Intrusive and unwanted thoughts are terribly annoying and so overwhelming. They often pop up into your brain when you least expect it and during really important times, like when you’re gearing up for a meeting or going on a date. It happens most when you really don’t need that unwanted thought but *boom*, there it is.
The thing that I want you to remember is that the more you push back on that thought or fight it, the more that thought will feel like it’s encroaching on you and taking over your headspace. The more you let that thought come and go, the easier it is going to be for you and the calmer you’re going to feel.
It’s so hard to remember that we are not our thoughts and we aren’t who we are because of our thoughts. Let that thought come and go. All of us have thoughts that we don’t want all of the time. It doesn’t make you who you are. It just is one of those things where a thought comes and it goes. The more you can accept and allow that process to happen, the calmer you’ll feel and the more ready you’ll be to tackle whatever is in front of you rather than be caught up in your mind.
Manage Your Thoughts:
I want to share a really great strategy that somebody shared with me.
This person talked about having a virtual garden where when an anxious or unwanted thought comes into their head, they notice this anxiety and they welcome it into their garden. They greet them and acknowledge them in a friendly way, and offer them a seat and something to drink. Leave them there and let them know that they can have whatever they need. As you would with an unexpected visitor.
By doing it like this, you’re letting this anxious thought come and you’re letting it just be there. You’re not fighting against it and you’re not telling it that it shouldn’t and can’t be there. You’re just allowing it to come and go.
The more you can let that virtual garden fill with anxious thoughts, the more you can stay present with whatever you were doing before the anxious thought arrived.
Notice the anxiety, greet it and be friendly about it because they are just trying to protect you. It’s a silly thought so it doesn’t need to, but it’s okay that they’re there for a short while anyway.
Seat the anxious thought in the garden (or library, or whatever you like!), make them comfortable, and get back to what you were doing. Just take action on whatever it is that you’re doing and that’s right in front of you as opposed to engaging with the thoughts.
