It would probably be more accurate to say that some Republicans don’t care about poor people (I’m looking at you Wilbur Ross), some Republicans believe that the free market is the best way to help the poor, and some Republicans are themselves poor. Is it Helpful? What do I mean by that? I mean developing a better relationship with your thoughts. I mean recognizing and altering your habitual patterns of thought. I mean developing better habits of thought. But thoughts are also important, and we do have some control over them. So it’s time to start exploring the topic of developing better thoughts. Start by noting thoughts and feelings with gentle curiosity as they arise. And when you find yourself face-to-face with a more intense thought or interpersonal conflict, use The Work to see more clearly. The fundamental truth that gives you these powers is that your thoughts are not always true, so you don’t have to believe them. Don’t Believe Everything you Think

Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of Headspace, uses the metaphor of “brushing a crystal glass with a feather” to describe the technique of Mental Noting. He is a writer who helps others realize who they truly are beyond their own thinking and conditioning to live an abundant life free from psychological and emotional suffering. Consider what it would be like if you let go of this thought that brings you down. How would you feel? When examining one of your thoughts, the first consideration is whether or not the thought is valid. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help with this: But when you hold on to your thoughts as if they are the utmost truth, unpleasant feelings are sure to follow.One is that we like being right. It’s uncomfortable to discover that one of your thoughts is, in fact, wrong. So rather than open-mindedly examining the validity of our thoughts, we usually prefer to just assume we’re right and move on. But if our habitual thoughts routinely lead to unhappy outcomes, then we need to do the uncomfortable work of examining those thoughts. I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, always.”

When you’ve identified a thought that creates suffering for you, proceed with the following four questions: Some thoughts appear in an instant. Others are reoccurring, and represent a longer-standing narrative in your mind. Given the differing nature of thoughts, it’s helpful to equip yourself with multiple strategies to process them. If you can learn to get more control over your thoughts, then you’ll tend to have better emotions and better responses to your emotions. You’ll also have an easier time doing the things you need to do. After all, some of your thoughts are excuses. Joseph Nguyen is the author of the #1 international bestselling book, Don't Believe Everything You Think, which has been translated into 31+ languages.Noting what arises in your mind has a host of benefits. It helps you stay present and see the contents of your consciousness more clearly. This creates space between you and the thoughts you experience, which gives you more power to act with intention. If all of these thoughts were empowering, non-stop thinking wouldn’t be an issue! But far too often, thoughts lead you astray, bring you down, or obstruct your ability to do things that you care about. While it’s true that you experience each of your thoughts, they don’t always represent what’s true about the world. The Work” of Byron Katie is a process of inquiry that helps you identify and question the thoughts that cause you the most suffering.

With Mental Noting, you gently “note” thoughts or sensations as they arise in your mind by giving them a simple 1-word descriptor. (e.g. warm, tense, anger, etc.) For example, a Democrat might have the thought, Republicans don’t care about poor people. Now, there is evidence to support this viewpoint: the gutting of social programs that benefit lower-income individuals, the sabotaging of the Affordable Care Act, big tax breaks for the rich, and so on. But there is counter-evidence as well. Many Republicans genuinely believe that free-market capitalism and private enterprise will improve the economic prospects of poor people more than government support will. Plus, a lot of poor people vote Republican, and it’s probably safe to assume they care about themselves. This principle gives you the power to take control of how you respond to your thoughts as you go through life. It helps you let go of thoughts that bring you down, so you can cultivate greater peace and joy. Now, there are a great many ways to approach this challenge, and I don’t intend to cover them all today. Instead, I just want to introduce you to the most important principle of developing better thoughts, which is also the core tenet of cognitive therapy: Regular doses of wisdom can help! Every other week, I publish an article with actionable tips and strategies that you can use immediately to make your life better.Currently a professor of management in the College of Business at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee, Dr. Penney has pushed her undergraduate students to better understand what makes up the stress of their daily lives, both personally and professionally. With nearly 20 years of researching what is behind the causes and consequences of stress in our lives, she has been published in top academic journals, presented at scholarly conferences, and been featured by Forbes, Newsweek, and Fox News.