I'm Dr.
Diana Hill,
A clinical psychologist and ACT specialist.
And in this meditation,
We're going to practice with some overwhelming thoughts.
We're going to practice a skill called cognitive diffusion,
Sort of like two pieces of metal that are fused together.
Sometimes we can get so fused,
So entangled in our mind and our thoughts that there's no space to see clearly or see around them.
They're so overwhelming.
We get so bogged down by them.
They push us around,
They make us feel like we can't move through our lives in the way that we want to move through our lives.
So cognitive diffusion is stepping back from your thoughts,
Getting some space from your thoughts.
Let's practice.
Go ahead and find yourself a seated position or lying down.
You could even do this exercise with your eyes open while walking or being about in your day.
We're going to be playing with your mind a bit.
We're going to diffuse from overwhelming thoughts,
Which seem to circle around in our mind and consume a lot of our attention.
You can't permanently turn off your mind,
Nor would you want to,
But you can step back from it and choose to not let every thought shape your behavior.
So I'd like for you to choose a thought that you struggle with.
One that seems to pop into your mind,
That tends to distract you,
Overwhelm you,
Spin you out.
Maybe you have a few of them,
But just choose one.
These thoughts can be catastrophic thoughts,
Worry thoughts,
Angry thoughts,
Resentful thoughts.
They can be thoughts about you or about other people or the world around you.
You got one?
So I'd like for you to take this difficult thought,
And I'd like for you to imagine that you could write it on a piece of paper.
It's in your head all the time,
Might as well write it down.
Imagine yourself writing this thought out.
And then hold that paper right in front of your vision so that you see it there.
Hold it up real close so you can't see much else that's going on.
This is what's happening when you are fused with your thoughts.
They consume your whole view.
It's hard for you to see the people that you care about or do the projects that you care about or even just settle a little bit in your body when this thought is so big,
Especially when it's really overwhelming,
When it's really bold and all caps and all over the place.
Imagine written really big across that page.
You can even add some exclamation points to it if you'd like if it's a really strong thought.
This thought is stealing your precious energy,
Your precious time.
It's getting in the way of you being how you want to be in this world.
And we don't even know if this thought is true or not,
But it doesn't really matter.
There's no need to battle with this thought.
You can take this paper and you can place it in your lap.
You can take this paper and you could turn it into a paper airplane.
You could take this paper and you can flip it over on the other side and write something else.
You could take this paper and you could paint all over it.
You could take this paper and you could read that thought out loud a hundred times over until your mouth becomes kind of lovely,
Lovely,
Lovely,
Because it's just a thought.
And what I'd really like for you to do with this thought is just let it be.
Look up from the paper and look out into your life.
Where do you want to place your energy and your attention?
What is important to you?
Because where you place your energy is where you make neural connections that will grow and strengthen.
And where you put your behavior is what will shape your life to become the life that is fulfilling life that you want to live.
So this is just a thought.
Write it down.
And you can practice this any time when it's in the middle of the night or even during your day.
Just practice writing down a thought and holding it up real close to you,
Either metaphorically as we're doing now or physically.
You can do it too.
And then slowly move it away from your face.
Place it in your lap.
Let it be.
Or if you have a little extra time,
You can make some origami out of it.
Maybe a paper crane or a little something sweet.
Because thoughts are just words.
Half of our thoughts don't even come from us anyways.
There's no need to give them so much of your power.
It's your heart.
It's your values.
It's your behavior that you can depend on in this world.
