What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts? – Asks the daily prompt.

This is something I have experience with. And while experience is a good teacher, I’m no expert here. Good old negative thoughts are unavoidable so dealing with them is key to survival. This is a subject that probably keeps shrinks in business. The amount of material written on this topic is immense.

My mom said something very important at a young age when I struggled. She said, “there is always someone that is in a worse position in life or health than me.” So, she taught me to be appreciative of each and every day and things in your life.

So why do we struggle throughout our entire lives with this? In some way it might be a survival instinct. You know the old hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

I’ve learned to use negative thoughts to inspire me to action. As example I got disgusted with myself for being overweight a while back and use that as daily motivation to keep it in control and be at or very close to a very healthy weight.

The political situation has spurred lots of negative thoughts. A situation largely out of our control. But I vote every chance I get. I’ve started to get involved in rallies. I’m making my voice heard. Still, anytime I turn on the news I’m disgusted, depressed, angry and the negativity comes creeping in. Sometimes I have to stop listening as much. Not disconnecting or giving up, just catching a breath to reengage.

You can share your negative thoughts but be careful not to make life about that. Or even the whole conversation. Negativity is not an attractive trait.

Lots of times I’ll try to find humor in negative situations. It does several things. Sometimes it helps put things in perspective. Sometimes just to lighten the mood.

Just moving on from negative situations or people is a positive step and a needed one sometimes.

Sometimes you endure and outlast a negative situation. I’ve done that on the job several times because I’ve liked the people I worked with and the place I worked, and I wasn’t going to let some glorified in his own mind prick going to ruin it for me, so the battle was on.

When I read this prompt today the first thought that came to mind was the movie Kelly’s Heroes. An old WWII classic with many stars. Donald Southerland plays a tank commander called Oddball. He’s speaking to his mechanic, and they are arguing about the tank being broke in the middle of a war. And the following was uttered.

• Oddball: Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
• Moriarty: Crap!