The Worry Tree
Simple, clear and methodical.
Recognise thoughts as thoughts that don’t have to be wrestled with or take you downstream into a sea of worry and rumination. Easily said then done but a good way of working it is The Worry Tree method. Often advised by cognitive behavioural therapists, it is a simple first step you can take to feel more empowered and in control in managing distressing thoughts.
Simple, clear and methodical, the worry tree has been used in therapy for years, often in pictural format to try and make the very process of dealing with challenging thoughts simple, clear and methodical.
Is the worrying thought something you can actually do something about? Or are they just wasted hours of overthinking? It’s cruel that overthinking is an instinctive reaction to trying to battle a way out of feeling negatively about the original thought, as often it just compounds negative feeling and makes stress worse. Therefore, back to the original question, is it something you can do something about in a practical, methodical way using a to do list process or is it unchangeable? If it’s the later, trying to ground yourself in the moment using your breath and your senses is the first step and then use try and let the thought pass without engaging in it by engaging in something else more positive which encourages outward thinking; a walk, run, chat, movie, music. The more you feel you have managed not to get sucked into vicious cycles of rumination the more your feel a sense of discipline with oneself and the stronger and resilient you feel to managing intrusive negative thoughts.
