How to Stop a Spiral of Negative Thinking In Its Tracks
"We often talk about the longer-term habits and behavior changes that help us combat stress and burnout — but sometimes, we need in-the-moment strategies for an infusion of calm. During an overwhelming moment, it’s completely normal for our thoughts to start to spiral. But when we arm ourselves with tools to help us cope in those moments of panic, we can learn to pause and maintain perspective when we feel overwhelmed.
Take a deep breath
“One thing that helps me stop from spiraling into a negative thought loop is breathwork. I pause whatever it is that I was doing and I turn inwards. I consciously focus on taking slow and deep belly breaths in through the nose and expanding my belly outwards.”
—Paulina Xenia, manifestation coach, Portugal
Give yourself a laugh
“When my mind feels overwhelmed, I like to use my technique called ‘A Handful Of Stories’ to interrupt the spiral of negativity and gain some clarity. As the mind is so determined to think, I like to take control and make up five stories instead of letting it run the show, I find the more absurd the better. I find laughter is great to calm me down and get me thinking rationally again.”
—Sam Curtis, life coach, London, UK
Consider the worst case scenario
“When my mind starts spiraling, I go to worst case scenario thinking first. This stops the spiral and gives the scenario credence by embracing it instead of trying to ignore it. The next step is to seek acceptance or better yet a solution. When the brain seeks solutions, it stops spiraling and starts inspiring. When you change what you focus on, what you focus on changes.”
—MaryJoye, licensed mental health counselor, FL"
*Negative thinking happens to the best of us! It can come from out of nowhere and we can easily spiral down the rabbit hole of negative thoughts. When these thoughts hit us, it's important to have a plan to help yourself work through them. When I feel this way, I like to distract myself by hanging out with friends or just moving around and doing something to put my mind somewhere else until I calm down. I find that just laying in bed doesn't help because I'm not active. Everyone is different! What are your methods for working through negative thinking in the moment?*
#NegativeThinking #Negativity #CopingSkills
Please refer to the full article on Thrive Global.
Greetings @fruityPond7887, amazing posts! Thank you for this contribution
What are your methods for working through negative thinking in the moment?
- The moment I become aware of my negative thinking, I hold myself accountable for how long I stay in that negative energy. Once I'm conscious of it, I'm the one in control of if I'm going to prolong it or engage in something intellectually stimulating or breathing techniques out in my back yard to combat the thoughts and talk myself down
@SirenOfSerenity
For me it has a lot to do with just existing with the feeling. I would rather sit with myself during the thoughts than actively try to dismiss them or something of the sort.
@writingmagick404 I think that's a really common thought nowadays! They try to encourage those who struggle with negative thoughts to allow them to just sit and not fight with them because fighting with them can make them more intrusive. Thanks for sharing this tip with us!😊
@SirenOfSerenity Hi Siren! Thank you so much! I really love your techniques and how you give yourself that room to be in control, yet you aren't hard on yourself if you tend to stay in the negative thoughts for a little while because that's okay too! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! ❤️
@fruityPond7887
Aww thank you :3 Takes a lot of self discipline and consistency. It's helped me reframe my thoughts and combat the anxious ones once I examine them, acknowledge them then take control of what's next from them.
@SirenOfSerenity That's really great! You definitely have to really make sure you do it everyday and that's hard, so kudos! Keeping being your best self!❤️
@fruityPond7887 I try to talk back to my negative thoughts and I find it helps to challenge them.
@comfortableNight4463 That's really awesome! Self-talk can be really helpful when trying to reframe those negative thoughts into more positive ones! Thank you for sharing!!
@fruityPond7887 You're welcome! Thank you for sharing this article!
