Tossing and turning things over in your mind? Can you ruminate with the best of them?
We train our brains to believe that if you think about something long and hard enough you will find a solution and then feel better. The number of times you have successfully solved a problem this way rewards this type of thinking.
But this doesn't always work, not all of life's problems can be problem solved. In these situations worrying becomes an uncontrollable loop as we are unable to stop negative thoughts and direct our attention elsewhere.
So what can you do to stop this loop?
If your inclined to worry you may need to learn adaptive strategies to reduce the impact of this loop rather than struggling to stop it altogether.
'Mindfulness' has become a hot topic and increasingly recognised for wellbeing. It is an effective way to reduce stress, worry and effectively handle unhelpful thoughts and feelings.
So what is mindfulness?
It is a mental state achieved by focusing your attention, while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
The practise of mindfulness helps you to:
improve focus and concentration
reduce the impact of unhelpful thoughts and feelings
change self-sabotaging behaviours
become aware of unhelpful thought patterns
be less emotionally reactive
feel more calm and peaceful
develop self-acceptance
improve mood
Want some more information on mindfulness? Check out the free smilingmind app or contact us.
Image courtesy of nenetus
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net