How to Help Yourself Out of a Negative Thought Spiral
Have you ever found yourself in a negativity thought spiral? You know, when you latch on to a negative train of thought and it leads you to one negative thought after another until you’re triggered, emotional and overwhelmed.
If we aren’t mindful of our thoughts and we are used to allowing negative thoughts, those negative thoughts can become a familiar pathway for our brain. One it will take over and over.
Negative thought spirals used to really derail me. I would have them a lot and be unable to self regulate when I was having them. I would attach to and identify so much with my negative thoughts that these thoughts could easily high jack my emotional state. This is common for those who have experienced trauma.
What has helped me over the years to deal with this and negative thought spirals, is, not only medication, but cognitive behavioural therapy. I’ve worked on and healed a lot of past pain with professionals who have taught me how to handle these thoughts.
Now, when I’m in a negative thought spiral I am able to help myself out of it. Here's how you can help yourself, as well. There are few steps you can take:
Awareness: Recognizing when you are in a negative thought spiral is an important first step. Once you are aware that you are spiralling you can make corrections to pull yourself up and out of it. It takes some mindfulness to do this and being aware of your thoughts.
Acceptance: If you can allow the thoughts without attaching to them you can get a step closer to slowing them down and releasing them.
Separate: Try not to identify with your thoughts. A few ways to do this are to remind yourself you are the thinker not the thoughts. Just because you think a thought does not make it true. Thoughts are not facts. Just because you think a dark thought does not make you bad or hopeless. We are not our thoughts. They don’t have to have power over us or our emotions unless we give them that power. Lovingly detach from the thoughts.
Action: Tell yourself, "Stop!", shake your head, shake your body, dance, write out your thoughts and crumple up the paper once you're done. Rock in a chair for a bit. Get up and move. Go for a run and listen to some good beats. Do whatever you need to do to release the energy from your body and the thoughts from your mind and break the negativity spiral. Get yourself off that track.
Love Yourself: Offer yourself some compassion and love. You are not going to think good thoughts all the time. You are a flawed human being and you are allowed to be. You are still on your journey, healing, learning and growing. You are not perfect. You don't have to be.
Maintain: Breathe. Take some deep breaths and keep breathing. When your mind quickens your breath goes with it. So take big, deep slow breaths. When your mind and body is calm you can be more tuned in and aware of your train of thought. When your mind wants to keep going down that familiar negative train of thought, pull it back, over and over if you need to, back to the present moment.
These steps have helped me, many times. Hopefully, they help you too if and when you need them.
Have you experienced negative thoughts? What helps you release them?
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