How to Calm the Mind
The brain loves to worry
Our minds love incessant chatter.
Here are two simple action steps you can take to calm the mind.
1. Change your point of focus
Instead of focusing inwardly on all that overwhelming chatter focus your attention on something outside your mind. Ideally this would be something in line with your values. Something that is important to you. E.g., Keeping a tidy house, inviting a friend for tea, cooking a nice meal, engaging in a hobby such as gardening etc etc
The point is to ignore the chatter and focus on what is important to you instead.
2. Create a worry time
Our minds love to focus on all our fears. It’s the brains way of keeping us safe. The brain’s ultimate goal is survival and any perceived thought of danger (this could be as simple as you forgot to pay the rent) produces worry and anxiety. Subconsciously we believe that “worrying” will prevent “bad things” from happening.
In creating a worry time, you start to train the brain that you will only worry during a certain period of time. e.g 4.00pm to 4.20pm. This helps calm the brain and allows you to focus on other things throughout the day. The rest of the time you get to focus on what is important to you. If the brain/mind/chatter demands your attention simply thank it and tell it not now, later, and worry at your chosen scheduled time. It can be helpful to write your worries down as you think of them but hold off on worrying about them until your chosen time or if this triggers you into worrying more than do it later in your chosen time.
Of course, this takes practice and it won’t solve your worry problems but it will create space in your brain from overthinking and in that space of non-worry often what happens is a solution to your worry will come to you because you have allowed your brain some creative space. So, in essence you are creating some mental space just like decluttering a room. How good does that feel? Overthinking is exhausting when we allow our brains to go unchecked. Thoughts are like ants, if you give one sustenance 20 more show up. Just like if you give your thoughts focus and attention more will show up until you can no longer see the forest for the trees. Scheduling worry time gives you space to relax and re-focus on all the other important things you have in your life and assures your brain that you will get to worrying later. 😊
Further resources:
Action:
Reach Out Worry Time App
Watch:
Therapy in a Nutshell: The #1 skill to stop Anxiety and master GAD
youtube.com/watch?v=yqR77sa4EVE