Monday morning meeting, your best friend's off hand remark, the annoying cab driver — do you obsess over every little thing? Veena Chakravarthy teaches you to break free of that compulsive thinking mould (Article in Mumbai Mirror by Veena Chakravarthy)
Shift your focus
A good way to stop ruminating over past events is to distract yourself. To break the repetitive thought cycle, experts recommend diverting your attention from 'that' particular thought for about 10 to 15 minutes. So, next time obsessive thoughts strike, try losing yourself in a book, playing with your dog or anything that engrosses you.
Let obesssion take over
But only for an allotted hour. Pick a time that's a little later in the day (for example 8 PM to 9 PM) for the thought. Prior to that, you're not allowed to let the thought cross your mind at all. By the time the clock strikes 8, whatever you were obsessing about won't seem like such a big deal anyway.
Get active
Obsessive thoughts can lead to depression as your mind can't stop ruminating over something that you perceive as negative. Next time you feel anxious, go for a jog or just engross yourself in music. Any physical activity releases endorphins or feel-good hormones which will help uplift your mood and help you think more rationally. Besides, being active will help distract you from repetitive thoughts.
Sit still
Meditate, pray or take a long walk on the beach or just indulge in any other activity that you find calming. Largely when we obsess, we tend to dwell over events that we perceive to be negative and keep trying to set things right. But, if you're all charged up and obsessing over it, you probably won't be able to see a solution in sight. So calm yourself. This gets rid of that awful feeling of urgency and helps you view things from a fresh perspective.
Be positive
Cut out those negative thinking patterns. When obsessive thoughts take over, repeat the following affirmation to yourself, 'I am a positive person' or 'I always think positively.' A positive person doesn't ruminate over past events or worry endlessly about negative outcomes. This might seem like new-age philosophy, but affirmations work at a sub-conscious level and over time you shall notice that affirmations do change your thoughts.
Phone a friend
It's an option, use it! Because, when you're obsessing over something, you're definitely not thinking rationally. So, call up a friend and talk it out. Let him/her check your irrational thoughts. Over time, you will learn to check your own thoughts.
Rectify mistakes
All right, some good does come out of obsessive thoughts — you land up changing yourself. For instance, you may be dwelling over having lost your temper on your spouse and said some harsh words. And if you're not happy about that aspect of your personality, then think about it rationally. Finally, work to alter it. The fact that you're ready to change yourself, will break the guilt trip you've sent yourself on, which in turn will break the thought pattern.
Write it down
Try and maintain a log of your obsessive thoughts. For instance, 'If I don't fare well on the test, my classmates will think I am a fool,' or 'He/she didn't greet me today, this proves they don't like me, but why don't they like me?'
This gives you clarity of thought and over time you may notice a pattern in your thoughts which could point to larger issues such as perhaps low self-esteem, low confidence levels etc. Try and deal with those deeper issues and chances are you'll manage to break free of the obsessive thinking pattern.
Since this may be too much of a task to deal with on your own, don't be afraid to ask for professional help.
(Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist & Neuropsychologist Veena Chakravarthy-psychotherapy and counselling centre at Versova, Andheri)
Shift your focus
A good way to stop ruminating over past events is to distract yourself. To break the repetitive thought cycle, experts recommend diverting your attention from 'that' particular thought for about 10 to 15 minutes. So, next time obsessive thoughts strike, try losing yourself in a book, playing with your dog or anything that engrosses you.
Let obesssion take over
But only for an allotted hour. Pick a time that's a little later in the day (for example 8 PM to 9 PM) for the thought. Prior to that, you're not allowed to let the thought cross your mind at all. By the time the clock strikes 8, whatever you were obsessing about won't seem like such a big deal anyway.
Get active
Obsessive thoughts can lead to depression as your mind can't stop ruminating over something that you perceive as negative. Next time you feel anxious, go for a jog or just engross yourself in music. Any physical activity releases endorphins or feel-good hormones which will help uplift your mood and help you think more rationally. Besides, being active will help distract you from repetitive thoughts.
Sit still
Meditate, pray or take a long walk on the beach or just indulge in any other activity that you find calming. Largely when we obsess, we tend to dwell over events that we perceive to be negative and keep trying to set things right. But, if you're all charged up and obsessing over it, you probably won't be able to see a solution in sight. So calm yourself. This gets rid of that awful feeling of urgency and helps you view things from a fresh perspective.
Be positive
Cut out those negative thinking patterns. When obsessive thoughts take over, repeat the following affirmation to yourself, 'I am a positive person' or 'I always think positively.' A positive person doesn't ruminate over past events or worry endlessly about negative outcomes. This might seem like new-age philosophy, but affirmations work at a sub-conscious level and over time you shall notice that affirmations do change your thoughts.
Phone a friend
It's an option, use it! Because, when you're obsessing over something, you're definitely not thinking rationally. So, call up a friend and talk it out. Let him/her check your irrational thoughts. Over time, you will learn to check your own thoughts.
Rectify mistakes
All right, some good does come out of obsessive thoughts — you land up changing yourself. For instance, you may be dwelling over having lost your temper on your spouse and said some harsh words. And if you're not happy about that aspect of your personality, then think about it rationally. Finally, work to alter it. The fact that you're ready to change yourself, will break the guilt trip you've sent yourself on, which in turn will break the thought pattern.
Write it down
Try and maintain a log of your obsessive thoughts. For instance, 'If I don't fare well on the test, my classmates will think I am a fool,' or 'He/she didn't greet me today, this proves they don't like me, but why don't they like me?'
This gives you clarity of thought and over time you may notice a pattern in your thoughts which could point to larger issues such as perhaps low self-esteem, low confidence levels etc. Try and deal with those deeper issues and chances are you'll manage to break free of the obsessive thinking pattern.
Since this may be too much of a task to deal with on your own, don't be afraid to ask for professional help.
(Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist & Neuropsychologist Veena Chakravarthy-psychotherapy and counselling centre at Versova, Andheri)
Post a Comment 0 comments: