How to Renew Your Mind From Negative Thoughts

I recently set out on a slow walk down our country road as the sun set behind the barren maple forest. I had no way of knowing that the walk was going to be a lesson in renewing my mind. Perhaps you need this space as well. Maybe you need to lean into learning how to renew your mind from negative thoughts.

As I walked, I noticed that the tree line had turned gray with winter.

I’m not ready for these long, dark winter months, I thought.

I cringed at the thought of long evenings inside the house and whiteouts rolling in from the west.

How to Renew Your Mind From Negative Thoughts

Later that evening, I read the words of Dr. Caroline Leaf: “Change in your thinking is essential to detox the brain. Consciously controlling your thought life means not letting thoughts rampage through your mind. It means learning to engage interactively with every single thought that you have, and to analyze it before you decide either to accept or reject it.”

Neuroscientists like Dr. Leaf have been studying the human brain for decades. Their research shows that our thoughts form matter in our brains. Intentional thinking triggers the release of amino acids, which form proteins that look like trees in our brains.

We can choose to build healthy trees in our brains, or we can choose to add branches to the toxic trees of negative thinking.

Research also suggests that we can renew our brains from negative thoughts—essentially tearing down the unhealthy trees in our brains. This is the process of renewing our minds.

Renew Your Mind

Since reading Dr. Leaf’s words, I’ve been changing the way I think about winter.

Instead of succumbing to dread, I’ve been naming the benefits of this slower, quieter, inside season: more time close to my family; a less frantic pace; time to read good books and play board games; time to step back and see if the rhythms of our lives are still working for us; time for rest.

Renew Your Mind By Shifting the Way You Think

Maybe there’s a habitual thought pattern that is stripping the joy from your life as well. It might be something like this:

I’ll never measure up.

I can’t do this.

I’m never going to make it.

I’ll never get over this.

My dream will never come to fruition.

God doesn’t care.

I’ll never break free from this behavior.

I’m helpless in this situation.

I just want this to be over.

No one cares.

I’m always left out.

I’m not spiritual enough.

Breaking the Grip of Toxic Thoughts

Most of us have negative and toxic thoughts floating around in our minds. Meanwhile, God wants to renew our minds and heal us.

We hold the power to break down toxic thoughts and replace them with the Truth of God’s Word. According to brain research, it takes 21 days to build a thought and 63 days to create a new habit.

How do we renew our minds and overcome these toxic thoughts?

We renew our minds with God’s Word.

First, we specifically identify our toxic and negative thoughts. Using the list above might be helpful.

Next, we open our Bibles and search for Scripture to combat the lies hidden beneath our toxic thoughts. We write these verses, commit them to memory, and speak them when we are tempted to believe negative thoughts. This is the process of taking our thoughts captive and renewing our minds.

How to Renew Your Mind From Negative Thoughts:

Let’s look at some common negative thoughts and biblical Truths to replace these thoughts:

Thought: I give up. I cannot go on. Truth: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Thought: My life is awful, and no one cares about me. Truth: Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)

Thought: Food (or fill in this blank with your go-to escape: social media, sex, work, perfectionism, codependency, etc.) is my source of comfort. Truth: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

Thought: Why is God allowing me to suffer? Truth: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

You Are in a Battle

If you are feeling stuck in some area of your life, or if discouragement has crept in, pause to realize that you are in a battle.

The battle is for your mind. You hold the power to rewire your brain and take back the mental real estate that has been overtaken by toxic thoughts.

The battle is for your mind, and you hold the power to rewire your brain and take back the mental real estate that has been overtaken by toxic thoughts. Share on X

May today be the first step toward a new beginning.

An Advent Devotional for Less Stress and More Peace This Year

Would you like less stress and deeper peace this month as we prepare for Christmas? Still My Soul will help you create space to connect with God in meaningful ways as you prepare your heart to celebrate the birth of Christ this month.

Every day of Advent, you will be gently invited to slow down, be more present within your moments, and cultivate gratitude instead of stress. Get your eBook right here for just $3.99. This payment will help offset the cost of keeping this blog running. I sincerely appreciate your support!

These Books Make Great Christmas Gifts

Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, purity, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. We will help you!

Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by these books! You can buy them as paperbacks or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBooks on Amazon right here.

A Book for Every Woman

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