We can hardly find a person who does not experience negative thoughts. The frequency of it could vary from person to person but they keep coming. At times, they become very strong and overpower us and we start thinking the worse. A prolonged illness may generally lead us to think about life-threatening disease. If negative thoughts continue for longer period of time, it manifests into symptoms of anxiety and depression. This then triggers physiological change, emotions, behavior and personality among others.
If we observe our mind over days and months, we see that there is a pattern in our thoughts. At certain interval, we all are full of energy and blissful thoughts fill the mind to the brim. Then they dissipate. Similarly, strong negative thoughts are there and gradually go away. In between blissful and negative thoughts, there are multiple variants of them.
Thoughts in mind are like water in the river. They flow, lose intensity during certain period, become fierce at times and flood occasionally. When they flood the river and break the embankments, they bring unspeakable devastations to hamlets and habitations around. It is a pattern set by the nature with utmost precision in programming all the actions.
Similarly, our thoughts also have a pattern. Irrespective of negative, positive or any variant of it, they rise, flow, meander, flood and eventually become still. Different forms of meditations teach us to handle the gushing thoughts and be in a state of peace.
In order to improve the quality of thoughts, we change the settings by going on a holiday, listen to motivational speakers, visit a friend and indulge in certain leisure activities. They indeed make us feel better, albeit temporarily. In most cases, people slip back into same state which they tried to escape. But the question is how can we feel better for longer period irrespective of our situations.
Observing the pattern of thoughts is perhaps the best way to be in the ideal state. From our experience, we know that we cannot stop a thought once it has come. Like river we can only provide passage to it. We have no control over its volume either. Once it has come, it has come. As the mighty river pass through deep gorges, canyons and valleys, our thoughts will also pass through various features of the mind. If we do not have suitable feature, there is a high possibility of thoughts going all over and bring havoc.
When we observe thoughts we know its basic pattern. Understanding it completely is not possible in one life. It is often said that people today know more about the universe than their mind. So, taking out a little time from our busy life help us understand our thought patterns by and by. It will also let us understand that we cannot stop negative thoughts from coming but only raise embankments (as in case of a river) for its smooth passage.