Before I proceed with this article, let me get something clear. I am NOT a trained psychologist. Whilst I do have a lot of books on the subject, as matters of the brain have always fascinated me, and I have received a fair amount of counselling and therapy, I can still merely state some things that work for me. Some, or all, of these techniques may not work for everybody. You will find, should you require something, that all techniques are trial-and-error and that you will, eventually, find something that suits you.
This being said, I can let you know the methods I have found most useful in grounding myself when a bout of Anxiety starts, as well as things I do when things start to get a bit too much.
So first and foremost, the main technique I use is the interruption technique. Let me tell you how this works.
As an introvert, and not someone who’s any good at talking to others, I loathe being talked over or interrupted. It’s usually the one thing that’s pretty much guaranteed to cheese me off. Just because someone is louder and has more to say, it doesn’t mean that what I have to say is less important.
So, with this in mind, let’s pretend that the introvert is the Anxiety, and that the mind is the obnoxious person who likes their own voice. When the negative thoughts strike, suddenly change the subject to something way off. For example:
I think you get the picture. Usually, if someone changes the subject you forget what it was you were thinking in the first place. This works the same for the Intrusive Thoughts. A random thought to interrupt the negativity can work wonders. Even if you say it out loud and confuse a colleague.
Another technique I use, particularly if I’m in bed and worrying, is any variation of the alphabet game. So, for example, you’d think of a country, name, animal, food etc beginning with A, then B, then so on. Again, Anxiety doesn’t like to be interrupted by silly games. And sometimes with this method I’m asleep before I finish the game.
A further method I use in bed, which is probably my favourite, is to try and keep myself awake watching a sleep-sounds video on YouTube. Something like rain on a window, or a mountain stream, or bird song. Something mundane but relaxing. And simply try and stay awake as long as possible watching it. This not only ensures your focus is on the video and not on thinking, but also assists in falling asleep if you suffer from bouts of insomnia, as I do. You know how sometimes you can fall asleep if you know it would be crucial to not? Well, imagine it was crucial to watch the video to the end.
There are several other techniques that have been tried and tested by yours truly which can work. Little things like ripping a piece of paper, going for a short leg-stretch, making yourself a coffee. Or make the time to use a meditation app on your phone or watch a short relaxation video. Just take anywhere from 5 minutes to relax the mind and focus on something else.
Always remember though that however you deal with your mind, it always helps to talk to someone. Be it a professional, a friend or family member or a colleague. And in a lot of cases, this will help them as well as you.
You do not have to go through anything alone. There is always someone who wants to help you.
Until the next post, Big Love xx