How to Clear Your Mind of Negative Thoughts: What Does Research Say?

Publish date: 2024-08-09

Negative thoughts are so dangerous that it can become an integral part of you and can take your peace away. It can be so difficult to let go of these thoughts and emotions. 

In order to get rid of negative thoughts you require to seek a different approach, something that will support you to clear your mind once and for all. 

So, the next time you feel worried and negative thoughts running into your mind, try one of these activities mentioned below to clear your mind.

Divert Your Attention

When you start feeling sunk by your own thoughts, it is high time to deviate your mind to something else to think about. 

This diversion of thoughts is not an escape from your responsibilities, but rather it is like a rest from them for just a few moments at a time in order to gather and come up with different positive perspectives. 

Distraction is necessary to give yourself the space and time you require to figure things out and focus on something less pushing for a while. 

In a 2015 research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers observed how the brain reaches “optimal inattention” by switching the synchronization of brain waves between diverse areas in the brain. 

In the research, people were informed that they would feel a tap on the left middle finger or the left big toe. 

In some cases, they were then told to report only stimuli sensation on the foot and overlooked what they sensed on their hand. 

In other cases, they were told to report how they feel only in the hand and to disregard those from the foot. 

The researchers discovered patterns of synchrony between different areas of the brain which revealed that the mind could give attention to either the foot or the hand, but not both at the same time. 

As author Christopher Bergland achieved from the study in Psychology Today, “If you ever find yourself…ruminating about a thought, remember that distraction is a highly effective way to shift the synchronization of your brainwaves and gives you the power to ignore on demand.” 

Workout

When you are feeling emotionally drained, and you can’t quit thinking negatively, the last option you will choose would be workout or exercise. After all, working out is a sort of physical stress. 

However, the study advises that physical pressure can reduce mental stress. 

Harvard Health says that aerobic exercise is essential for your head, just as similar to your heart: 

“Regular aerobic exercise will bring remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. It has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression, and dissipate stress. It’s a common experience among endurance athletes and has been verified in clinical trials that have successfully used exercise to treat anxiety disorders and clinical depression. If athletes and patients can derive psychological benefits from exercise, so can you.” 

According to Harvard Health, exercise works because it decreases the levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. 

It also arouses the production of endorphins, which are natural painkillers and mood lifts. 

An Irish research published in the journal Physiology + Behavior in 2011 discovered that exercise increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein required in the growth of new neurons. 

Interestingly, the researchers named this a type of “cognitive enhancement”. 

Apart from its benefits for clearing the mind, its benefits on your physical health cannot be denied. 

Breathing Exercise

Fast, irregular breathing is a result of tension and stress. But calm, deep, steady breathing is a sign of relaxation. 

According to a research published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience, slow and regular breathing saw “increased comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor, and alertness, and reduced symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion.” 

Therefore, if you determine to manage your breathing to simulate relaxation, the result will be relaxing. 

Here’s how to take a deep breath

This is an excellent method to overcome anxiety, and you can do it for as long as you want. The other benefit is that you can do it anywhere you like. 

Pen It Down

According to Harvard Health Blog, penning down about emotions may reduce anxiety and stress. 

They say that writing may go well because the “act of thinking about an experience, as well as expressing emotions, seems to be important.” 

“In this way, writing helps people to organize thoughts and give meaning to a traumatic experience.” 

Writing is a form of catharsis and helps your mind to slow down and structure the information in my head. 

Writing is healing because you can deliver your sentiments by revealing them and understanding them. 

Journaling helps you show your disturbing emotions in a trustworthy environment. No one is going to see what you write. 

You might be angry, or unhappy. Whatever it is you are thinking, let it out. Process those emotions. 

If you are wondering how you can start journaling, analyze by asking these three questions: 

These questions will provide your insight into your sentiments and help you to think about the prospect. 

Penning down what you are going to improve provides you the ultimate ability to change your life. 

Knowing that you keep the tickets for creating a fabulous life is empowering. You do not need to depend on other people for you to take charge of your life and shape where it is directed. 

Get into Nature

The study has revealed that “forest bathing”, the action of using time in a wooded area is excellent for minimizing stress. 

“Nature can be beneficial for mental health,” says Irina Wen, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at NYU Langone Medical Center. 

“It reduces cognitive fatigue and stress and can be helpful with depression and anxiety.” 

David Strayer, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Utah, said in The National Geographic that he concludes that being in nature provides the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s control center, to dial down and rest. 

Indeed, neuroscience and psychology have started to show – with ranges from stress hormones to heart rate to brain waves to protein markers – that when we utilize time in green places “there is something profound going on” according to Strayer. 

In fact, a study from the University of Medical School examined mental health data from 10,000 city dwellers. They discovered that people residing near more green space listed as having a less mental crisis, after modifying from a range of different circumstances. 

What most researchers speculate is that nature works essentially by reducing stress. Researchers have discovered that stress hormones, respiration, heart rate, and sweating calm down when we encounter even short doses of nature.  

Make an attempt to go for walks or spend time in nature. You can also follow breathing exercises while you’re at it. 

If you have some additional methods to reduce stress make sure you share them in the comments section below. We hope this article will be helpful for you.

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