“I can’t think about anything anymore” - these words would delight any Buddhist, who would certainly say in response: “So it’s time to indulge in the wonderful state of “thinking nothing.” But, unfortunately, in the life of a Western person this phrase does not mean anything good and usually sounds in the following context: “My head is overloaded,” “My thoughts are confused,” or “My brain is about to explode.”
What is the reason? There are several of them. Firstly, we receive information from different (numerous) sources and are constantly faced with contradictions, rumors, refutations and confirmation of what we previously received. We find ourselves caught in the crossfire of different data every day. A particularly fierce struggle is being waged between the classical mass media and the Internet - hence the contradictions in the information received.
In addition, we are constantly running somewhere and in a hurry - the rhythm of life is constantly accelerating. And every day we have to solve a huge number of issues and tasks. The crazy pace of modern life overloads the brain. Our own thoughts, which literally swarm in our heads, can also have a negative impact. Which results in an accumulation of feelings of anxiety and guilt or a feeling of worthlessness.
Writing is a kind of mirror, by turning to which we learn to better understand ourselves and solve problems
Psychologists call this “mental overload” “mental intoxication caused by an excess of information and negative thoughts,” by analogy with physical intoxication, which can be caused by the abuse of drugs, artificial food additives and pesticides.
In our turbulent times, during a period of endless shocks and overloads, it is vital for us to learn how to get rid of unnecessary thoughts and free our brains from everything unnecessary. First of all, this is necessary in order to find inner balance. Here are three exercises to get you started on a mental detox.
Throw out negative thoughts
Writing is a kind of mirror, by turning to which we learn to better understand ourselves and solve certain problems. For many years, writing has been actively used in techniques of personal growth and development. This is a great way to come to terms with the past, build the present and prepare for the future.
“A letter is a thread to the soul, along which we can get to certain emotions depending on what is happening in life,” explains handwriting therapist Dominique Vaudoise. The pencil is used as a tool that allows you to free yourself from unnecessary thoughts in just a few minutes.
Exercise No. 1
Take a piece of paper and start writing without thinking about the meaning of what you wrote and without trying to evaluate it. Forget about the harmony of phrases and do not concentrate on your task - putting things in order in your thoughts. Don’t stop the flow of words from spilling out onto paper, don’t miss a single one of them. After a couple of minutes, once you have filled the page, pause and close your eyes, concentrating on the depth and rhythm of your breathing. Then open your eyes and look at the piece of paper. Without trying to analyze what you wrote, just ask yourself the question: “What message was I trying to convey to myself in this letter?”
Go for a walk
While walking through the forest or through endless uncrowded buildings (for example, churches, monasteries), vision concentrates on trees, bushes, flowers, columns... Monotonous eye movements allow you to synchronize the work of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, thereby removing the nerve clamps that form as a result emotional shock, negative thoughts, obsessions.
As a result, the functioning of the nervous system is improved. This discovery belongs to the American psychologist Francine Shapiro, the author of the psychotherapeutic method EMDR therapy. She developed her method about 20 years ago, just after a walk in the forest. In fact, taking a walk in the woods is like going through an EMDR session in a natural setting.
Exercise No. 2
Take 20 minutes and go for a walk, even around nearby houses. Walk at a calm pace - neither too slow nor too fast. For two minutes, concentrate on your breathing - breathe deeply and calmly, completely relaxing your diaphragm. Let nothing occupy your thoughts except inhalation and exhalation. This basic physical exercise will allow you to get rid of internal tension. Then, continuing your movements and without turning your head, peer into the details of the landscape around you, as if you were seeing it all for the first time. After some time, you will feel how unnecessary thoughts are leaving your head.
Get rid of negative thoughts
Negative thoughts that endlessly spin in your head remain not only in your mind, but throughout your whole body. Caused by difficult life situations, unresolved conflicts, emotional shock, these thoughts are always accompanied by unpleasant physical sensations that we prefer to forget about.
If you do not get rid of these thoughts and accompanying physical sensations, then over time they will cause serious disturbances in the mental and physical state of a person. If you want to get rid of negative thoughts and emotions, simply “push” them out of yourself.
Exercise No. 3
Write a list of everything that clouds your thoughts. Remember that you were unable to get rid of anger, unresolved conflicts, unflattering remarks from a colleague, an unpleasant argument with a friend or a quarrel with a loved one... List on paper point by point all the unpleasant events of the last three months - large and small, which seem to be stuck in your mind and body.
What events “clog” your brain?
Once you have completed the list, go back to each item and describe as accurately as possible how you felt in each of the unpleasant situations listed. Now close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Breathe calmly and imagine the situations described - one after another, trying to revive the emotions experienced in each case. Call them: “Then I felt...”. Then take a deep breath and, as you exhale, forcefully push each of these emotions out of yourself, helping yourself with your hands.
Bad thoughts appear in your head for a variety of reasons. They can sit in the subconscious for a long time and interfere with a normal life. Therefore, they must be driven away. Let's learn how to get rid of bad thoughts in several ways.
The influence of bad thoughts on life
Negative thoughts are very difficult to control. They prevent you from resting and do not give you peace even in a comfortable environment. This can cause deterioration not only in mental health, but also in physical health. A person becomes irritable, absent-minded, suspicious, hot-tempered, and more and more new diseases appear.
Also, constantly thinking about the bad takes up too much time. Although it could have been spent on really important things. A person gets stuck in his experiences and does not move forward. Thoughts are material. Negative thoughts only attract troubles and realize fears.
“Don’t take bad things into your head or heavy things into your hands,” - this is what people say, and for good reason. You need to free your head from pessimistic thoughts, and not overload yourself with physical labor in order to maintain your health. And bad thoughts always entail dire consequences. Therefore, it is imperative to get rid of negativity.
Reasons for bad thoughts
Every anxiety has a source. It must be determined in order to understand how to proceed. Very often negative stories from the past interfere with life. A person experiences guilt (although it may be far-fetched) and constantly worries about this.
For other people, negativity becomes a character trait. They are also called complainants. They love to do soul-searching and have been pessimists since childhood.
Negative personal qualities also poison life. This may be self-doubt, in which any event or decision becomes a test. Suspiciousness can be viewed in the same vein. In such a person, anything can put anxiety in his head, from a news report to the conversation of random passers-by.
Of course, the source can also be real problems that a person cannot solve. Waiting for the outcome is what makes you nervous, imagining not the most optimistic scenarios in your head.
But religion explains in its own way why there are always bad thoughts in your head. It is believed that the cause of obsessions and experiences is evil spirits, demons. They need to be fought in an unconventional way - through prayer.
Let's look at several techniques that psychologists recommend using when bad thoughts arise.
Calculation
The first step to solving a problem is to understand what is causing your anxiety. The reasons can be very deep, so it is better to visit a psychologist. But you can try to cope on your own. To do this, on a piece of paper you need to write all your fears in two columns: real and fictional, and then opposite each one - his decision, that is, what needs to be done so that the anxiety does not come true.
For example, how to get rid of bad thoughts about an open window or an unturned stove? Every time before leaving the house you need to double check this action.
Solution
Often negative thoughts appear due to unresolved problems. If a way out of the situation can be found, then you need to act. Bad thoughts about the problem will go away as soon as it is resolved. But, unfortunately, many are often accustomed to complaining and doing nothing to change the situation. If you are reading this article, then this is not about you. You are definitely ready to act, and everything will work out for you. You just need to identify the source of the anxiety.
Acceptance
Not all problems can be solved; sometimes nothing depends on the person. For example, a relative or friend is hospitalized and is fighting for his life. In such a situation, it is quite normal to worry. The solution is to accept negative thoughts. You need to realize what you are actually experiencing, and there is nothing unusual about it.
Are bad thoughts creeping into your head? Accept them and live with them. But you don’t need to give them free rein, otherwise they will take over the behavior. It is better to observe negative messages from the outside, without subsequent reaction to them. The essence of this technique is action, not savoring thoughts. So do everything you can and leave the rest to chance.
Removal and replacement
This method will require a little awareness and understanding of your emotions. As soon as you feel negativity appearing in your head, immediately remove it, as if you were throwing garbage into a bin. You need to try not to get hung up on thoughts, not to develop this topic, but try to forget about it. The best assistant in this case there will be a substitution. The point is that you need to start thinking about something pleasant, positive, or at least neutral.
With this technique, there is no need to figure out how to get rid of bad thoughts. They are not fed, but replaced by other events. Each time it will turn out easier and better. And after some time, consciousness will begin to use this method automatically.
Postponement
It’s not for nothing that they say that the morning is wiser than the evening. Sometimes it's best to postpone your thoughts until later. For example, if you can't sleep because of bad thoughts, promise yourself that you will definitely think about it tomorrow. If the problem is not particularly serious, then the brain will easily agree with this proposal. Most likely, in the morning the negativity will no longer bother you and will even resolve itself.
This is a very simple but effective technique. It can be used in many situations. There is no point in thinking about something that will become insignificant in the future. Realizing this makes it much easier to get the negative things out of your head. For serious problems this method will not work. It is better to find solutions for them.
Suppression
Bad thoughts suddenly appeared in your head, what should you do then? It is necessary to suppress the desire to be upset as quickly as possible so as not to develop an unpleasant topic. To do this, you need to put aside all your affairs, count to thirty and take five deep exhalations and inhalations. The brain needs time to comprehend the subject of thought, so as not to make irrational conclusions and unreasonable actions.
If the anxiety still does not go away, then repeat all the steps. If possible, go outside and take a short walk. This will allow you to put your thoughts in order and even distract you from negativity.
Reduction to the Absurd
You can try the completely opposite technique. On the contrary, you need to completely immerse yourself in bad thoughts and consider what bad things could happen as a result. It is most effective to imagine the most. Use your imagination, use exaggeration, make your thoughts vivid.
For example, you need to pass an important interview. It is clear that many people have bad thoughts at such moments. Imagine in vivid colors what kind of failure might await you. The head of the HR department, as soon as he sees your resume, starts screaming loudly and throwing tomatoes. You decide to escape such shame and run out of the office. But then the cleaning lady throws a wet rag at you because you trampled the entire floor. Out of surprise, you fall, get up and run again. And then you are kidnapped by aliens and taken to another planet.
Absurd, isn't it? But it is precisely this kind of exaggeration that takes away the power of negative thoughts. You just have to try it to be convinced of the effectiveness of the technique.
Wording on paper
Psychologists also recommend putting all your bad thoughts on paper. They need to be written down in detail, in all colors and details. The more often we formulate experiences, the less often we return to them. This means they will bother you less and less. Bad thoughts written down on paper should be considered a completed stage, so the piece of paper can be torn or burned.
Sometimes it is more effective not to destroy records. In some situations, it is better to fill out two columns on the sheet - negative and positive thoughts, so that you can compare them later. The first records negative experiences. And in the second - pleasant. It could also be some positive attitudes. For example, “I am smart,” “I do a good job,” “I am a wonderful wife,” and so on.
You can write down only your good qualities on paper and place it in a visible place (on your desk or in the bathroom). As soon as bad thoughts appear, immediately look at this list to remind yourself of the good.
Positive social circle
Pay attention to what kind of people surround you. Think about whether among your acquaintances and friends there are those who evoke negative thoughts. If you count even a few such people, then you shouldn’t blame yourself and upset yourself even more. Whatever it is the real reason behavior and relationships with these people are harmful to mental health. Experts recommend temporarily avoiding these individuals. If during this period your mood and well-being have improved, then it will be better to end the relationship with them.
You should not stick with people who constantly insult, ridicule, or disrespect your hobbies and time. It’s better that you have one friend, but a positive one, and you don’t have to think about how to remove bad thoughts. Cheerful people always bring back good memories, lift your spirits and charge you with positive energy.
There are also universal methods that perfectly help cope with bad thoughts. Psychologists also recommend actively using them. They bring feelings into balance in cases of mild anxiety, and in more complex cases they only enhance the effect of the above techniques. Their main mechanism is distraction. Perhaps these methods will be familiar to many from personal practice.
Positive music
Scientific research has proven that you can drown out bad thoughts with the help of a pleasant melody. Therefore, determine for yourself the best music channel or wave on the radio, and also create a playlist of positive songs in your gadget. As soon as you feel that your consciousness is being penetrated anxious thoughts, - turn on the music loudly and cheer yourself up.
A favorite hobby or activity will help you take your mind off your fears and anxieties. This can be any activity that brings pleasure (dancing, singing, riding a bike, handicrafts, reading books, growing flowers and much more).
Some people get rid of stupid thoughts by doing dirty work - cleaning the house. They start washing dishes, floors, dusting, cleaning closets, and so on. Of course, positive music will brighten up an unloved task. This way, bad thoughts will receive a double blow and disappear in one moment.
Physical activity
Sport is an excellent way to get rid of bad thoughts. Physical activity relieves adrenaline and relieves stress nervous system, so they relieve stress well. In addition, with regular exercise, a beautiful, toned body will be a pleasant bonus. Such psychological relief, combined with awareness of one’s attractiveness, increases self-confidence and reduces the number of reasons for concern. Just don't overload yourself. We must not forget about moderation and proper rest, so as not to leave room for negative experiences.
Proper nutrition
It is drinking and food that give us the resources and strength to exist. An unbalanced diet, hunger or lack of fluid depletes the body and leads to fatigue. It is she who creates the conditions for worry even about a minor matter. Therefore, it is important to eat healthy foods and consume healthy drinks(fruit drinks, freshly squeezed juices, compotes, green tea and clean water). In moments of sadness, you should treat yourself to food antidepressants: chocolate, raisins, bananas, hazelnuts and whatever you like. Psychologists say that delicious food also drives away bad thoughts.
Appeal to God
Prayer helps religious people get rid of bad thoughts. Only a sincere appeal will powerful weapon in the fight against evil spirits. Prayer will establish an energetic connection with the deity and drive away inner demons. Only here the moment of humility with what is happening is important if you are not satisfied with certain circumstances. If the problem is despair or despondency, then you need to turn to higher powers with gratitude. If you are offended or angry at another person, you should forgive him yourself and mention his pardon in prayer.
It is not necessary to know famous texts to receive help from higher powers. It is enough to sincerely address and express everything in your own words, then you will definitely be heard.
Now you know how to get rid of bad thoughts if they visit you. You can use psychological techniques, universal techniques, or prayer if you are a religious person.
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Probably every adult is familiar with the feeling when, after a breakup, you endlessly “chew” what happened and can’t get unnecessary thoughts out of your head.
website I found advice from famous psychologists that help me cope with my worries. And not only after unhappy love, but any situations that “don’t let us go.”
1. Talk less and pause
When talking to a person who is causing an emotional storm, try to pause. There is time to cool down and look differently at what was said. Fewer words will be said that you will later regret. And over time, anger and irritation may simply dissipate.
2. Wait and see what happens next
We feel the need to react to the situation, to what is said, and to the people themselves immediately. And we do a lot of reckless things. Psychologists advise: take your time, give yourself a break. And see what happens next.
3. Stop looking for someone to blame
Constant analysis of the past in order to find someone to blame or blame yourself for everything rarely leads to results. Usually what happens involves a series of events and it all happens in a domino fashion. Just accept: what happened, happened. Now we need to look for a way out.
4. Don’t try to “get into” someone else’s head.
Ask yourself: if others try to understand what you think and what your motives are, will they be right?? Most likely, they won't have the slightest idea what's really going on in your head. The same thing applies to other people: there is a high chance of drawing the wrong conclusions and wasting time.
5. Deal with the biggest problem first
No matter what happens, the biggest problem is usually our own anger. It literally envelops you in emotions and takes you away from solving the problem. Try to relieve your anger through meditation, walking, or exercise. Or any activity that can calm you down.
6. Develop new skills and exercise
When the brain switches to learning something new, unnecessary thoughts gradually disappear. Every time we master an unfamiliar process, we concentrate on it and begin to think less. By the way, you can also switch with the help of physical activity.
7. Express negativity on paper and destroy it
Scientists have proven that by putting dark thoughts on paper and then destroying it, we relieve the stress and discomfort caused by these thoughts. The process itself allows understand your feelings more deeply when you express them in writing. But mental recording does not have such an effect.
8. Remember that our thoughts are not facts.
Reality and our thoughts are not the same thing. Our emotions are reflected in us physically: we feel stress, anxiety, tension and fear throughout our body, which makes us perceive thoughts as facts. But that's not true.
9. Understand what this experience can teach you and how it can help you in the future.
Think What lessons did the ending relationship teach?, and accept them as experience. If you understand why these relationships were needed, it will be easier to put an end to it. Any failures are a chance to correct your future and rise to the occasion. new level internal development.
The formula for mood, psychoemotional and psychophysiological well-being is simple: “As I think, so I feel”. However, some people have, as if automatically, many different negative, obsessive, sometimes bad and even evil thoughts in their heads, which, in fact, organize negative emotions, bad mood, sometimes obsessive (obsessive-compulsive), often bad behavior and physiological , autonomic reactions of the body leading to depression and.
Most of these emotionally distressed people would like to know how to get rid of bad, obsessive, negative and evil thoughts in your head in order to come to harmony within your personality, not suffer mentally and move towards success in life.
In psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, there are many different techniques and methods for getting rid of thoughts in the head, including obsessive, negative thoughts. Today we will look at how to use in practice, sometimes, perhaps independently, or with the help of a psychologist-psychotherapist, one of these techniques: “Social significance” or “Distancing”.
Find out how to get rid of negative, obsessive, bad and evil thoughts in your head using this psychotechnics
This technique for getting rid of negative, bad thoughts in the head is both simple and complex - at the same time. It’s simple because it’s easy to understand and master; it’s complex because in order for it to work and for you to get rid of your obsessive, bad thoughts in your head, you need to practice a little. Those. you need to have a real desire, motivation and be ready to work on yourself and your negative thoughts.
For that, those who learn to automatically apply it in practice, in life, will be given not only the knowledge of how to get rid of obsessive, bad thoughts in the head, but also the ability (skill) to get rid of grief, fears, anger, panic, etc. ., in various life situations.
So, the principles of the technique, how to get rid of bad (bad), obsessive, negative thoughts in your head
The principles of this psychotechnics are related to the “Depersonalization of Personality” method, i.e. the basis is how you perceive various events (situations) in your life and how and what you think (thought) at the same time.
Any life situation(event) has both personal, subjective (internal), private significance and public, external, public significance.
Personal significance relates to the intensity of the emotions you experience during an event - you are subjective about this. Social significance- this is the external interpretation of the event, from the point of view of observers.
The difference between the two can be compared to the difference between our reaction to suddenly bruising our own finger with a hammer and our reaction to seeing someone else fall victim to the same misfortune. The only way to change your negative, obsessive thoughts, which give a strong emotional component that leads to preconceived perceptions, is to learn to depersonalize (see) your inner beliefs - somewhat change your worldview, look at the world and this event from an objective point of view, from the outside.
A technique on how to get rid of your negative, obsessive, bad and evil thoughts in your head
1. You need to learn to differentiate between a perceived event and your thoughts about that event.
2. Look at the event from the perspective of social and personal significance. Social significance can be seen if you practice seeing the situation from other people's point of view. The event must be objectified. Remember that you already have a social outlook because throughout your life you have been able to observe others in a thousand different situations. Transfer your perception of other people onto yourself.
3. In order to transfer the meaning of events from the private to the public, you must learn to remove the following from your own perception: emotional variables, intense introspection, and certain metaphysical assumptions. Obviously, this cannot be achieved fully, but the closer you can get to it, the more objective your view of what is happening will be.
4. Once the concept of public meaning is understood, make a list of the main situations you have encountered and the public and private meanings for each.
5. You will first need to interpret the event from a public point of view, after you have automatically perceived it from a personal point of view. As you gradually develop, you will be able to get closer and closer objective view on an event at the time of its occurrence and ultimately replace personal perception with public perception during the event itself.
Examples of using techniques for getting rid of obsessive, negative (bad, evil) thoughts in the head
First example
1. Event: anxiety attack. Personal meaning: "I'm going to die."
Public value: Adrenaline and other substances are released into the bloodstream.
2 Event: criticism by another person.
Personal meaning: “I must have done something wrong. I'm incomplete."
Public value: “Someone expresses their disagreement with what I did. The reasons for this are unknown."
3 Event: failure in a business project.
Personal meaning: “I’m incompetent, I’m a failure, I’m going down the ladder of success.”
Public value: “Planning and preparation were not effective enough.”
4 Event: lack of arguments.
Personal meaning: “I’m a weakling, a babble and a bore.”
Public value: “He knew more about the subject than I did and was perhaps more experienced in arguing.”
5 Event: few friends.
Personal meaning: “In essence, it is impossible to love me.”
Public value: “I don’t try to make friends and I don’t treat people very kindly.”
6 Event: failures in sports.
Personal meaning: “I’m not a worthy man.”
Public value: “I don’t have enough reflexes, training, practice.”
7 Event: became seven kilograms heavier than she was at 17 years old.
Personal meaning: “I forgot about self-discipline.”
Public value: “A 37-year-old woman and a teenager have different metabolic processes.”
Second example, getting rid of obsessive, negative (bad, evil) thoughts in the head:
Personal meaning human fear is such a perception of the world when it seems that something terrible is about to happen and this must be avoided at all costs.
Social, objective meaning is that a real danger may or may not be present, and it is necessary to look at the situation and determine whether it actually exists.
People who need guidance in looking at danger from a social rather than a subjective perspective can use the following five principles.
In general, fear is objective if:
1. There is a real danger to the individual that can cause real harm. It is unreasonable to be afraid of monsters under the bed, since they do not exist, and what does not exist cannot harm us. (Some people are afraid of witches and warlocks).
2. The level of fear is equal to the level of possible damage. The fear of putting a small splinter in your heel is unjustified, since it outweighs the potential danger. (Some individuals are afraid to behave immodestly in public.)
3. Fear corresponds to the likelihood that something bad will happen. If a person is afraid that a meteorite will kill him, then his fear will be irrational, because the probability of this event is too small. (Some people are noticeably afraid of such low-probability events as plane crashes, although it is clear that the frequency of car accidents is much higher.)
4. Hazard can be controlled. The fear of the sun going supernova is meaningless because the event is beyond human control. (Many people fear that they may have a hidden hereditary disease.)
5. Fear is useful if it manifests itself in a situation where it will keep a person on alert in the face of danger that can be avoided. (Being vigilant about having a "nervous breakdown" in no way reduces the likelihood of this happening.)
