Repetitive Thoughts

Every person has a different strategy on how to cope with staying idle for too long. Some will be glued to electronics, while others will clean, and still there are those who play and create. We have our habits engrained in who we are and how we want to move within the world. However, when our life is forced to slow down considerably, the mind can race with unhealthy thoughts. We can either choose to go down that rat hole, or we can make this time the perfect opportunity to heal and change the thinking that doesn’t serve us well.

We seem conditioned to ruminate over current situations, rehash old wounds or worry about the future. It can be terribly hard to work ourselves out of busy thoughts, and even harder to repattern those repetitive stories we tell ourselves. These constant narratives are what shape who we are, what we do with our time and how we act. While acknowledging the past and planning for the future is valuable, obsessing about them prohibits us from being fully in the “now” of life.

Shifting our perspective takes effort when our conditioned thoughts are so engrained in our daily life. We already know many techniques that can help change our behaviors that plague us. The difficulty comes in starting it. We can do it though. Begin it now. Let’s have faith, find the courage, rise up out of the fears and trust that we can make the best out of any situation. This life is shaped by how we think, so let’s make our thoughts beautiful.

Action:
The first goal is to recognize what our unhealthy thought patterns are. Acknowledging their existence is the first step to freeing it. Sometimes we recognize we are in it and yet we cannot see a way to get out of it. That is precisely the time to take daily action. If you are slumped in a chair or find it difficult getting out of bed, that is the time to push yourself up and get moving. Exercise cannot be emphasized enough, especially going out in nature. Moving the body helps release those emotions enough to see clearer. After this healthy movement, writing your feelings out or talking about them to a trusted friend helps to release their hold. Then begin to place your focus on actions that bring about gratitude and joy. Call someone who makes you laugh, read a book, watch a light-hearted movie, or immerse yourself in a hobby you love. Though placing attention elsewhere isn’t a cure for an overactive mind, it allows a reprieve and time to find positive thoughts. When these are practiced daily, we can begin to align our thinking in a healthy way.

Photo by Allie Smith on Unsplash