Nothing can harm you as much as your thoughts unguarded

An article from Psychology Today discussed rumination, its causes, what to do about it, and why it even matters to you. The article ended with this quote from the Buddha, “Nothing Can Harm You as Much as Your Thoughts Unguarded.”

If you have ever struggled with negative thinking you know the truth in this.

Our brains tend to notice the negative because historically that kept us alive. Being able to notice a tiger stalking you from the bushes was more helpful than noticing the flowers or the sunset.

Our brains want to keep us alive and can see something innocuous as a threat. Which makes it important to notice the quality of your thoughts and check in with your thinking throughout the day.

Some of the suggestions to stop rumination include distracting yourself, challenging your thoughts, enhancing self esteem, and identifying triggers.

It might be good to work with a therapist if rumination is normal to you or you are not able to stop it. If you had a traumatic childhood with stressful experiences, your brain is especially prone to negative thinking and you will have to work harder on the quality of your thoughts.

A therapist can give you tools to examine your thinking and stop you from being harmed by your thoughts.