How to get a handle on runaway thinking for when your brain’s on overdrive before you even get out of bed in the morning.

The alarm hasn’t even gone off yet and already here it goes—your brain that is. It’s already in overdrive and it’s not even 6!

Analyzing… criticizing… evaluating… commenting… debating… OMG, stop already!

Or don’t you love those times when you’re just completely exhausted; you’ve waited all day long to crawl into bed, you’ve been savoring the idea of this moment but when you finally lay down, there you are with your brain on negative overdrive.

“Someone take her out!!” you want to scream.

But it’s just you and your brain. No help on the horizon.

No one can save you from this one. No one can reach in and escort Miss Negativity out and relocate her somewhere far, far, FAR away. Permanently that is.

Maybe you fight back. You argue with “the voice”. You’ve never really won an argument with “the voice” but it’s just what you do. Someone’s yelling at you—even though it’s in your own head—and you just yell back.

Someone’s picking things apart; you pick back.

Argue. Pick. Pick. Pick. Debate. Analyze.

And then start the whole process over.

It’s a recipe for a boatload of unhappiness, crankiness and sleepless nights.

Without even realizing it you end up in a full blown discussion with this denizen of picky negativity which of course just fuels her onto higher heights. And you, to lower depths!

Because, after all, if she’s worth arguing with or picking with or debating with then in her mind—and really, whose mind is this anyway—she must have a point and she just LOVES that!

So here’s the thing. If you’re going to get some different results you’re going to have to take some different action. I know, that’s not the easiest thing at 6 o’clock in the morning before you’ve even had your first shot of espresso. But we both know you can’t keep doing what you’re doing. Honestly it’s driving you nuts.

Here are a few things you can start doing today, tonight, heck right this minute if you need them.

Don’t engage. Focus on the something other than “the voice”. “DO” something.

Do something” because chances are that just thinking something, especially if you’re already deep into it, isn’t going to work. I don’t know what’ll it be for you or what will work best for you, but it’ll be something active. Here are some ideas to get you started…

  • Breathe…
  • Put some music on and sing…
  • Dance…
  • Go outside and walk barefoot in the grass…
  • Start a tickle fight with your partner…
  • Go play with your dog…
  • Shoot some hoops…
  • Skip…

If all else fails take a cold shower! Really, seriously, I’m not even kidding here. I’ve done it, some of my clients have done it and guess what? It works!

Now before I close this post, let’s have a heart to heart, come to Jesus moment here. This is a process. This is a new habit. This is going to take some time.

If you’re 47 years old then you have 47 years worth of a habit that needs some undoing. Well maybe 37 years—we’ll give you a get-out-of-jail-free card for the first 10.

The bottom line is that this isn’t going to happen overnight. But what will happen is that the more you interrupt the kind of thinking you’re not interested in doing, the more that “voice” will get the message that it’s days are numbered.

Keep intending the change, keep showing up and taking action in the direction you want to go—even if it means a cold shower here and there—and before you know it, you’ll be living in a very different internal climate.

With showers of light and love,
Rhegina

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©2016 Rhégina Sinozich

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