Cognitive control is a skill that helps you more consciously control unpleasant thoughts and self-defeating behavior. Let's look at several ways to use cognitive control to improve your life: 1. Develop awareness. The very first step in gaining control over your thoughts is to be aware of your thoughts and feelings. Awareness involves the ability to identify and label thoughts, emotions, and associated bodily sensations. Instead of constantly pushing thoughts away or being distracted from them, we observe them with interest and curiosity. As a result, we can better understand what we are actually thinking and how those thoughts make us feel. Taking control of your mind in this way can be a great first step towards increased well-being. 2. Focus on the positive aspects + visualizing the best results. Shifting our attention is one of the most powerful tools in cognitive control. In particular, shifting our attention from negative things to positive or even neutral ones can improve our well-being. And we can use this strategy to improve our mood before, during and after the event. 3. Focus on the present moment. By being mindful of the present, instead of allowing our minds to wander, get caught up in negative thoughts, or wonder what it all means, we focus on what is happening right in front of us in real life. And this, as a rule, benefits our well-being and improves mental health. 4. Reconsider your experience. Cognitive reappraisal is another cognitive control strategy that has been shown to be beneficial for well-being. Cognitive reappraisal is often used in response to negative or stressful experiences to improve our emotional state. By changing your thoughts in your current experience, you will change your emotions in a way that makes you feel better. Thus, cognitive control helps us not to focus on irrational thoughts and feelings, and also affects our emotional background and our well-being.