A Practical Guide to Changing Your Thoughts

BY CHRISTINE VEZAROV

Christine is twenty-something coffee-and-vibes enthusiast who comes alive sitting across women, hearing their stories and journeying with them towards health and self-discovery. She firmly believes in the beauty of process, community and finding true belonging. When she’s not writing, engaging creativity or coaching women, you’ll probably find Christine geeking out over her plants or snuggled in a corner reading or listening to personal development podcasts. Connect with Christine over on her Instagram or website!

Ever felt like a victim to your mind? Are you the meanest person in your head? That self-talk is brutal, the cycle never-ending, and you may feel powerless to change it.

I get it. But here’s the thing – you can change your thought-life. I’m living proof. 

As a Christian, I believe that you are not only given the mind of Christ, but you have the authority to speak worlds into existence, fight for Truth, make bold moves, and share Light with the unique voice you’ve been given (1 Corinthians 2:16, Proverbs 18:21, Ephesians 6, Hebrews 4:16, Matthew 5:16).

Changing the world begins with changing yours first – and it starts in your mind:

“We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5.

I used to read this verse and roll my eyes. It sounds great. Easy, even. It’s anything but.

My biggest question was HOW: how do you capture every thought and become your mind’s biggest advocate? It sounded daunting and impossible.

But it is possible – and practical. It starts with recognizing how you’ve been stuck in certain thought patterns for a while. 

The process of renewing your mind and taking every thought captive is just that – a process. 

My story is riddled with the fruit of this ongoing process, and I want that for you too. You are not a lost cause, and this is not where your story ends. Your mind has been made good in Jesus’ name and you get to partner with God to see Redemption move in your life.

Answer this question: Am I willing to do some unlearning and re-learn how to create a new narrative in my thought-life? If the answer is yes, keep reading.

A Note on Active vs. Passive Thought Cycles

I’m no neuroscientist, but I love the way research complements what the Bible says. 

Now, your brain is gathering information all the time. At every second, it is constantly creating and reinforcing neural pathways (for a really good read on this, click here).

While this could be a terrible thing (if the thoughts are unhealthy), the good news is that you can change those pathways. 

It starts with you becoming aware of this fact. Because you are either passively allowing the pathways to be built or actively changing them. 

And, to take it one step further: You are either actively taking your thoughts captive, or you are passively being taken captive by your thoughts. 

It’s time to wake up and make bold moves in a healthy direction. I created a guide for my newsletter community on this exact topic, so here are some steps I outlined there that you can use now: 

3 Practical P’s To Capturing Your Thoughts: 

1. Pause. 

To go from passive to active, make room for awareness and intention. This isn’t woo-woo, this is focus and discipline. 

This could look like setting a timer for 10 minutes in your day or whenever you notice your mind is starting to spiral. Pausing helps you go from being emotionally flooded to a little more objective with perspective.

1. Put it out there. 

Dump out all the thoughts in your head. I love a good brain dump for a few reasons. One, it is a figurative and mental weight off your shoulders. Two, it helps create space between your thoughts in your mind and tangibly seeing them outside of it. Bonus points for using real pen and paper – because your brain processes typing and writing differently.

1. Process a new narrative. 

You are the gatekeeper to your mind. Nobody else can do it for you. Not every thought is true – so you have to do the work of inspecting the thoughts and either allowing them in or kicking them out. By doing this, you are creating healthy, mental boundaries.

Here are a few ways I encourage my clients and newsletter fam to do this:

1. Capture the thoughts on paper and look at them honestly.

2. Check the thought’s root and the fruit. What is your behaviour, emotions and innate beliefs? Where does it come from and what fruit is birthed as a result? Is it good…?

3. Inject the thought with Truth and Grace. Go looking for what God actually says about it (prayer, bible-reading, or Bible-googling – find His voice on the matter).

4. Make a choice about what you believe. In order to actively change your mind, start making decisions. Choose what you believe and replace the unhealthy thought with a healthier one. Write it out. Put it up. Hang it somewhere you can see it.

I created a table to help you practically walk through these steps – because what goes on between your ears matters. A lot.

Friend, your mind is made good, in Jesus’ name. 

This isn’t just a nice idea – it’s truth. It’s for you. Here and now.

If you don’t believe it for yourself – I do. Start making moves. This goodness and freedom is for you too.