Let Go of Negative Thoughts

Quick Win

Does judgy mental chatter make it hard to enjoy the moment? Use this technique for wrangling intrusive thoughts.

Try This Today

• Notice and observe. The next time you notice a running commentary in your mind, pause and notice your thoughts and any feelings they trigger. Try to observe your thoughts and feelings neutrally, without judging them.​
• Allow and accept. Resist the urge to distract yourself from the thoughts by shifting your focus away from them. Instead, turn your attention toward the thoughts. Make space for them — again, without adding any judgment — and accept them. Note that the thought chatter in your mind may not even be true.​
• Let thoughts pass. Give all your thoughts — negative, positive or neutral — a nod of recognition and watch them pass. Noticing the transient nature of thoughts can help you feel less controlled by them.

Why

​If your mind seems to gravitate to negative thoughts, welcome to being human. The “negativity bias” is thought to be a holdover from early in human history, when dangers and threats abounded. In mindfulness exercises, you acknowledge thoughts and feelings without getting bogged down by them, a process known as "decentering." There's evidence that mindfulness techniques — especially the skill of decentering — was tied to less stress, anxiety and depression, according to a meta-analysis of 57 studies with a total of 18,515 participants published in Mindfulness in 2024.