Think of a wonderful thought! Any happy little thought!

I've been thinking about this verse lately and realizing just how powerful our thoughts are. We are constantly bombarded by information and I'm finding I have to be very proactive in filtering what I read, watch, and think about in order to keep my own anxiety at bay. I have found that it doesn't help to just try to stop negative thoughts, but you have to actively find positive things to think about!  

Eliminate the negative

There are a lot of ways to eliminate negative thoughts. The first thing to do is assess what you watch, listen to, and read.  Find the things that bring negative thinking.  I'm still assessing these things, but two things I have found that bring negativity into my life are social media and the news media!  

The easiest (and yet the hardest) is to stop the scroll!  Mindlessly scrolling through social media leaves your mind open to any and all thoughts. When I use social media without a purpose, I find myself clicking on sensationally-headlined articles about topics I have no interest in.  Many of these are negative in some way - or if they aren't negative, they certainly aren't lovely.  So, now when I see one of these headlines - I choose to HIDE that ad.  Also, speaking of social media, it is okay to unfriend or unfollow a person who constantly posts negative things. 

I also find that it isn't that important for me to be 100% caught up on the news.  It doesn't affect my daily life, and it fills my mind with negativity.  If there is something I want to learn about, I go find that information.

Accentuate the positive

This is the fun part!  Filling your mind with POSITIVE things!  This list will be unique to you, but here are some things that work for me!

• Follow positive people on social media.  
• Read the Bible. 
• Read inspirational books. 
• Post Bible verses or motivational quotes where you can see them. 
• Watch motivational speakers - find people you like and follow them!
• Listen to sermons. 
• Find positive podcasts. 
• Cute puppy videos
• Laughing baby videos
• Watch positive new stories - 60 second docs is a good one

So, what is one step you can take today to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive in your life?