anxiety2]

this is a great question. I just started this lesson yesterday, and already i've listened to the cd twice and read the book twice and worked on the exercises. there wasn't enough space to put the failures, how it made me feel or what i would have done differently.... I have been paying attention to my inner dialog since the first lesson and i knew i was be-rating myself, i always knew that i was harder on myself than anyone else but i thought that was a good thing when i was working. it pushed me to do excellent work and get the promotions. BUT, now retired, there is no need to be "perfect". i believe this lesson is extremely important and i can see spending more than one week on it. i suppose that's ok!! nobody's gonna yell at me for that except myself! i have started the journeling of my negative thoughts as i recognize them. but like others the dialog is constant and sometimes we don't even know we're doing it. but for the ones i do recognize i have written several down already, the obvious ones. but somehow i think we need to get to ALL of them and eradicate them all. all i know is to keep listening as closely as possible to yourself and catch them as they come up. i don't know what else to do.

[Lostone24]

The notebook really helps to identify negative thoughts. I consider any negative thought a thought that makes me feel unpleasant. Boy do I have lots of those. I'm feeling a little down on myself because I never realized how negative I am. But to be positive I understand how this addiction to seeing everything negatively really feed this anxiety beast with me.