The Hidden Cost of Your Head-Trash

Do you ever feel exhausted by the emotional energy it takes to overcome the constant stream of negative thoughts that run through your mind? Do you ever get frustrated with yourself for seemingly never quite getting free of that sense of failure or inadequacy?

I have a very simple tool for you that is changing the way I deal with the head trash that has plagued me for decades. And I’m watching it work for others, too. By the end of this blog, you will know how to do it too.

Listen to the podcast here: heaveninbusiness.com/podcast

The Surprisingly Common Problem

Here’s what happened recently to bring this back into focus for me: We had a regular gathering of local believers at our house for connection and growth. The plan was to look at scripture together, using the tool I’m about to give you. As we went around the room and each person engaged with scripture using this simple tool, the exact same thing came to light every single time. Every person said that the biggest change if they engaged with scripture this way would be that they would stop second-guessing themselves and beating themselves up, and, as a result, they would have much more energy to engage with the rest of life.

I watched as people realized they could have more joy, more peace, and, quite simply, more time and energy if they stopped fighting the battles they fight every day to keep the head trash at bay. I saw hope in people’s eyes as they realized that there is a different way to live and it’s not that hard.

I’ve used this tool for a number of years now, and it’s been a game-changer for how I interact with the bible and how I deal with the negative thoughts that used to plague me.

The first thing I want you to know is that I used to be totally overcome with negative thoughts. I had zero self-confidence. I mean none at all. All of my self-talk aligned with the enemy, even as a believer. As I grew in my walk with Jesus, some of that fell away, but much of it still played over and over in my mind. I got a measure of freedom where I could deal with it in my day-to-day, but the minute I tried to do something new, or when I had to meet a room full of new people, I’d be plagued with soul-destroying thoughts. Often it took so much energy to overcome the fear and anxiety the thoughts would produce, I didn’t even want to go to the event! Or, afterward, I’d pull apart everything I said or did and beat up on myself for everything I did ‘wrong.’

All this to say, I had a bad case of negative self-beliefs. Which is how I know, if this can work for me, it can work for you.

So, what changed? 

I was spending time with the Lord one day, and He asked me, “Janine, what if the bible is true?”

I have believed the bible is true for decades, so I knew there was a reason that He was asking me that question. As I prayed and pondered, I realized that while I believe the bible is true, I often don’t live like it. More importantly, I don’t believe like it. If I really believed that what I was reading in the Word of God is true, I’d be able to flush my head trash once and for all.

The trouble with our internal dialogue is that we’ve heard it for so long and so loud, it sounds true to us. When I hold it up to the truth of Scripture and allow the reality of its truth to speak, it loses power over me.

Let’s take the example of feeling overwhelmed by circumstance and/or feeling like we don’t have what it takes to do what’s in front of us. How much energy have you wasted on thoughts like, “I just can’t take this anymore; I’m useless; I should have learned this before now; I wish I was smarter/prettier/had more favor…”

Me too! I’ve wasted so much time and energy fighting to not think those things rather than focusing on the truth of the Word. Don’t quit reading now. I’m not saying simply reading a scripture will chase away all the bad thoughts. We’ve all tried that to no avail. Read on to learn the critical step that lets you flush that head trash.

Focus: What if this scripture is actually true?

Here’s how it works:

• When you identify that your energy, joy, life, or hope are being sapped by your negative thoughts, pause what you are doing and bring to mind (or search out) a scripture that speaks the opposite of what you’re thinking and feeling.
• Next, and here is the game-changing part for me, ask yourself, “What if this scripture is actually true? How would it change the way I think and feel and live my life if I fully believed this was true?”

Here are a couple of examples from my own life:

We were moving from Pennsylvania to Tennessee, and it was happening fast. I was constantly fighting the feeling of being overwhelmed by how much there was to do and wondering if I was up to the task. Every time I felt those feelings and my thoughts were negative, I paused and brought to mind 2 Peter 1:3: His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. As I brought the scripture to mind, I would thank God that His Word is true and that He had already given me everything I needed to get through the season I was in.

I recently did not feel the Presence of God as strongly as I had before. Nothing was wrong, but I was leaning into feeling His closeness. Each day I would quote the scripture, James 4:8: Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. I had been praying this for a number of weeks, and still I wasn’t seeing or feeling what I wanted to feel, and the enemy was trying to tell me that I was doing something wrong. Finally, I realized that I had been praying the scripture, but I hadn’t been engaging with it as if it were true. I had been drawing near to God, so the Word says He had already been drawing near to me, whether I felt ‘goosebumps’ or not. The minute I accepted this as the truth, the head trash the enemy was trying to use against me disappeared, and I felt at peace again.

Your Turn

There is a high cost to not dealing with the head trash we all face. It costs us emotional energy, time, and joy to entertain the negative thoughts that have become part of the internal dialogue we listen to all day. You can change this internal dialogue by coming into agreement with the Word of God in a new way. All it takes is for you to:

• PAUSE: Identify and acknowledge (confess to God) that you are losing energy, joy, or peace because of your thinking.
• FIND: Ask the Holy Spirit to help and identify a scripture that speaks truth to the area of the lie. (If you are feeling unloved, find scripture that says you are loved, etc).
• ASK: What if the bible is true? What does this scripture actually say? How would it change my life if I really believed it was true? How would I feel? What changes would it make to the way I live?
• RECORD: Make a note of how the truth of the Word changes what you are facing. Meditate on the scripture every time you feel the energy drain or lack of peace. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Next Steps:

1. Take five minutes right now to do this simple exercise. Then share this post with a friend you know would benefit from also believing the scripture is actually true. Finally, send us a testimony of what changes in and around you as a result: [email protected]

2. If you want to access more tools like this to help you grow in your walk with God, fully express your calling in the workplace, and connect with others just like you, join us at an upcoming in-person event: Heaven in Business Upcoming Events

3. If you haven’t already subscribed to receive these posts sent to you weekly, enter your email here: Weekly Insights