How Can I Stop Doing Bad Things

Bad thoughts reinforce bad feelings, which then create bad actions, which goes on to produce more bad thoughts. This is why people end up in a vicious cycle of bad thoughts leading to bad actions. The truth is whatever we think about all the time is what we end up becoming or doing.

To stop doing bad things you need to take control of your thoughts and especially the bad thoughts. Thoughts become actions and bad thoughts will eventually manifest as a bad thing done.

Picture a bad thought as a small fire. If left unattended that fire will develop, spread, wreak ruin, and turn into a larger one. However, if quickly attended to, that fire can be wiped out with one breath as soon as it emerges. This is the way to stop doing bad things is by consciously take control of them using your mind.

What you can do to stop the negative thoughts that lead you to doing bad things is by utilizing the power of your mind.  Your mind would help you identify and distinguish between good and bad thoughts upon identifying these thoughts you can immediately see that these thoughts are simply bad and they are separate from the person that you are.

Once you can separate yourself from a negative thought and treat it as a foreign body to you; you have isolated it. Thus you can leave it and focus your mind on more positive thoughts. This simple mind exercise helps you to kill the imaginary flame of negative thought that we described earlier. This prevents it from escalating to an action. Constant practice of this mind exercise will help you improve to a point where you no longer need to rationalize. The challenge most people face when confronted with bad thoughts or the temptation to do a bad thing is that they try to handle it with their emotions. They try to give an emotionally justifiable reason for the act they are about to commit.

Do not attempt to process the negative thoughts emotionally. The most effective way to stop doing bad things is to identify the thoughts that lead up to them and divert your attention from those thoughts to a more positive thought. This is a fundamental, time tested method towards quitting bad habits. It requires you to train your mind towards identifying negative thoughts, dissociating from identified thoughts and re-focusing on positive thoughts.

Continue refocusing on positive thoughts despite the fact that the urges and sensations may still be present, you will grow stronger in abstaining from being influenced by negative thoughts and you will be free from the grip of bad acts.

Below are simple steps you can take to aid your gaining total mind control over negative thoughts:

1. Call a spade a spade:

No need to beat around the bush. A thought is either negative or positive. If negative admit it as what it is and treat as described above.

2. Is this Justified?

Before doing anything you realize as bad, ask yourself is it justified. Be honest with yourself and what your mind has identified an act to be.

3. De-Personalize

If you’re thinking about doing something bad, ask yourself if someone you know and respect or fear would do the same. E.g the popular cliché of ‘What would Jesus do?’ is founded on this simple principle.

4. Value and commitment

If you value gaining control over the negative thoughts you will have to be committed to doing it. Compare this control of self to any other virtue about yourself that you value. You will find that whatever you value you will be committed to.

5. Think Positive

It’s the same energy that you exert in thinking bad thoughts that you exert when you have positive thoughts, however the end result of both thoughts are different. To avoid doing bad things it is important you think positive.

6. Don’t dwell on the negative

When negative or bad things happen do not dwell on them, do not beat yourself down or hate yourself. Forgive yourself and move on. However, when a good or positive thing happens feel free to dwell, re-examine and plan how to make such happen to you or whoever this happened to.

7. Be Alert and remove triggers

There may be certain triggers around you that inspire negative thoughts. It may be a person, the environment or an ongoing situation. Be alert to these triggers and remove yourself or them from around you.