--- title: Swirling Thoughts description: We have thoughts swirling about in our mind all day long, but they may not be those helpful thoughts for us. Deanna Bartalini tells us what she tries to do to prevent negative thoughts from overtaking --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/11/17/swirling-thoughts#) # Swirling Thoughts Nov 17, 2016 7:00:18 AM  |  by [Deanna Bartalini](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/deanna-bartalini) [!["Swirling Thoughts" by Deanna Bartalini (CatholicMom.com)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sunset-401541_1280.jpg?width=800&height=533&name=sunset-401541_1280.jpg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sunset-401541_1280.jpg) Via [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/photo-401541/) (2014), CC0 Public Domain Words. Thoughts. Ideas. Conversations with others. Things to do. The grocery list. They are all there, swirling around in your head, all day long. Sometimes possibly threatening to overwhelm your need for peace and stability. A few months ago my spiritual director mentioned something to me that I have been thinking about on and off since she said it. It is about our thoughts and she heard it in a homily. “We have (about) 60, 000 thoughts a day in our mind; about 45,000 of our thoughts are negative, and 50,000 of our thoughts are repetitive. This means that we are spinning negative thinking.” Scripture has something to say about our thoughts and I’ll just put one verse forth: “take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,” (2 Cor 5:10b) though to get the full picture I’d read [the whole chapter](http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/10). St. Paul reminds us that we belong to Christ and what others may say against us does not matter. When I say others, I do not mean that in a vague way. I mean it as people who have said things to you that have hurt you and stayed with you and colored your image of yourself. It also means ourselves, because we are our worst critics and know which buttons to push better than anyone else. Those are the negative thoughts swirling around in our head and after time, we start to believe them about ourselves. We somehow go from, “wow, I really needed to do the laundry today” to “I’m a terrible wife because my husband’s favorite shirt is dirty” in a second when he asks if you’ve seen the shirt. No matter that he shrugs it off and picks a different one. I could go on with examples, but there is no need. I’ve spent enough time with other women to know we do this about many, many things in our life. The negative thoughts we allow to take up space or residence in our mind need to go. If thoughts are going to repeat themselves over and over in my mind all day, I’d like them to be positive. I find myself stopping when they start and praying, asking, in Jesus’ name, that the thought goes far from me and is replaced with something positive. [Tweet "Our thoughts are powerful and what we focus on in our thoughts forms us. With @notlukewarm316"] Our thoughts are powerful and what we focus on in our thoughts forms us. How do we want to be formed? I want to be formed in and through Christ. Wow about you? *© 2016 Deanna Bartalini* ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F17%2Fswirling-thoughts%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F17%2Fswirling-thoughts%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F17%2Fswirling-thoughts%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Swirling%20Thoughts) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F17%2Fswirling-thoughts%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2016%2F11%2F17%2Fswirling-thoughts%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Deanna Bartalini](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Deanna%20Bartalini%202025-1.png) ### [Deanna Bartalini](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/deanna-bartalini) Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed., M.P.A. is a certified spiritual director, retreat leader, speaker, and writer with decades of experience serving the Church. She is the founder of [LiveNotLukewarm.com](https://LiveNotLukewarm.com), works on the retreat team at Our Lady of Florida Passionist Spiritual Center, and is an Unbound prayer minister. Deanna writes from her experiences of over 40 years of marriage, children and grandchildren. ## Related Blog Articles [ We Plan, God Laughs? Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2019/03/21/we-plan-god-laughs/) [ What, me worry? Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2018/08/16/what-me-worry/) [ Looking for God's Will Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2019/09/18/looking-for-gods-will/) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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