Thought Stopping Techniques
Hello, everyone! Today, Id like to talk about thought stopping- what it is and how to do some of the techniques. Be warned, this is a really long post haha I tried to include some pics for a change. One side note Id like to add before we get started is that this is not preferable for long-term coping management. The ultimate aim would be for us to notice the thoughts and automatically apply skills weve learnt to help us cope. However, this can be useful in the short term. As an example, if we have worrying thoughts a few minutes or hours before a presentation.
As this is going to be a long post, here is a summary of all the techniques: Yelling and hand gestures, remember an old favourite memory, identify the thought, distractions and setting aside worry time.
Thought stopping is what it sounds like- stopping unwanted negative thoughts, often by changing the thoughts that come through. What CBT teaches us is that what we think affects how we feel, which affects how we behave. Thought-stopping helps us change how we thin to improve how we feel in the moment.
There are many thought-stopping techniques floating around. Different ones work better for different people. This list is one that Ive accumulated over the years, but you can find many online. The first one I remember being taught is yelling a word, whether it be Stop! or Not now! or No! etc. When you have a negative thought youd like to get rid of, you can yell in your head or out loud Stop! accompanied by a movement of the hands or body. For example, I tend to yell Stop! and clap my hands loudly. Every time you yell stop, clap your hands. You can also click your fingers, slap a surface, stamp your feet, shake your head. The options are endless!
To add to the above, you could also try to force your brain to remember an old favourite memory of yours. Focus on all the five senses. Do you remember what you wore? What fabric was it? How did it fit on you? How did you feel in it? Do you remember what you ate and how it tasted? Can you link it to another memory of you eating the same thing? Did you still enjoy it? Do you remember the scenery? What were the brightest colours there? Was the sun out? How did the sun feel against your skin?
Another technique Ive been taught and found personally helpful is identifying the thought. When having a worrying or negative thought, stop and acknowledge it. Label it, notice it and acknowledge. What I say is Im having the thought of…. This can help us realise that our thoughts are just thoughts, not facts.
Distractions of all sorts can be helpful as well. Physical and auditory both have their benefits. Do a task that requires all your brainpower, leaving no room for the unwanted thought. For some people, its colouring in and focusing on choosing the colours and not going outside the lines. For others, it could be listening to a podcast, or playing a game. Being creative can also be helpful, focusing on a project and all its detailing. Another physical distraction could be squeezing your muscles one by one, otherwise known as Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Sit down, and relax as best as you can. Squeeze your face as much as you can for one minute, then fully relax. Do the same for your neck, shoulders, arms. Do it for every body part until youre fully relaxed. Again, there are so many options!
Lastly, one more suggestion. Im not sure if this app can be found worldwide, but there is an app on Android and Apple thats called ReachOut WorryTime. How it works is by you setting aside a time every day to ruminate on the worries. Throughout the day before that set time, when you have a negative or worrying thought, list it down in the app then close it and dont focus on it until the set time has come. You could also do this using pen and paper, but it might require more discipline. Still doable!
This is quite a long post, but I hope its been helpful. Here are some questions for you to answer!
What helps you the most to stop unwanted thoughts?
Do you think thought stopping is or could be helpful?
What technique are you most willing to try?
Do you have any other thought-stopping techniques that have helped you or that youve heard of?
What would you like to add to this post if you could?
Take care, everyone.
Tagging the community <3
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Wow this is so strange I just spoke with my therapist about ways to stop rumination earlier on Monday, including setting time aside hah. All struggling with the same things I guess...
1. Journaling or just letting the rumination happen can help me. Not always. My T said sometimes I ruminate because I'm looking for answers (may not apply to everyone) and I think that'll help me in the future. Makes sense as I get caught in these cycles day after day as if no amount of thinking is enough.
2. Yes, but also no. Yes because it's stopping the thought 
but no because my brain still finds a way to think about it later. It's obsessive, almost. I can't always control it but I do try to catch myself doing it and gently redirect my thoughts to the present.
3? Lately I had tried saying no to myself harshly and it didn't help. Will probably try to be more kind with my self-talk, maybe that's what I'm missing. My tone has to change and if that still doesn't help, I'll come back to this post
@Lexloveslife
Hey, Lex! That's such a coincidence, I seem to be doing that to a lot of people this week haha and yes, it is a common occurence, not just for people who self-harm. That is very true what your T said, and it can help to know why we ruminate. At least it helps me with closure/acceptance. It's good that you can acknowledge you're ruminating and trying ways to redirect your thoughts. Tone definitely has a big role to play- if harsh tones don't work for you, definitely experiment with tone or other ways that work for you. I love that you're trying these out though, good on you. Stay committed to your recovery, always. We're here for you, especially when the going gets rough. You've got this! <3
What helps you the most to stop unwanted thoughts?
Preoccupy my mind with work or going for a ride a project in my shop. But I don't have any of those options now. I've tried gaming but it's often more frustrating than anything else. I'm nothing like I was years ago.
Do you think thought stopping is or could be helpful?
Yes it is if I can find something that works again.
What technique are you most willing to try?
Speaking a word and remembering something nice or positive.
Do you have any other thought-stopping techniques that have helped you or that youve heard of?
I kinda do something similar now but with a decent amount of profanity and negative thoughts. But I will work on that.
What would you like to add to this post if you could?
Im not sure. For me I guess be nice to yourself.
@rebecca947
Hi Rebecca, what an awesome post!! I agree that thought stopping takes a lot of discipline to do. Personally, for me, I find it incredibly hard to stop my thoughts without my brain finding 5 different ways to go around the "stop sign" I put up XD But it's always worth giving a try and I do try and do it as often as I can.
What helps you the most to stop unwanted thoughts?
I actually enjoy trying to journal my thoughts as often as possible. It's not really "stopping" them but it's more of finding closure to them through writing them down and trying to delve more into them. And that's probably not the most ideal situation every thought spiral but it tends to work for most!
Do you think thought stopping is or could be helpful?
I think thought stopping can be helpful for really tricky "why" questions. Like when we start to wonder "why" we're a certain way or "why" things are a certain way and start going down spirals, I believe it's important to try and stop and accept spirals instead of going down them.
What technique are you most willing to try?
I'm willing to try the verbally saying stop thing! I think that convinces my brain to stop otherwise doing it verbally and physically is just going to make me feel a bit crazy.
Do you have any other thought-stopping techniques that have helped you or that you
@rebecca947
*sneaks in because I'm late :o*
What helps you the most to stop unwanted thoughts?
I voice my thoughts to a friend and allow them to logically tell me why it's irrational or give me an alternative. I love to listen to music that I associate with a positive memory or a special person to me. I also love making food as that takes focus and distracts me from my thoughts.
Do you think thought stopping is or could be helpful?
I love that you added that it is a short-term solution, because that is definitely true. This is essentially surpression of unwanted thoughts, which can definitely be helpful in tense or overwhelming moments but it will not help long-term. Thank you for pointing that out!
What technique are you most willing to try?
The verbal interruption sounds like something that could work for me. Since I'm usually lost or stuck in my mind when I'm having urges or unwanted thoughts, hearing myself say 'no' loudly and clapping my hands could be a great idea to try.
Do you have any other thought-stopping techniques that have helped you or that youve heard of?
I really enjoy Scattered Counting as I like numbers. It's where instead of counting to ten (which usually helps with anger management but not necessarily with unwanted thoughts), you count randomly. So like, 46, 98, 3, 67. It takes effort to think of what the next number will be and ends up distracting me.
What would you like to add to this post if you could?
I think it had everything it needs! Organized and concise.