Be the observer of your life, not the judge, juror and executioner.
I had a few approaches to let go of my negative self-talk and the compulsive thinking that came with it however nothing worked over the long haul until I learned how to be the observer.
Observing - allowed me to look at my high jack mind through a completely different lens and perspective. It was a big game-changer.
By observing, I was able to breathe and watch myself, like an actor on a movie screen. All I had to do was watch the movie without trying to change anything and yet everything changed. It's hard to explain; you must try it for yourself.
Observing helped me know; I was not the mind – I was the Observer, the witness, the watcher. I could then step back from my spinning mind and witness myself from a higher state of awakened consciousness and stop repeating the same patterns over and over.
I was finally able to break the stronghold of toxic shame I had been carrying around since I was a little boy. I was able to stop the voice of "I am not enough" whenever it came up, and new freedom began to emerge from the heart of consciousness.
You see - if our view changes - we will change with it because LIFE is all about how we perceive reality.
"Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence." ~ Alan Watts
The Observer became the most important discovery on my awakening some ten years ago, and still is. It allows us to see the truth more objectively and have compassion for ourselves in the process.
Try it for yourself: sit still and observe the currents of thought that flow through your consciousness like water flowing down the river or clouds passing in the sky. Don't do anything, don't interfere; don't stop them in any way. If a thought comes, don't stop it. If it doesn't, don't force it. You are merely an observer.
"The highest form of Human Intelligence is to observe yourself without judgement." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Satnam (truth is my identity) Paul Noiles