Ask Yourself This Personal Question
Have you broken free from any negative thought loop lately?
Thought loops are autonomous, automatic mind algorithms that can be turned off if you are willing to make the effort.
They are part of the obsessive and anxious thinking that is on the rise these days, even among the most grounded and centered superhumans.
And while they are anything but pleasant, thought loops are your coping mechanism for an extremely stressful situation you just wanted to get rid of. And so you did.
But not thanks to your obsessive, simplistic thinking, but because everything passes with time. Except for the thought loops.
Articulate Your Thought Loop
An interesting fact. In some non-Western spiritual traditions, thought loops are also called “simple spirits.”
Regardless of what you believe about the spiritual world, the fact that thought loops have been articulated and named shows the seriousness of this problem.
The most common thought loops include:
- It’s my fault.
- I should have acted differently.
- I’m stupid.
- I don’t know what to do.
- I can’t control this.
- They love me. They hate me.
To eliminate your thought loops, first declare war on them and mean it. Then write them down as coolly and distantly as possible.
The table form works wonders.
Cage Your Thought Loops in a Tabular Form
In one column, write the first time you remember it occurring.
In the next column, write the approximate frequency of occurrence.
Then write the cause. This is a difficult task. Make it easy on yourself and write down the last cause you can remember.
You will add older ones later. They will come up spontaneously as you eliminate the causes you have formulated.
The most important column is a new thought that you will apply to the particular thought loop as it comes up. This can be an affirmation or a motivation.
Whatever you choose, make sure it works and leads you out of the emotion you are trying to overcome.
This is very important, to find a successful counterthought, you must connect it to a positive feeling. Write that feeling in the last column.
Use the Power of Numbers
Review the strategies in your thought loop chart at least three times a week until you get them out of your system.
Take it one thought loop at a time.
This is a great work that requires much dedication and thoughtfulness. Be gentle with yourself, but remain determined.
The next time you face a stressful situation that you can’t handle at that moment, try this actor’s trick.
It helps me every time.
Count backward from 100.
Count Backward From 100.
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