According to Dr. Fred Luskin at Stanford University, people generally have over 60,000 thoughts in a day, most of which are repetitive. We often hear the reminder to “think positive!” and be “mindful” of what we’re thinking. Still, it’s easy to get caught up in negativity, worry, or doubt, and spiral into the repetition of those not-so-positive thoughts.
Negative thinking can take hold of us for many reasons. Critical self-talk, being judgemental, or feeling fearful are just a few examples. If you ask most people, they would prefer to be happy, peaceful, safe and positive. But sometimes it’s not that simple. So let’s take a look at how we started thinking this way in the first place.