Research shows that people who receive positive distractions for just eight minutes show a remarkable change in their moods and in breaking the cycle of repetitive thought. So， next time you catch yourself repeating the same negative thoughts over and over in your mind， use the STOP acronym：
1. S - Say the word STOP！
Interrupt your internal destructive thoughts. Tell yourself firmly to “STOP” over thinking. Be strict， and don’t let them intrude on your thoughts. It also might be helpful to visualize a box to place all your negative thoughts in， which you may open at a later date or time.
2. T - TAKE a break！
Take a deep breath. Then， take a break. Go for a walk or a hike， read a great book， listen to your favorite music. Do something to take your attention away from over thinking， and if possible， change the environment.
Also try some relaxation exercises， they often focus on replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. This could involve imagining yourself in a new setting， such as a beach， a designer home or a garden. You could visualize your worries as physical objects that can be discarded， such as stones or rocks you could heave into the distance.
Sometimes， doing a relaxation exercise makes people feel quite uncomfortable. You might feel that it’s not working， or that you’re doing it wrong. It’s best to take the attitude that you’re just giving it a go， and that these negative thoughts are normal. Surprisingly， learning to relax takes practice.
3. O - Focus on the OUTCOME！
Focus on the OUTCOME of your goals. Affirm why you are committed to your goals. The way we feel and what we experience in our body comes from what we focus our attention upon during a given moment. And at any moment， we are “deleting” most of what is going on around us. That is， to feel bad， we have to delete (not focus on， not think about) everything that’s great in our life. And vice versa. For us to feel good， we have to delete the things we could feel bad about.