Breaking the Addiction of Thoughts!
What is thinking? Thinking is basically a cognitive ability that can happen with or without stimulation to process the using of our mind, to reason, to rationalize, to assess situations, to make clear conscious choices. Thinking makes us feel in control although that’s not always the case.
That is why thinking can also be an addiction. We may not realize it because we are always doing it. It is an addiction when it becomes unstoppable, overwhelming, unreliable, depressive or anxious in nature, when it becomes obsessive and compulsive thinking. It can trap us in a harmful and self destructive cycle of thoughts. This addiction of thoughts can cause many problems in our life such as restlessness, excessive worrying, stress, sleep and eating disorders, anxiety, insecurities, depression, burnout.
What is the cause of these thoughts? It happens because we are influenced by our life experiences, our traumas, confrontations in our daily life, our overwhelming emotions.
Of course we don’t want this kind of addiction to consume us and make us unable to clear our judgement and ability to make clear decisions. Here are some tips to do to break yourself from the vicious cycle of your addictive thoughts:
Tips and Tricks to Break the Addiction of Thoughts
☐ Understand your basic brain functions
Know that our brain has a logical / rational side, and also an emotional side and an instinctive side which can sometimes lead us to behave in opposing ways.
☐ Increase awareness of your thoughts
You can start to create a journal by writing down your state of mind and how it makes you feel. When you are aware of your thoughts it’s easier to stop and be in control of them.
☐ Find distraction in activities you love
By doing activities that you enjoy, you can shut down overthinking and ruminating thoughts.
☐ Try to look at the bigger picture
When you overthink momentary issues or things that happened to you, you may lose sight of the bigger picture and what really matters to your life in the long run.
☐ Embrace your fears
Try to learn to accept that some things are out of your control. Accepting this can help to ease overthinking.
☐ Try techniques to calm your mind
Try to meditate and calm your mind. Doing breathwork and grounding techniques are very recommendable exercises.
☐ Get some rest
Mental rumination can keep us up at night - we try to solve a problem, go through interactions we had during the day etc. Sleep can be very helpful for cognition. It’s a bit like a mental washing machine: we clear out the unnecessary thoughts and memories of the day and maybe even reveal new perspectives. Many brilliant minds have discovered innovative solutions while they were dreaming.
☐ Talk to someone
Talking to someone will be a good method for you to release your thoughts but remember to be mindful of what others talk about as well. Keep in mind that we are social creatures with the capacity to learn from each other. This means that our friends and therapists may be better able to point out where our loop is and how to change it.
If however you really feel like you are struggling, you can reach out and speak with a qualified psychotherapist. Online consultations are as effective as in person.
You can contact me for more information: admin@alfordjeremy.com