A way to combat this negative self-talk is to practice self-compassion. These thoughts, when played on a loop, can be demoralizing and can make everyday activities miserable. "Thank you mind": When our minds tell us a warning in the form of an anxious thought, we can offer gratitude to our mind for trying to help us and warn us.Īnxiety sometimes presents as excessive worry that one isn't good enough or has negative traits.Label your thoughts: Some people find it helpful to identify "that is an anxious thought" or "this is a fearful thought" as they have the thoughts, helping to take them out of being an assessment of reality and treating them as separate items which don't have to be believed outright. Leaves on a stream: Some people use the visualization that their thoughts are floating down a river, coming to them and then going away, as a way to see the thoughts as separate from their core identity.Use a silly voice: Some people find it helpful to detach from their thoughts by using a silly voice to say something like, "Oh, you think this is very concerning, do you?" or some other observation about the thought.They are used frequently in CBT and other types of cognitive therapy. Counting backward slowly sometimes works to interrupt the flow of anxiety.Ĭognitive defusion exercises are all about getting an outside perspective on our thoughts, or strategies that help us detach and look more clearly at our thoughts.Choosing a soothing task that is also mentally engaging: word games on your phone, loading a dishwasher, doing a yoga flow or other set routine of stretching can all be effective anxiety interruptions.Loudly saying that you're done thinking this way or verbally speaking affirmations can help get out of one's head and hear a positive voice more clearly.Putting on music, an audiobook or a radio show can interrupt anxious thoughts and bring your mind to bear on something else.Breathing with an intentional count, like four counts in and four counts out.Try tensing and relaxing different muscles in your body, focusing on the muscle activity and seeing if it can help you stop thinking anxious thoughts.These techniques are more about what effectively distracts you and less about a technically "right" method. Interrupt anxious thinkingĪnxious thinking responds best to being distracted by a different task. Reviewing your thought record occasionally can help you draw connections, including things like how sleep, exercise and nutrition impact your anxiety symptoms.
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