Among the causes of anguish and depression are obsessive thoughts. Those who struggle with this (or love someone who does) need little explanation for how paralyzing it can be.

There is a story about a man who suffered from invasive negative thoughts. He went to consult with Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, known as the Alter Rebbe. The Rebbe directed him to go speak with an experienced woodcutter who lived in the nearby forest. "He will be able to help you understand how to control unwanted thoughts," he said.

The chassid, filled with hope, set out immediately. When he arrived at the woodcutter's home, he found the door closed but there was light inside.

He knocked. No answer.

He knocked harder. Still nothing.

He began to call out: "Please open! I'm freezing out here!"

Nothing.

With no other option, he huddled in a corner and fell asleep.

In the morning the woodcutter opened the door and greeted the chassid warmly.

"What brings you here?" he asked.

"I came to ask you something. But first, why didn't you open the door last night? I was knocking and calling for a long time. Where was your hospitality?"

"Look," said the woodcutter. "This is my house, and in my house, I decide. I decide who enters and when. I don't care how much someone shouts and pounds and makes noise. In my house, I am in charge."

"Thank you," said the chassid, his face lighting up. "You've just given me the answer I came looking for."

The woodcutter stared at him, baffled.

In this week's portion, Shoftim, the Torah commands: "Judges and officers shall you appoint at all your gates."1 In the literal sense, this refers to placing judges at the entrances to cities, alongside officers to enforce their rulings. But our Sages also read this as a directive for personal inner life. A human being is like a small city.2 The "gates" through which things enter and leave the "city" of the self are the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It is our responsibility to station "judges" and "officers" at these gates: to determine what we will allow in, and what we will allow out.

Two things are needed. "Judges" to determine what is right to see, hear, eat, and say. And "officers" to ensure those determinations are actually carried out. Figuring out what is right is often not so hard; we can consult a rabbi, teacher, or mentor. The hard part is implementing it.

How do we bridge that gap? We need "officers." While a judge works through reasoning and logic, an officer works through enforcement without argument. In personal life, this means discipline: choosing to act in accordance with what we know to be right even when our instincts and emotions resist.

"I am master of my own house, and I decide who and what enters." (The question of who that "I" is — which soul claims mastery — is an extensive topic addressed throughout the Tanya, but that is for another time.)

Finally, a note on the Rebbe's perspective on negative thoughts. In many cases, when people consulted him about intrusive thoughts, the Rebbe advised simply ignoring them. Redirect your attention elsewhere. Don't engage. This approach is called hesech hada'at — "diverting the mind."

This is very different from the strategy of endlessly analyzing negative thoughts and their possible causes, which often serves only to strengthen them and give them more damaging power over one's life.

The tool for this week: In the face of obsessive thoughts, remember that you are the master of your own mind. The mind can entertain only one thought at a time. If you fill it with a positive thought, there is no room for a negative one. This does not mean ignoring real problems; problems need to be addressed. But obsessing in a way that paralyzes rather than resolves is not addressing them; it is surrendering to them.