If you struggle with racing thoughts, overthinking or dwelling on unpleasant situations, this could be a game changer...
It’s particularly helpful when you find yourself ‘stuck’ going over and over something in your mind or if you are someone who suppresses, or holds onto, emotions.
Thoughts and feelings are linked. You can’t have a thought without a feeling and you can’t have a feeling without a thought.
Therefore, if you are stuck on a thought that triggers an unpleasant feeling, it’s no surprise that you feel stuck with that feeling.
Here’s a great way to get things flowing.
Free journalling…
Follow these instructions:
- Grab some paper and a pen
- Write without stopping for 20 MINUTES – the amount of time is key as this is a long time and it forces your brain to get your thinking system moving
- Write freely with no purpose other than writing what’s in your head. No need to pay attention to grammar or whether it makes sense – this isn’t for publication or sharing
- Allow yourself to express whatever emotions come up – you might scream, cry, swear, shout, puff – whatever feels right
- Allow the feelings to ebb and flow until you feel calmer
- When you have finished, scrunch up the paper and throw it in the bin
REMEMBER: This is a PROCESS helping you to get stuff out of your mind and you into a better emotional state.
And when you are in better emotional state you will think more clearly, make better decisions and come up with optimal solutions.
Only last week I was reminded of what a great technique this is…
A client recalled how they woke in the night, overwhelmed with thoughts and issues relating to work, unable to get back to sleep. They remembered this tip (which they had dismissed as ‘that won’t work’!) and decided to give it a go.
This is what they said:
“It really worked! Not only did it help me process my feelings, the process of writing actually slowed my racing thoughts to the same rate as I could write. This allowed my brain to think more rationally about each point as I was writing and start to come up with next steps as to how I could deal with it. My mind calmed and I was able to go back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I had the beginnings of an action plan”
Why not give it a go and please let me know how you get on.
And finally…
If you like this idea and think it might help someone you know please pass on this idea to them.
And if you have any questions or need support please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Have fun!