There are thoughts that do you no good. They circle in your head, multiply, pull you into the swamp.
Lord of the Rings
Remember the swamp from Lord of the Rings? What was the name of the place where Gollum lived? Was that swampy too? I don't remember. Anyway, I remember it was smelly and musty and really unpleasant and dark. So it was actually just the right place for terribly bad thoughts.
When I give space to bad thoughts, I automatically feel vulnerable, small, lonely, and uncomfortable. I feel like I can't do anything. Like everything is hopeless and the future is dark.
Then I hardly get to act. I'm lazy, I hang around, and time passes. I hang like a sip of water in a bend, with no drive and no energy. That makes me even sadder and more sluggish.
When you hang around like that, you don't clean up, you do things halfheartedly or not at all, and you just get worse and worse. Over time, your friends won't be there in person, you won't let anyone into your apartment, and your health will go down the drain.
From thoughts come feelings. From feelings come actions.
Just as there are bad thoughts, there are also wonderful thoughts. Thoughts that motivate you, that enlighten you, that do you good, that strengthen you, that encourage you in your well-being. Thoughts that make you curious about other people, other countries, other ways of life. Thoughts that give you strong feelings, that make you open up and act.
With this good feeling you take your life into your own hands. You do sports, eat healthy, have a lively circle of friends, develop yourself and achieve your big goals. You are well organized.
We are all different in many ways. At the same time, we are all united by the fact that our thoughts determine our feelings and thus our actions.
So what can we do when we recognize negative thoughts in ourselves?
Buddha says, "Just let go of the thought."
That doesn't always work for me. Nevertheless, this phrase has become a kind of mantra for me when I get caught up in thoughts that are obviously not good for me. After a while, sometimes short, sometimes long, those thoughts are gone. New ones take their place. They are better ones.
I have found that when nothing seems to work, walking helps. I consciously go for a longer walk. Preferably alone in nature. The exercise gives me energy. Yes, life energy. Positive thoughts come naturally. It also makes it clearer to me where my life's path is taking me.
With more life energy, it's easy for me to make a plan again so that when I'm in a morass, I know where the path is leading, which prevents me from slipping into a crisis in the first place.
This is incredibly good for me. For you as well, I am sure.
