The Power of a 100 Thoughts

A cool approach to mental liberation

In which direction do you allow your thoughts to go?

Have you ever felt like your mind is a battleground of negative thoughts?  I’ve been there too.  The good news?   As some of you well know, I proudly preach about the benefits of using therapeutic journaling as a powerful tool to help people navigate stormy mental waters...

Most recently I have been following Dr Daniel Amen, have you ever come across him?

His insights on tackling negative thoughts are truly transformative.  This year I have been consuming everything there is to learn about therapeutic journaling, so when I followed Dr Daniel’s advice, l have to say, I found his words of wisdom super useful.  

He suggests a simple yet effective exercise, whenever your emotions like sadness, anger or anxiety strike, writing down your troubling thoughts and then questioning their validity, such as are they genuinely true, does help improve your mindset.  

Dr Amen suggests we need to comfort our thoughts head on, managing them instead of allowing them to dominate us.  I know you’re nodding your head in agreement, because like you, I know how easily my thoughts dominate my mind.

Many of us find ourselves trapped in a whirlwind of our own thoughts.  But Dr Daniel offers a practical solution.  He recommends listing your most troubling thoughts, a 100 of them, (yes I know, that is a lot of negative thinking) and subjecting each of them to this process.  Surprisingly, as you methodically address and challenge these thoughts, its power over you diminishes.  By the time you’ve navigated through a fraction of these thoughts, the grip of your thoughts loosen, granting you a little bit of mental freedom.  As with anything that involves practice, this form of brain training will eventually provide you with a more positive outlook for your day.

I’ve been trialing Dr Amen’s advice for a few days now, and it’s an incredible method to gain control over the narratives that often dictate our emotions and actions.  Dr Amen’s approach is simple yet empowering. Honestly, you have nothing to lose, it takes a few minutes out of your morning and quite frankly it’s a a very useful journaling technique.

Care to try this exercise with me?

Yes? Great, let’s do this!!

1. Whenever you feel sad, mad or nervous, write down what you're thinking.

2. Then ask yourself if the thought is true?

3. Write down how you feel and how you act when you have this thought.

4. Most importantly, describe how you would feel if you didn't have this thought?

5. Then write down what the outcome would be if you didn’t have the thought?

6. Take the original thought and then just ask yourself, is it true or not?

By directing your thoughts and managing the thoughts, rather than being a victim of your thoughts, as so many of us are victims of our own thoughts, this is how you manage your most negative thoughts. Rather than your thoughts controlling you.

Next… Write down 100 of your worst thoughts and take them through the above process. By the time you get to 30, as in doing the above exercise of managing your worst thoughts, they will stop bothering you! I promise you!

Think of it as a way to simmer down those negative thoughts, one sentence at a time.  Through this type of exercise as a journaling technique, we’re not just writing, we’re actively engaging with our thoughts.  We’re asking questions, dissecting emotions and most importantly gaining perspective.

Here’s to a positive Tuesday.

If you’re intrigued to learn more about the power of therapeutic journaling, I host a 45minute guided journaling workshop every Thursday between 1-145pm. It would be great to connect with you, you’re very welcome to join the ‘Journal with Ease’ club.

Until the next time

Take care & stay safe xx

If you enjoy ‘with ease’ and would like to support my work, plus get first refusal to my writing retreats and therapeutic journaling workshops please consider becoming a paid subscriber.