Equalla Foster
- Jun 23, 2023
- 3 min read

Watch Your Thoughts

We all have them; those positive and negative thoughts. The great memory that pops into the mind or the unwelcoming mental reminder of the daily stressors. This is why it is necessary to watch your thoughts. Being intentional with managing our emotions and not allowing them to manage us.

Our thoughts and emotions play off of one another. Thoughts can be comprised of our ideas, opinions, experiences, and beliefs. Emotions may be the reactive feelings that we have when thoughts occur.

Here are a few things to consider when keeping your thoughts in check.

Reminders

Assumptions can be deceiving.
Don't allow your negative thoughts to win.
Engage in an activity that will help you to process your emotions in a healthy way.

Assumptions are made and most assumptions are wrong.

~Albert Einstein

Do you ever go down the rabbit hole of assuming something? I like to view assumptions as a puzzle missing many factual pieces. A concoction of life history and unhealed soul wounds can produce a distorted perspective. Here's an example, a friend doesn't respond to your text message or return your phone call, you assume that they are ghosting you. You continue to fester in assuming the worse, later to realize that there was an emergency and your friend not responding to you was not done with any malicious intentions.

So why did you assume the worse? Because you have been hurt in a relationship before. It dissolved by the person ghosting you or suddenly ending all contact and communication. You can replace the 'friend' example above with a colleague, ministry volunteer, or spouse.

Before staying parked in the assumption lane, courageously step up, and ask questions. Asking questions gives an opportunity to grasp a better understanding of a matter before making a final judgment. But sometimes, it's okay to just not know the "why". Assumptions are made because we want answers, but it takes a level of being secure with oneself to be all right with not having our self-centered needs fulfilled all the time.

Have you ever heard the saying "the Earth doesn't evolve around you"? Sometimes, you will not fully understand the who, what, when, where, and why. Learn to be okay with that and not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

Fear starts in the mind and it generates emotions. One fearful thought will lead to another if you let it. The way to keep that from happening is to not allow yourself to camp out in fear in your mind.

~Sadie Robertson

A negative mindset is one of the surest ways to suffocate success. I'm not saying in order to win in your personal, professional, or ministry areas of life: you can't have negative thoughts. They will come. However, when they do, the decision to not become paralyzed with fear by them is the game changer.

How can you do this?

Realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Failure is part of success. Challenges help you to grow. And faith over fear will keep you going.

Psalm 94:19 NLT "When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."

Fill your mind up with the things of God, and your thoughts will become more aligned with Him.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

~Frederick Douglas

Part of emotional well-being is the ability to process our emotions. The ability to reflect on our daily encounters, situations, and engagements. If we didn't experience life, then how would we be able to measure our progress? The good, bad, and ugly parts make us who we are.

Every response does not have to be a knee-jerk reaction. When appropriate, walk away, give yourself time to reasonably think, and calm down. Remember to stop, think, breathe, and pray. Digress by occupying your mind with a good reading book, listening to music, exercising, journaling your thoughts, or sharing your feelings with a confidant.

You won't always feel like these are the best options with self-management, but moments of shifting your thoughts may help to decrease the likelihood of saying or doing something regrettably.