Our mind is the most powerful tool in our bodies. How and what we think influences how we feel which directs how we behave.
Racing thoughts – thinking about things over and over, ruminating and worrying – is a symptom of anxiety and can lead to overwhelming emotions and difficulty attending to daily life in a healthy, balanced way
This article by #psychologytoday https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/women-s-mental-health-matters/201604/how-stop-racing-thoughts highlights a few clinically proven #mindfulness tips for how to not only reduce or stop racing or anxious thoughts, but also to re-groove the brain so to speak so that over time our brain responds automatically in a healthier way to stressful situations. Our brain’s ability to change automatic responses is called #neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.
Here are a few #mindfulliving skills you can try on a daily-weekly basis to help reduce anxiety, increase mental focus and, over time, strengthen your brain’s automatic responses to the challenges of life:
- Breathe – take a couple of deep breaths and slow things down
- Focus on the present – use your senses to pick up on information, but don’t feel the need to judge anything – notice what you think and feel in the here & now
- Wise-minded thinking – ask yourself – “is there another way i can look at this?”. Generate alternative ways of thinking and assess for cognitive distortions – ways in which we think that can keep us stuck:
- Evaluate – journal, write it down, get it out – organize your thoughts and feelings, take a break from things for awhile to gather perspective and come back to assess and understand when thoughts & feelings aren’t so intense.
Live mindfully & prosper!
Lori Corrigan – https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Lori_Corrigan_MA,LCPC_Barrington_Illinois_112096