Negative Emotions, Thoughts And How to Counteract Them

[Jones]

So, when negativity (in all its manifestations) wells up inside I allow it to come up and then name it if you will.

Snap! Just what I was thinking!

I think it's also kind of like in the stuff on spirit possession where if the bad spirit is going to be asked to leave, you need to get it's name. I think that the negative feelings that drive the negative attitudes and behaviours need to be named and told to get out to make room for love and compassion. I sometimes find myself feeling the negative but rather than calling it out I seem to fall into the habit of trying to contain it while trying to act differently - specifically if it's a time of high stress or high time pressure circumstance. The problem with that, as far as I can tell, is that it's a wasteful use of energy where it becomes habitual.

I think that's also why Petty Tyrants or difficult circumstances can be so useful - you get heaps of practice with them and I guess that provides for the voluntary suffering element of the second conscious shock. Identify a negative feeling, choose to spend time in those circumstances where it's triggered a lot and go to work on it. I also think that trying to change negative thoughts without addressing negative feelings can be problematic as far as discerning reality goes.

- Bad moods, worry, the expectation of something unpleasant, doubt, fear, a feeling of injury, irritation ISOTM pg 198

- arrogance, the need to provoke astonishment in others, bragging, cunning, the vice of eating, egoism, envy, hate, imagination, jealousy, lying, offensiveness, partiality, pride, wishing the death or weakness of others, self-conceit, self-enamoredness, self-love, swagger, and vanity BT pg 512 & 719

It could also be as simple as a negative feeling is any feeling that has a negative impact on aim.

It may not be that the negative feelings leave entirely, maybe they just weaken to the point that it's easier to fluidly move out of them - or they don't 'possess'.

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks Joe for a while of "spiritual" reading.

Some time ago in a moment of depression, where I did not see "exit" to the negativity that "surrounded" me, I had a moment similar to what happens in the movie "matrix", where a child tries to teach Neo how to fold a spoon with the mind. The secret, says the boy, is that "there is no spoon."

In my despair on that occasion, I remembered some deceased relatives I think they "loved" me.

In between sobs I told them, "I try ...!, I try!"

Later, a little calmer, when everyone slept and I had a little "peace", suddenly the most wonderful feeling of "peace" and "tranquility" descended upon me.

The worries without exit that occupied all my thoughts, "Disappearance!".

At that moment I "looked" towards the future and I could not remember that I was worried. My huge problems with no way out had disappeared from my mind.

I went to sleep and although the next day everything remained the same, "I remembered" that moment where in my "future" there was no problem.

The years have passed and that "wrapping" of peace that was given to me, where all my negative concerns were erased from my mind, was right.

The negativity is like the Matrix spoon, to "fold it", you have to know that "there is no spoon".

 

[biala84]

Nothing is possible.... I'm pretty much sure we can break our mechanical behaviours. The first step for me is to know that in Our inside is narrator wich is continiously judging. For me is the key to break our mechanical thinking ect. This is the part of homeostasis, one have more than others. Mine is continiously driving me crazy, after knowing that i said i'm not going to listening to You. It means that Our part which i call soul, consciousness is silently watching everything and is Up to Us what we will do :)

 

[Glenn]

While reading the quote that Joe posted, it occurred to me that what was being described, this disease affecting mankind, was in essence, the wetiko virus. And those fortunate ones, those lucky people who have escaped the disease, are the ones that look outward, and are serving others. Not looking inward, and focusing on the self.

If you look at the quote posted, and then look at what the C's had to say, it seems to be talking of the same principle.

"To replace all negative attitudes toward the existing world by a feeling of confidence and love toward the new world which is being born, toward the still unborn child that is the future of mankind.

To arouse in oneself constantly this love of the future of humanity. Every time one observes in oneself some kind of negative attitude, to take this as a reminder that we human beings live on this earth in order to serve, particularly to serve the future.

And to serve with love, with hope, with confidence that it is possible for mankind to be born again.

Such a positive attitude should enter into our behavior, into our speech. But to this have some force, we have to deprive something else. That is, we acknowledge that one can really work against negativity, to take away energies which currently flow into negative thought, postures and feelings, and to form them toward the other.

This is a very hard thing that I am proposing to you because, in all of us, negative habits are so ingrained.

In the very midst of feeling compassion, one finds oneself finding fault, judging.

This is the disease that has overcome mankind, and we are all infected by it. Some very lucky people have escaped this disease, they have some lucky immunity from it.

It is very fortunate to know such people. It is an extraordinary thing to see such rare and healthy souls in the midst of so much that is diseased and distorted.

It is a technical matter. It is not a matter of thinking "it would be nice to be like that". It is a matter of knowing how to bring oneself to that place where our attitudes are under our own control, where it is possible for us to say THIS and not THAT."

Here's how the C's described it.

Q: (L) Can anybody think of another question to get me where I want to go here? (shellycheval) As individuals, what's the single most important thing we should do to Do, and to not try, but to actually take actions? What can we do to motivate ourselves as individuals? Is there something we can say or do...?

A: Service to others. Notice that the people with the most problems that always talk only about themselves and their troubles, are the ones who do and give the least. They do not have confidence in the universal law of LIFE: Get things moving and you create a vacuum in your life into which energy can flow.

Q: (L) So, basically what you're saying is that people should think of it as a kind of a law that when you... maybe like the old biblical expression: "Cast your bread on the waters, and after many days, it will return to you" sort of thing? Just do it, and keep doing it without anticipation?

A: Absolutely! And it is true and works. Just notice people who do and give a lot: Are they spending time focused on the self? No!

Q: (L) Yeah, but everybody's got wounds and issues and all that kind of thing to work on. I mean...

A: [letters come very quickly] Balance! A portion of a day can be spent on reflection, but not too much. This is the Wetiko Virus: obsession with the self and subjective personal issues. The next time you feel yourself slipping into despair, just tell others how you are feeling and think of something you can do for another to prevent them from suffering the same feelings. [letters come more slowly now:] Thus you will witness the birth of true empathy.

 

[Joe]

Unless... the Jedi mind tricks lead to the manifestation of a new state of being which then allows for the entry into a new existence, perhaps NOT of this world.

I think you're overthinking it. The type of negative emotions or 'negativity' that is meant here is the willful or 'useless' kind, basically, being negative 'just for the sake of it', because we are 'feeling negative', as a result of programming, and then putting that negativity out into the world via words or actions. In all cases, it is neither appropriate, necessary or helpful.

Is it "I don't like this feeling"?

No. That is purely internal and not expressed.

Is it "I am wishing ill will on those around me"?

Yes.

Is it "I judge myself and my actions to be somehow 'wrong'"?

If it produces a negative emotion that you then act out, then yes.

Is it violating the free will of another?

Usually that it the product of some kind of negative or destructive emotion, so yes, that would be a manifestation of the expression of negative emotion.

By what standards do we judge negativity?

When it increases unnecessary suffering, in however small a way.

 

[memeontheroof]

That was clearly put and I "got" it. Thank you

 

[Chu]

Negative states of being can be subjective or objective or both.

(ultimately there is always a personal dimension to experience which tends to make any assessment of "negative" into a subjective matter. In fact, negativity needs to be defined before it can even be properly discussed. Bennett seems to be speaking as though everyone knows what he means by "negativity". I am sure I don't know what he means.

I think that this thread could help you. It's related to what is being discussed here, with some practical examples and further discussion.

How to change your emotional state?

I was thinking about how it's so hard to get over certain emotional states like depression, constant negative thoughts, fear, the feeling that there is no hope, etc. And even harder is to know what triggers what. Does it begin with neurochemical alterations, which then cause certain emotions to...

cassiopaea.org

 

[987baz]

This discussion reminds me of something Covey said in his 7 habits. "In the space between stimulus and response lies our ability to choose" We choose how we react to something or someone, we can choose to be upset, or we can choose to accept what is.

I also find with me personally, that when I get in these negative loops, expressing that feeling (for me that usually means writing a song) and thus sharing it, definitely helps me and I think helps whomever may listen to that song?

I also think that being grateful for what we have and even feeling grateful for what may be is something that can help manifest those things in our life. For example, I meditate on the feeling of gratefulness for something I want in my life, I picture without anticipation the end result, not how to get it. Laura talked about this previously and I believe that Dispenza's early work uses this principle as well.

 

[Border Dog]

I made a (very inspired) text that seem me fit on this thread. I use simple analogies to explain a bunch of process, and one of them focus Negative Emotions, Thoughts And How to Counteract Them. I will try to explain below what was my approach:

throughout the universe there is abundant balance and resources, but there is a limited region where negativity can manifest (freely). In this region, negativity is quarantined, so there is also an abundance of negativity, which reduces the abundance of harmony in that space.

In this way, positive energy is disputed and natural competition takes place.

So, just talking about life within this quarantine space, positive energy can be turned into neutral or negative, and who creates negative energy, regardless of whether it was positive or not, has to deal with that Creation (by the law of return or law of attraction)

The more negativity is created, the more committed with it the individual becomes.

the good posture for not creating negativity in the foreground is to remain neutral (doing nothing), and when you do something, even if you have fed on some negativity, make sure you have turned it (polarized) so this positivity will be released (available) in the environment.

It is not every kind of negativity that an individual can turn into positive. This is not an easy task, as to say.

This is why it is important for the individual to know himself well and also to know the processes of the energies, because dealing with negativity without being very aware about that, it creates a (unconscious-karmic) debt that later (in time) will have to be fixed.

The Spell Always Goes Back to the Sorcerer .. .. who does positive things and remains relatively neutral to negative things, only sees the river waters passing under the bridge, unaffected by them, whatever the waters may be.

I know there are many ways and many solutions, but this idea that I tried to explain here does not seem bad to me.

just to complete the reasoning simply and didactically, positive thought with negative feeling creates negativity, so that before we can take an action, we must recognize well what motivates us to act (or react), and obviously seek to do so, always paying close attention to the neutral equilibrium line, as it (relatively) becomes a good reference point to our day-by-day life.

 

[PERLOU]

Merci JOE, c'est un message important que je vais garder en mémoire à l'avenir... Merci pour cette leçon primordiale...
J'ai bien aimé aussi : "Oh Diving Cosmic Mind,
accorde-moi la sérénité d'accepter les choses que je ne peux pas changer, le
courage de changer les choses que je peux,
et la sagesse de faire la différence."
Merci pour le rappel GARY...

Thank you JOE, this is an important message that I will keep in mind in the future.... Thank you for this important lesson....
I also liked it: "Oh Diving Cosmic Mind,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to make a difference."
Thank you for the GARY reminder....

 

[luc]

One thing that helps me when I'm feeling gloomy, down and depressed for whatever reason (can be a "programmed reaction" to some stimulus, but it can also be for no discernible reason at all), is just to remind myself that "this, too, shall pass". It's pretty straight-forward, and yet surprisingly difficult. I mean, we all KNOW from multiple experiences that we can be totally depressed, and suddenly feel very happy and content, within weeks, days or even hours. And yet we always forget that, and allow things to throw us into misery even though we KNOW that in hindsight we will just shake our heads about our silliness. Not that there are not real reasons for being depressed, but as Joe said, more often than not, it's just an internal state we choose to indulge in.

 

[Joe]

One thing that helps me when I'm feeling gloomy, down and depressed for whatever reason (can be a "programmed reaction" to some stimulus, but it can also be for no discernible reason at all), is just to remind myself that "this, too, shall pass". It's pretty straight-forward, and yet surprisingly difficult. I mean, we all KNOW from multiple experiences that we can be totally depressed, and suddenly feel very happy and content, within weeks, days or even hours. And yet we always forget that, and allow things to throw us into misery even though we KNOW that in hindsight we will just shake our heads about our silliness. Not that there are not real reasons for being depressed, but as Joe said, more often than not, it's just an internal state we choose to indulge in.

Yeah, it's pretty weird how when we're depressed, our depressed perception encompasses everything (past, present and future) and we think that the way we see things in that state is the way they always were and ALWAYS will be. This is where critical thinking comes in, where we constate to ourselves that this is NOT true, and remind ourselves that, just a few days ago, we saw things totally differently, which raises the question of what is true or real and what is not. The answer to that question seems ultimately to center on choice.

Things change inside ourselves and in the world, and how we view them and respond to them - and therefore what they 'are' - ALWAYS depends on how we choose to view and respond to them. This is a genuine power that many people willfully give up, to their own detriment. Of course, having a philosophical or 'cosmic' perspective (such as that provided by the Cs or mainstream religion) into which we can place events in our lives and the world, - i.e. give these experiences and events context - is extremely helpful in this process, crucial perhaps.

 

[Jono]

One thing that helps me when I'm feeling gloomy, down and depressed for whatever reason (can be a "programmed reaction" to some stimulus, but it can also be for no discernible reason at all), is just to remind myself that "this, too, shall pass". It's pretty straight-forward, and yet surprisingly difficult. I mean, we all KNOW from multiple experiences that we can be totally depressed, and suddenly feel very happy and content, within weeks, days or even hours. And yet we always forget that, and allow things to throw us into misery even though we KNOW that in hindsight we will just shake our heads about our silliness. Not that there are not real reasons for being depressed, but as Joe said, more often than not, it's just an internal state we choose to indulge in.

It also seems to help if people can mention outloud that they're feeling this way I think. It's good for others who may not be in the same state to reassure them that it will pass when they're battling against something.

 

[karo]

Thank you Joe for this thread, it is indeed a very moving quote.
I start to wonder during reading this thread that what if those "negative states" are kind of things that are "floating in the space" around and if there is specific resonance in us they just go into our system like viruses do. If "negativity" is a disease of humanity I think it may be one of possibilities. So then asking a question "is it true?" or "does it belongs to me?" make a lot of sense. Of course we also have a lot of things (incl. traumatic experiences, early childhood experiences, etc.) inside of us that repetitively are coming into surface unless we solve them for good. (This may also be a reason that ocasionally some external negativity sticks to us as mentioned above).
Thanks for your different takes on the topic. I do find very helpful to accept as Mariama said before, it gives a big relief when you are constricted in a negativity loop.

 

[luc]

Thank you Joe for this thread, it is indeed a very moving quote.
I start to wonder during reading this thread that what if those "negative states" are kind of things that are "floating in the space" around and if there is specific resonance in us they just go into our system like viruses do. If "negativity" is a disease of humanity I think it may be one of possibilities. So then asking a question "is it true?" or "does it belongs to me?" make a lot of sense. Of course we also have a lot of things (incl. traumatic experiences, early childhood experiences, etc.) inside of us that repetitively are coming into surface unless we solve them for good. (This may also be a reason that ocasionally some external negativity sticks to us as mentioned above).
Thanks for your different takes on the topic. I do find very helpful to accept as Mariama said before, it gives a big relief when you are constricted in a negativity loop.

I think it's a good analogy, and thinking about it this way can also help not to identify with these negative states too much. I sometimes even visualize thise negative states "floating" around me and try to mentally beat them up so that I can act against them, and more in line with what's right in a situation.