All of us, at some point, have negative thoughts. This becomes a problem when they become fixed. But can we stop recurring thoughts?
What happens when they appear repeatedly, day after day and at all hours? In that case, they take care of our mind to the point that they can become dangerous and affect our health. The good news is that it is possible to transform mental dynamics with certain strategies to end recurring thoughts.
You wake up in the morning and, even before you get up, you already have a negative idea or belief that generates anxiety. As the hours go by, she returns to her mind several times and her general state is nervous. Well, you are facing what is called a recurring thought.
Obviously, they are not ideas that bring us happiness. Otherwise, they would always be welcome. The real drawback is the fact that they are always related to phobias, fears, concerns, traumas or situations of vulnerability that affect us deeply. They prevent us from concentrating our mind on other topics.
What are recurring thoughts?
It is an occasional reflection that, at a certain moment, flew through your mind. The problem happens when we don’t let it go and we keep going around that thought, until it settles definitively in our head, and it can become very uncomfortable and harmful.
6 tips to stop recurring thoughts
Don’t try to stop the thoughts
If you try to stop them it will not only not work, but it will be worse, as our brain will try harder to remember them. This is a fact that several scientific studies support.
Accept and rationalize your thoughts
If you accept that anxiety is playing tricks on you and producing that kind of thinking, you will see how you will begin to relax and how the occurrence of thoughts will decrease.
Write down your thoughts
When writing your thoughts, in addition to venting and relaxing, the brain interprets that we keep them and therefore will not make efforts to remember them constantly. Also, if you read what you wrote afterwards, you will see that they are not very rational thoughts.
Practice sports and meditation
With sport, cortisol and adrenaline levels are reduced and are replaced by dopamine, endorphins and serotonin. That is, we replace anxiety, stress and sadness with relaxation, joy and self-esteem. This will help us to let go of recurring thoughts for a while.
In addition, meditation is a great help in learning to control the mind and bring attention to the present moment. Above all, relax a lot.
Let the thought go
When thoughts come, don’t be obsessed with them, don’t try to eliminate them. Just accept that they are there. Try to relax and, as it happens, you will see your attention if you go back to another point and the recurring idea will go out of your mind.
Take B vitamins
These vitamins directly interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system. Eating greens, fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products will do you good.
As you can see, there are several tips that can help to stop negative recurring thoughts. However, there is a prerequisite for you to be successful: willingness to apply these tips in your daily life.
