Today brings disturbing information to each of us. During the war, its volume increases many times. Anxious thoughts are the sprouts of difficult situations and traumatic events.
We will not let some of this “scum” into our world, and on the contrary, we will feed it with the fertilizers of negative evaluative judgments of others and our own bitter mistakes.
Bad thoughts are an echo of negative experiences – both one’s own and someone else’s. In addition, one of the features of memory is to retain memories of failures longer than of successes.
It’s good when anxious thoughts happen over time, like clouds in the emotional sky: they were there, flashed by, and disappeared. But sometimes they become intrusive: they can spoil sleep, affect the ability to think rationally, work, and generally lead an active life.
Most often, negative experiences intensify after severe stress or against the background of emotional burnout. These conditions are currently characteristic of almost every Ukrainian due to the war.
Let’s try to get rid of them.
First: we get rid of marker words in our thoughts and statements that indicate an exaggeration of the scale of the disaster: “everyone”, “always”, “never”, “none”, or “nothing”. We are experts only in our own lives.
We work through each disturbing thought using the following algorithm:
- We describe a situation that causes concern.
- We list all the disturbing thoughts that arise regarding this situation. It is better to write each of them on a separate sticker.
- Then arrange these thoughts-stickers according to the degree of probability: from more real to less realistic.
- We carefully look at thoughts that have a high chance of being realized in life. Consider: can you influence these circumstances?
- Then let’s draw up an action plan: what will you do in the event of a worst-case and best-case scenario?
- Find and write down thoughts that add strength, resources, and hope for a positive outcome.
When analyzing disturbing thoughts, it is important to realize that they are only thoughts, not reality.
Additional recommendation: if it is difficult for you to objectively assess the problem, try to see it through the eyes of another person (parents, a friend, a public person whom you respect, or even a movie hero).
Use this powerful algorithm today. In just a few days, you will definitely feel an improvement in your relationship with yourself and the world around you.