How meditation can have power over your thought patterns

In this our fourth week of guided meditation with Ashley Hunt, we look at how meditation can have power over your thought patterns.

Just because you think something, doesn’t make it so. On our quest for self discovery, we turn inwards to try and figure out who we are. Our thoughts are always there with us. They are deeply connected to us. They must be the core of our being, right?

Yes, there is a mental dialogue running along in your mind all day, every day. But what you are thinking does not define you, and your thoughts should not have control over you. You are not your thoughts.

You can actively choose which thoughts to believe and which ones to let go. As you go throughout your day, try not to react to your thoughts. Remember they are only fleeting, and not necessarily true.

Here are some examples of negative thought processes:

Catastrophising

When you think that a bad situation is going to get worse and worry about potential bad scenarios. For example, you get a sore throat and immediately assume you are going to be sick for a week.

Mind reading

Thinking you know what someone else is thinking. For example, your friend tells you she doesn’t mind that you cancelled your plans but you assume that she is angry anyway.

Over generalising

Just because something happened once, it happens always. For example, if you fail one test in a particular subject, you assume you will never be good at that subject.

Black-and-white thinking

Things are either great or horrible – there is no middle ground. For example, you miss the train and automatically begin to think you are having the worst day ever.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Remember, we are never trying to stop thinking. Mindfulness and meditation are not about blocking out your thoughts. But simply being able to observe them, without interacting with them or reacting to them. It is about understanding which thoughts are serving you and which ones you should let go.

What thoughts do you need to let go of? Use this meditation to start separating yourself from the control your thoughts have over you.

[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkFfuMn8gQo]