This is a quick and effective audio that steps you through a supportive 5 step process for diffusing an intrusive,
Irrational or anxious thought that may be causing you distress or dysregulation.
You can come back to this audio anytime you need some guided support to move through a challenging thought and the associated emotions.
The first step is to recognise and acknowledge that your thought is exactly that,
A thought.
It's something that your mind has generated as it does for thousands of thoughts each day,
However this particular one may be more triggering or emotionally charged.
When you're feeling tired,
Stressed,
Low on energy or overwhelmed,
Your nervous system can become dysregulated.
As a result,
Your logical and rational brain can start to switch off and you may find that you experience irrational or anxious thoughts.
I know these can feel so real and truthful in the moment,
But when you can take a step back and realise that it's just a thought,
You can create some space between the thought and your response to it.
You may even like to say out loud with me now,
This is just a thought.
This is just a thought.
The second step is to then acknowledge that the irrational or anxious thought is likely not based on fact,
But based on your own inner perceptions or insecurities.
There may be factual aspects to your thought,
But generally with anxious thoughts they can be self constructed with little outside supporting evidence that make them a pure fact.
By recognising that your thought isn't factual and is based on your own and possibly inaccurate perceptions,
You can diffuse the power that it holds.
You can further diffuse its power by saying the thought out loud and bringing it out of your head.
You might like to say your thought out loud now and that it isn't factual.
For example,
I'm thinking that my friend is mad at me,
But this is based on my own perceptions and isn't factual.
The third step is to create a pattern interrupt so that you are able to do some more positive thought work to diffuse the difficult thought and its impact on you.
A pattern interrupt is basically anything that allows you to switch your attention out of your head and away from the thought.
Often times,
Anything that can help you ground back into your body or the present moment can support you to stop the spiral of an irrational thought.
This could include jumping on the spot,
Going for a walk,
Drinking a glass of cold water,
Playing some of your favourite music,
Putting on a TV show,
Watching some funny videos on YouTube or taking a shower.
Everybody's different so you just need to find what kind of pattern interrupts work well for you.
Once you've been able to create a pattern interrupt and put some space between yourself and the thought,
You can work on diffusing it further with some positive thought work.
Your fourth step is to gather evidence that debunks or disproves your irrational or anxious thought and requires you to consider the positive aspects or different side of the story that's running through your head.
For example,
In the case of thinking your friend is mad at you.
You may look at her Instagram and notice that she's posting about being run off her feet at work this week.
Or you may look at a recent message from her and notice that the tone was happy and engaging.
Or you may reflect on supportive friendships that you have with other people and how you know you're a kind and loyal friend.
You want to consider alternatives to your thought and aim to build out a case of at least three to five points against it.
This will reduce the negative and anxious charge of the thought and begin to shift your perspective around it.
The fifth and final step is to consider how you can replace the challenging thought with a more positive and helpful thought.
What could you tell yourself that is more supportive right now?
What would you say to your friend,
Partner or child who is coming to you with a similar concern?
For example,
With the case of the friend,
A more positive thought could be,
I'm sure there are good reasons why Sarah hasn't contacted me in a few days or weeks and I'll check in with her tomorrow to see how she's going.
This not only switches the tone and the charge of the thought and situation,
But it also encourages you to take more positive action and not be held back by rumination or anxiety about a thought that may not be factual,
Rational or accurate.
I hope this process is supportive for you to diffuse an irrational,
Anxious or challenging thought and gives you a sense of control in moving through these kinds of thoughts as they pop up in the future.
