One thing we as humans do a lot of is think. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to sleep we are constantly thinking. These thoughts can be positive or negative, and what we think depends on us and on our environment.
In yoga the term pratipaksha bhavana means when we are plagued by negative thoughts, we should cultivate positive ones in its place. Now, that is not always easy to do, but the Yoga Sutras give us a few hints on how to turn our thoughts around.
When a negative thought pops up in our heads, we can notice the negative thought and try to think of its opposite. For example, if we think I hate seeing the violence around the world, think instead of sending love to all the parts of the world suffering from wars. If we think why am I plagued with this illness, instead think what can I learn from this illness. Subtle shifts in thought can make a big difference.
It’s hard to keep positive thoughts while in a negative environment. If we find ourselves involved in an argument with someone, it’s better to walk away and calm down rather than to continue the argument and more than likely say something we later regret.
As humans, we need to control our thoughts so that we can experience more peace, joy, and love in our lives. So let’s watch our thoughts. If a negative thought surfaces, let’s cultivate an opposite positive thought in its place. And may that awareness bring us all peace of mind.
Namaste
Peaceful Heart Blog 
This is such an important point. Our thoughts are shaping our world but I never really understood any of this until reading the book “Thought Power” by Swami Sivananda. Such an eye opener! There’s also a lot of truth in the saying: We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.
So true. We always see things through colored lenses.