No creature remains hidden before God. All are naked, laid bare before the eyes of the one to whom we must present an account.—Hebrews 4:13
Brainy Tip: The sooner you deal with negative, toxic thoughts, the sooner you remove their power over your life.
I want to renew my mind, you may be thinking, but where do I begin? How do I even start trying to sort out my mental life? How do I change my thoughts?
Because of the design of the brain, you can reconceptualize (redesign) thoughts that are holding you back by deciding what thought you would rather have. You then work toward eliminating the toxic thought and building something better. Start with acknowledging and articulating the thoughts that are weighing you down—ones that don’t serve any useful purpose beyond keeping you stuck in a rut. Now ask yourself questions rather than issuing commands to yourself—this is a much more effective way to reconceptualize, because it opens up exploration and creative possibility and distances you from what you are thinking, giving you a safe space for change. You can also label your emotions in a nonjudgmental way to give yourself some distance from them in order to deal with them.
Remember, you cannot hide your thoughts! Sooner or later, what you are thinking, choosing, and feeling will come to the surface. The sooner you deal with negative, toxic thoughts, the sooner you remove their power over your life.