This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
The Question I Received
“Hello, I read your content daily, and I’m highly impacted by it; I can relate with it a lot. Thanks for posting such great content.
I wanted to ask something, how do we control our thoughts? Sometimes our mind knows what is right for us, but the heart does not follow, creating a mess.”
My Response
First off, thank you so much, X, for reading my content.
I don’t know if we can “control” our thoughts, but we can discipline how we respond to our thoughts.
It’s salient to remember that thoughts and emotions are both fleeting; they come and go; they’re temporary, so they often have little value.
The only time thoughts and emotions become detrimental is when we allow ourselves to respond to them unproductively.
When you find yourself stuck in a negative thinking pattern, here are some ideas:
Engage in a positive activity
Listen to a positive podcast.
Surround yourself with positive people with positive attitudes.
Focus on intaking positive messages and reading positive messages.
After a while, you will find that your thoughts become more positive as well.
Our minds are like stomachs. Whatever we listen to, see, and surround ourselves with are all absorbed by the mind. Hence, be careful of everything you put yourself near.
I hope this helps!
If you’re getting value from this — sign up for my newsletter, a free daily 5 AM email. Discipline delivered before the sun comes up.
Last Thoughts
Thoughts will run you ragged. Thoughts can take you out. Thoughts can place you off track. Negative thoughts, unmanaged or given too much focus, are destructive.
Once again, you cannot control your thoughts, but you can control how you respond to your thoughts. You can also displace negative thoughts with positive thoughts by monitoring what you listen to and monitoring your surroundings.
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Stoicism challenges its pupils never to permit their thoughts to control them, but instead to challenge them, question them, replace them, and often ignore them.
Reads On Stoicism
Fear Shows You What Matters Most
Tackle Your Anger With Stoicism
Desires Make You A Servant
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This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.