How can I stop negative thoughts?

Like "Oddball" says, don't listen to negative people and things !

The best way, is to CHOOSE to think happy thoughts.  Recognize negative thoughts and then switch your thoughts to positive.  It's not easy.  It can be done.  It's a matter of retraining our brain. Remember, we attract what we think.  If we think negatively, negative things happen to us.  If we think positively, positive things happen to us.  Make lemonade from lemons.  Good luck.

I don't know if you can 'stop' negative thoughts completely .. But you can choose to control them to a certain extent. 

Much like you would exercise to control your weight, you can exercise your powers of choice to control your primary thought process.  Believe it or not, but you can often change your way of thinking by the choices you make and what you allow to influence you.  Negative thoughts can be created on many levels .. Some you can control, some you can't.

Focus on what you CAN control .. Your choices about things like your environment of friends (for example). Ask yourself do they bring a negative or a positive influence to your life?  There are many things you choose than you control in terms of how it influences you .. Like for instance ... Your eating habits, physical activity, your sleeping habits, your social environment, your work and free time etc etc.

Meh, be aware of the different types of negative thoughts. For a lot of us, negative thoughts and beliefs can become so normal that we just assume them to be accurate reflections of reality.

Try to be aware of some key patterns of thinking that be harmful; this can help you better understand your behaviour.

Good luck.

I also have negative thoughts , my saying turn a negative into a positive.

 Many of the comments encourage switching negative thoughts to positive thoughts and this can be helpful. Encouraging thoughts that are beneficial to me have been found in God's Word, the Bible. One thought is found at Psalm 34:18 "Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves." It's comforting to know that even more so when negative thoughts abound is Almighty God, near me. That let's me know that God is interested in me and my well-being. Another thought is found at James 4:8 "Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you." This scripture brings comfort to me in knowing that I can have and enjoy a close relationship with Jehovah God, who cares deeply about me. Reading the Bible regularly helps me learn about Him. Praying to Him regularly allows me to share my thoughts with Him, express appreciation and ask for help. Opening our hearts to Him can give greater peace of mind. This communication allows me to benefit from what Philippians 4:7 refers to as "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding" that guards our hearts and mental powers. Last, but not least, reflecting on the promise found at Revelation 21:4 has brought immense comfort. It assures us that God "will wipe out every tear from their eyes..neither will pain be anymore." Focusing on God's promises for the future and why I can trust them pushes negative thoughts aside. It is very possible to combat negative feelings. Getting to know Jehovah God better, drawing close to Him, doing as He instructs and focusing on what He will do for us in the future, truly gives us something to look forward to....the day when negative feelings are gone for good.

I read that negative thoughts can be overcome. Here are some tips that I hope will be helpful to you: The first step toward controlling negative emotions is: Identify the negative thoughts.

Second: Work on correcting the negative thoughts. If, for instance, you were thinking, ‘I never do anything right,’ substitute this with, ‘I’m just like everyone else; I do many things right, but I make my share of mistakes too.’

The third step is to work at dismissing the troublesome thought from your mind. Try to push it out as forcefully and confidently as you would the thought of committing a serious crime. While you may be able to do this with strong mental effort, of immense help in doing so is the fourth step: Get absorbed in something else, something upbuilding.

This is vital because your negative thoughts will repeatedly try to force their way back into your mind. But you have this advantage: You can only concentrate fully on one thing at a time. You can prove this to yourself by trying to concentrate totally on two subjects at the same time. If your mind is already fully occupied with something else, it will be difficult for your negative thoughts to return.

The way negative thoughts can be replaced by positive ones is illustrated by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, who states: “When your phonograph is playing music you don’t like, you do not try to force it to do better. . . . You merely change the record being played and the music takes care of itself. Use the same technique on the ‘music’ that comes out of your own internal machine.” Yes, negative thoughts are often too strong to be simply dismissed. They must be forced out by replacement. Put a different “record” on, a positive one. Switch to a different, upbuilding “channel,” a different “station,” and get absorbed in it.