I personally know just what you mean...

I an go along feeling great, and then....

WHAM!!!

Dark thoughts and doubts invade like a troop of ninjas. I have learned a few things to combat these times:

!.) Practice HALT: Hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. If you are in any of those places, correct the problem, and you should return to your previous state. If you have more than one of these things going on at the same time, watch it! Correct them, and then take time to center yourself!

2.) Avoid negative people: These people can "rub off" on you- actually, they are sucking energy from you, and that may be the problem in a nutshell. When confronted by a negative person, wrap yourself in an ivory shell of light, and do not let them get their barbs in you. These barbs are real, and must be removed, either by you or a healer.

3.) Take time to pat yourself on the back: If you are mostly doing well, congrats! That is great! Do not let these little bumps upset you too much. You are human, after all!

Good luck,

Jaianniah

Hi @Catherine, I think @Jaianniah has a great answer here already with practical useful tips.

EDIT: Mine is like..for a weekend read...

I just want to add my two cents as I feel I can identify a certain element in your question. That element is two fold - Over analyzing and fear

I don't feel I am in a position to really tell you what YOU should do be doing so instead, I'll use my own experiences and examples here. Not suggesting that is what may be happening to you but maybe it'll be helpful.

Not too long ago, I used to love misery. I mean, it was my crush, my girlfriend, wife, mistress, lover, secret admirer and then some:) There was nothing wrong with my life apart from usual bumps and bruises.

Nothing was happening!

That probably was THE PROBLEM. Any wise person would have told me that is actually a good thing! A state of just being, on cruise control, but being hard wired since childhood to do, do, do...push, push, push...productive, productive...make it happen, go-getter kind of mentality, I created drama in my head. I played out scenarios in my head which did not exist/had no possibility of existing. BUT, this in itself was also not a bad thing, had I not focused so much on BAD things happening to me in the scenarios. Playing out 'What if...' scenarios.

This possibly came from another long held belief: 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst'. In preparing for the worst, I played out, as an example, scenarios where I was not the athlete who won the race, flag wrapped around me crying in joy with thousands cheering in slo-mo...no, I had to be the under-dog, the guy who came from humble background, made it into the races by sheer doggedness, broke ankle during the race and still finished 5th...you see the choice here? More scope for drama being the underdog, more heroism, more STORY here...and remember, this is all happening in my head:)

Most such thoughts/thinking aren't that obvious as in the example of the athlete and soon, this became a habitual pattern with me, for everything small and big...trivial mostly. UNTIL, and here's the positive thing, I became tired of living like that, I recognized this as 'my own doing'. I was obsessed with over-analyzing...it made me feel intellectual, profound, awakened (still only in my own head) more importantly it (mis)lead me to believe I WAS DOING SOMETHING! That I was in control!

I had to step back, I was too much into it...for how I got out of it, I would encourage you to please read the entire thread here: http://www.inwardquest.com/questions/52190/how-to-fight-negative-feeling-that-comes-in-the-beginning/52191

I had to take a look at myself from outside of myself into myself I realized, I was labeling everything, yardstick for everything, measurements, tangible..ownership even for things beyond my control, I was labeling it (Good/BadLuck, Fate, Destiny, reaping what I sowed etc.). By labeling it, I was owning it. I think the biggest false move was having the impression of not making any false move. None. Ever. And keep in mind, this is all happening in my head, still. You know why? Because of FEAR! Fear of what? Couldn't even tell you! I still don't know what I was fearful of back then. I am content with knowing that it was back then that's all:) The above link tells how I shook that off finally.

It is a conscious effort, it changed me from who I was. My personality changed. But I stuck with it and I realized that it changed me from what I thought I was. But boy, I cannot tell how much of a relief it was. In simplest terms, I shook off so much baggage that people around me started saying 'how different and positive' I was. I did not set-out to feel positive consciously until much later, I just shook off negativity.

If my head was a cartoon show, it had SIX different versions of me fighting a battle with laser guns and light sabers, cursing and screaming (yeah, I had issues, tell about it:) Why? I don't know! What were they fighting for? I don't know! What I know is that cartoon show is off air in my head now:) It has allowed me to let other things come in. Stay for a WHILE and be aware that if I don't like them, they will go off air as well. The acquisition and quality control is stricter now:))

Everyone says find your center, don't over-analyze...but, here's where I think problem lies...what's optimum thinking? How much? What's the precise center? Obviously, we should decide for ourselves and everyone's optimum level is different...and we must keep centering ourselves. It is a process...on-going thing, but I realized that I have to approach it from a place other than FEAR ...inexplicable fear! Fear of something...being alone (as in lost in the Universe type alone) maybe?

You have to be careful of not replacing your living with the pursuit of happiness (or whatever you are seeking) Aah! What are we seeking? What am I seeking? Not sure yet, but its okay, it'll come to me. But just 'not thinking negative' is not it. We make an issue out of things by (over) emphasizing them sometimes. The OLD me would have had 40 issues in just past week, some of them, most of them, you just have to let them pass through you. Like taking a quick cooling shower without no vigorous scrubbing. Let that water just slide...and not feel bad about it. I personally feel we have to ease up (for lack of better description) a little (not suggesting your question is not valid) over-all in our life.

Sometimes we chase the life so much, we don't let the life come to us. If we just give it (life) a breather, a stationary target, I found that in my life, it will hits the bullseye more often than not...

Reminds me of a quote which I don't know whom to attribute to, but it goes 'We are all seeking immortality without having a clue what we'll do next Sunday, especially if it rains':)

Step back, look at over-all life. It's a blessing, a gift, more so for you and me as we have little more knowledge of it on the spiritual path...but, THAT KNOWLEDGE IN ITSELF IS NOT LIFE OR LIVING. I personally don't want to be a guy who thinks (during sunset years) 'Wow, I know everything about how life should be, but Crap, I forgot to LIVE IT'. By writing this, I am reminding of this to myself as well.

But I know what I have to do next, I should learn to write shorter and precise answers here:) I always start out with that intent, but before I know, it's an essay. Not a big fan of editing either (who is right?) ..so anyways, one last example and off I go...

Met a guy, a friend of my Wife's. Known him for last 2 1/2 years. He is very spiritual. Since I have known him he has gone from being a Christian to being a Buddhist, a Hindu, then back to being a Christian and now he is practicing atheism. He has read it all and seen all the videos on everything. Practices five different kinds of YOGA back-n-forth...Few weeks back I asked him what set him on this journey? He couldn't remember but said some incident in his life made him fearful that he is all alone. He was in tears, but he couldn't exactly pin-point and it was okay, I said. I have felt it myself. But felt very bad for him. I had a long chat with him. He is young, bright guy, whole future ahead of him. He is perpetually 'cleansing' I don't even know what that is exactly. I honestly did not know what and how to counsel him (as a friend)...without encouraging or discouraging. He is currently at a spiritual ashram for 10 days where you are in isolation with no contact to outside world and one has to obey 'no speaking'...during entire 10 days!!!

I know I may invite criticism from some wondering what am I doing here on IQ being all preachy about not overdoing it:) I am equally guilty, I admit. I am aware of that, but, like lots of people here I find answering is a therapeutic way of reminding self of our own thoughts...

Ultimately, spiritualism is a selfish (in a good way), individual journey and one must decide for their own (hey, there's that short and precise answer I was looking for:)

Sorry for the over-extended answer...you might find your answer somewhere in there..I hope:)

so, please keep in mind, I am not being judgmental of anyone's beliefs or practices, including my friends ways. I don't think I am that wise. I am a work-in-progress myself.

God Bless,

Pain can certainly be a great distraction, however I see hope vs doom and gloom as two magnets. To lift up from doom and gloom even a small bit of hope can help. Sometimes I remind myself that this is temporary, that I'm having a bad day and that's just ok for now. I remind myself that feeling sad or angry for a short period of time won't hurt me,cause I know I will find my feel good place soon enough. I also pray for energy and enthusiasm to fill me up and then focus on something that I know makes me feel good such as a great movie, ice cream,shopping. Even just thinking of good fun things helps my mood and the good mood helps my body.

Kate, because you cannot stop external environment from provoking negative thoughts. And it's because of those negative thoughts you can recognize the positive ones. If you were in the light all the time and never seen the darkness, you'd soon lose understanding of nature of the light. The darkness is your friend and so is the light.

To reach the greatest heights without a doubt, you need to accept possibility of dropping to the deepest depths full of hopelessness.

The moment you accept that the worst possible scenario with your injury could become real, you will kill the fear of the injury getting worse. And allow yourself to fearlessly go the other way.

When we allow possibility of dying the very next second, our fear of death disappears. And we finally begin to really live.

yes meditate be aware and solve your own duality in truth. if you have though or emotion not solved and they pop in your face it is the right time to learn about it in truth.so you can make better decision not only on the outside but on the inside.every decision comes from the inside of you affectting you and the outside. and everything from the outside comes and affect you on the inside. so why do you wash the outside of the cup? should you not wash the inside? if you do not know your self you live in poverty and you are that poverty.

so let there be light,Be the light that you can be ,experience and enjoy.