Have you ever felt like your thoughts keep spinning in circles? Like you can’t stop your brain from continually looping back on the same issue/concern/worry?
You’re not alone in this. Our brains are programmed to keep us safe, so when something seems stressful or threatening, our brains will naturally focus attention there, and keep coming back to check on the status of that concern.
Here are some strategies to help stop the thought loop patterns we sometimes get stuck in:
—Notice it happening. Awareness is key — our brains like to run on auto-pilot, with unquestioned thoughts playing in the background of our minds constantly. Noticing that we are stuck in a thought loop is the first step to being able to do something about it.
— Journal. Sometimes, our thoughts just need to be acknowledged. They just need to get out of our heads and onto paper. It’s amazing how much lighter we can feel once the burden of our thoughts is off of our shoulders.
— Practice Mindfulness. Be present in this moment. Notice what is happening right now, and notice that (most of the time), right here, right now, in this moment, we are just fine. Another part of mindfulness is getting out of your head and into your body. You cannot breathe or smell or taste in the past or present — only right now. So you can get into this present moment by getting into your body.
— Question the thoughts. Sometimes, giving airtime to the thoughts and talking to a friend or coach or therapist about them can be invaluable in helping your brain release them. You may want to shine light on the monster of “worst case scenario” that is hiding just outside of your willing consciousness. You may want to dig deep to find out why this thing feels so scary. You may want to discover what is really true or not about what you’re thinking. You may want to evaluate what you do and do not have control over in this situation, and work on letting go of that which is out of your ability to influence.
— If necessary, set aside time to “worry about it.” If you have tried these other strategies and your brain just wants to continue holding on, try giving yourself a set time to consider it and think about it — be specific, like “2pm on Tuesday for 20 minutes,” and redirect your brain every time it tries to think about it when it’s not 2pm on Tuesday, reminding it that you can think about it then. This gives your brain the chance to focus on other things, knowing that its concerns will be addressed at a later time.
I hope you found these strategies to be helpful! As a coach, helping people work through their specific problematic thoughts is my favorite thing to do 🙂 Please reach out if you would like help working through these kinds of concerns. And if you know someone who has suffered a concussion who could use help managing their thoughts and emotions, please pass them my way!
Thanks,
Bethany