In the car today my toddler was saying "red car, red car, red car" again and again to me and it was only when I acknowledged her by saying "yes, there was a red car!" that she stopped saying it over and over.
This is a lot like dealing with our minds. When the mind comes up with a thought it demands to be heard - it will bring that thought up again and again no matter how much you try to ignore it. The best way to handle your mind is exactly the same as I handled my toddler - notice and acknowledge it. By acknowledging a thought you don't guarantee that it will stop straight away but it will pass in its own time and possibly more quickly than if you tried to ignore it. By ignoring it you are likely to get repeated occurrences of that thought until the mind feels like it has been heard. Acknowledging the thought doesn't mean you have to believe it or do what it says - it's simply noticing it's there and what it's saying. A simple "thanks mind" can help you defuse from the thought while acknowledging it.
When I acknowledged my toddler's thought about the red car she stopped repeating it over and over. However, just because you've acknowledged one thought doesn't mean the mind is finished with you, like my toddler, who after a short pause said, "orange car, orange car, orange car".
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