...You can always stop the train.
What does that mean? No matter how long you've let a negative train of thought run, whether one of critcism, shame, judgment or blame, as you soon as you become aware of the train, you can stop it immediately. That's true if it's been running for minutes, or days.
Here's how: Just look for the last thought you had. Truth is, it's gone. You can't find it.
That's because the nature of thought is different from emotion. While emotions move through the dense physical matter of your body, thoughts are like instantaneous electrical flashes. Just as soon as they arise, they're no longer present.
This looking and not finding creates just enough space for you to maneuver, to decide what happens next. One option is to turn to your body and see if there are lingering feelings that either have been propelling the train, or have resulted from it. If feelings are present, it's a great idea to surf them till you return to a state of expanded presence. This often takes just a minute or so.
Another option is to consciously board a different and more positive train. This could be a train of thought, but it could also be a task, a conversation, or a physical activity that serves your highest good.
The key point is that awareness brings choice. Always. So it's a great practice to be on the lookout for all trains of thought, and to only let them proceed if you want to. It doesn't matter how often you've been laid low by negative trains of thought before, or how seemingly hopeless it's been to avoid their fallout.
Every moment creates a new possibility. Plus, each time you stop a damaging train of thought, it gets easier to do so the next time.
We've almost all heard that old saying, "You can't afford the luxury of a negative thought." Maybe so, but that's only helpful if you know how to stop them.
Now you do.
In Spirit and Loving Connection,
Raphael
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