“It may be difficult at first to discard these negative thinking habits. Yet it’s a relief to find we can unload the burdens of the past, and anticipate, rather than dread, our tomorrows.” (ODAT, 13 April)
Once I have admitted to another person what I did and made amends—where necessary—for any harm caused, there’s nothing more to say.
Once I’ve taken suitable precautions regarding possible future events, there’s nothing more to say.
There is no mystery to discarding a negative thinking habit.
Once the utility of examining some situation has been exhausted, any further thought on the matter is redundant, and I’m not just psychologically well advised but also morally obliged to give it no further thought.
The moral obligation is to use the mind for fit purposes only.
Non-neutral negative dwelling is misuse of the mind.
The problem is thus moral not psychological.
It is a question of will—what will I think about?
If one finds oneself apparently unable to not think about something negative, the problem is not some psychological block but the fact I am doing my will (thinking about the negative thing) rather than God’s will (considering how to be of service to God). There is then the question of implementation, and that’s a question of training form and then strengthening the mechanism.