Where you can relax. How to distract yourself from sad thoughts that everything is very, very bad? Method “Counting Sheep”
Each of us has situations in life when we are overcome by negative emotions and sad thoughts, which further aggravate an already bad mood. It is in such a situation that the question of how to distract from bad thoughts and return to normal life arises. Psychologists advise first to comprehend and analyze the situation, to understand what exactly led to the current situation.
How to distract yourself from sad thoughts?
The problem of a negative emotional state, as a rule, has clear reasons that we unconsciously push away from ourselves. Most often they are caused by fear, anxiety, uncertainty about the future, these form prolonged stress. How to distract yourself from these negative thoughts and worries, because once you let fear in, it is very difficult to get rid of it.
When asked how to distract yourself from obsessive thoughts, experts advise:
- If a person experiences constant fear and anxiety, it is necessary to imagine a situation in which all his fears came true. We need to ask ourselves the question: “What will happen if my fear comes true?” In most cases, this helps to realize that life does not end there. For example, a person is afraid of being fired, imagined that this has already happened, and his thoughts have already turned towards solving the problem, that is, searching new job or alternative income.
- Reassessment of values is an important step in the fight against bad thoughts. It’s enough just to calm down and write down all life values and priorities in descending order. Put it aside for an hour or two, and then look at this list again. And it turns out that the health of loved ones is more important than the loss of a job, the happiness of a child, more important than love disappointment.
Practical advice on how to distract yourself from sad thoughts offered by psychologists.
Negative thoughts, how to distract yourself? A person is what he thinks. In this article we will talk about how to distract yourself from negative thoughts. Here you will find the most effective ways to cope with obsessive thoughts that poison our lives.
Every person has periods in life when he is sucked into the abyss of negative thoughts, which sometimes turn into obsessive ones. We replay them in our heads over and over again. This poisons our lives, our mood deteriorates, we fall into depression and despair. Life becomes unbearable, devoid of joy.
An obsessive thought, like a projection of your fantasy.
We all know that thought is material. What always happens to us is what we think about, what we fear most. And when we get stuck in negative thoughts, life turns completely black.
Before we talk about how to overcome such thoughts, let's first understand why this happens to us. Why do we get hung up on bad thoughts and can't just let it go?
Obsessive negative thoughts are a kind of bad habit. A person understands that it is harmful to his health, but cannot get rid of it. Obsessive thoughts can bother a person for several days, and sometimes months. These may be certain fears, grievances, experiences, painful memories.
But what’s most interesting is that when time passes and these thoughts disappear, the person realizes that these thoughts did not pose any threat to him. Often, after a while a person realizes that the thoughts that have been poisoning his life for a long time are just dust and shouldn’t even be thought about.
Negative obsessive thoughts arise in a person’s mind involuntarily, against his will. A person is aware of pain, these thoughts are accompanied by depression and anxiety.
Causes of obsessive thoughts:
- Most often, the cause of obsessive thoughts is stress. No matter how a person tries to forget a difficult situation, it is still reproduced in the memory again and again.
- Obsessive thoughts can arise as a consequence of psychological trauma.
- The cause may be severe fatigue and exhaustion of the nervous system.
Negative thoughts: how to distract yourself?
“You need not to get rid of thoughts, but to direct your attention to them: what they are about, immerse yourself in them and find the reason from which they come. Perhaps this is some event in your life that gives rise to fear in you... You need to figure out the reason. And then the “bad thoughts” will go away on their own.”
D. Krok Freeskiing
- Give yourself compliments, praise yourself. As soon as a negative thought comes to you, start saying the phrase in your head: “Shut up immediately.” Then start complimenting yourself. This is the method of psychologist V.K. Nevyarovich, who described this method in the book “Soul Therapy”.
- Helps you take your mind off negative thoughts the right attitude. Always say confidently: I can! I can do it!
- Relaxation will help you take your mind off bad thoughts. You need to relax your body and have fun. Our body immediately reacts to negative thoughts. Wrinkles appear, the corners of our lips droop, we look 5 years older. Go for a massage, take a bath with aromatic oils, visit a beauty salon, go to the pool, get some sleep. Yoga and meditation will help you with this.
- You can get rid of bad thoughts if you throw them out. Don't hold back your emotions, cry, shout out, or talk to a person you trust. In the process of talking through the problem, many things become clear and resolve themselves.
- You can write down all your negative thoughts on paper and burn them. This is a kind of ritual of cleansing and letting go of the situation.
- Imagine your thoughts very small. Squeeze them in your fist so hard that they crumble and scatter them in the wind.
- The nature of the problem needs to be established. Analyze when problems with negative and obsessive thoughts began. You must clearly understand what is happening to you. There are no hopeless situations and your emotional state can be changed. Some people have been haunted by negative thoughts since childhood; this develops in them a general negative attitude towards themselves and the world around them.
- To get rid of negative thoughts, you need to recognize your fears. Often your fears are instilled in you by your parents or others. You may have often been told: “You are a failure, you are poor, you have no talent, etc.” Such phrases sit in a person’s head, he begins to believe and feel in them and behave accordingly. To get rid of this kind of thoughts, you need to write down all your achievements and joys, even the smallest ones. This will show you what you really are and distract you from the bad thoughts in your head.
- The main cause of obsessive thoughts is anxiety. People worry all the time about everything. These thoughts are exhausting, although often there is no real reason for concern. In this case, it is necessary to control the obsession, this means not talking about it, not allowing yourself to think about bad things. You can distract yourself from negative obsessive thoughts if you do something important, start singing or repeating the multiplication table in your mind.
- The main reason for negative thoughts is the inability to be in the present moment. We can only worry when we think about the future and we are only upset by what has already happened, that is, the past. Therefore, in order to distract yourself from bad, restless thoughts, you need to not think about the future. Believing in yourself and having a positive attitude will help you take your mind off any negative thoughts.
- Controlling your thoughts will help you not only to distract yourself from them, but also to get rid of them forever. You must understand that only you can help yourself. Write down on paper your greatest fear and what will happen if it comes true. For example, I won't be able to pay off my loan. What will happen? They will start calling and threatening. What will I do? I'll contact a specialist. Which will restructure the loan. What if they go to court? In this case, they will break the loan into parts, and it will be easier for me to repay it. Any problem can be analyzed and analyzed this way. Then it won’t seem so scary, because there is a way out of any situation.
- Repeat the phrase in your head: “Everything passes and this will pass.”
- Learn to correctly understand life priorities. There is nothing more important and valuable than your life. Everything else is dust that will dissipate and be forgotten.
- Never compare yourself to others! You have your own life and your own life mission. You can gain experience by example. successful people, but don’t try on their life. Envy is a source of obsessive dark thoughts.
- Don't get stuck in the past! You must love and forgive yourself. It is no longer possible to change what happened, so why torture yourself. There is no need to remember failures. Concentrate better on what you can do.
- Learn to control your emotions. You need to accept the situation in a neutral way, then any thought is perceived simply as food for thought. You yourself color situations with your emotions.
- Learn to forgive yourself and your loved ones. If you received negative attitudes from your parents, you must understand that they simply did not know how to live differently.
- To distract yourself from bad thoughts, keep yourself busy interesting project. You can draw pictures, start writing a book, develop a business plan. When a person is busy with something interesting, he does not have time to think about bad things.
- Write plans for the future. Write down point by point what you want to do a month in advance. Planning will help you get rid of constant worry and take your mind off negative thoughts.
- Psychologists recommend punishing yourself every time a bad thought comes to you. For example, put a rubber band on your hand and when a bad thought appears, pull it back and hit yourself with the rubber band on your hand. It sounds crazy, but our brain begins to understand that a negative thought will be punished, and such thoughts will be reduced less and less often.
- Accepting a thought means ceasing to fight it. Learn not to drive away thoughts, but to find positive sides your problem.
- When negative thoughts overwhelm you, remember a time when you were happy. Keep this picture in your head and reproduce it every time a bad thought appears.
- Think about it, maybe you have a secondary benefit from obsessive thoughts. For example, by constantly thinking about one situation, you avoid thinking about something else. Perhaps there are problems that are more important to you, but you are afraid to think about them. We need to recognize this disguise.
- Very often, obsessive negative thoughts are the reason to consider yourself unhappy and this relieves you of some responsibilities. For example, a person believes that he cannot find a job until he gets rid of obsessive thoughts. This is a secondary benefit. Intrusive thoughts are an excuse. In fact, a person simply does not want to look for a job.
- Obsessive thoughts cause a lot of stress, so to cope with them, you need to learn to relax with every cell of your body. Meditation for relaxation will help you best.
- If you believe in God, prayer for protection from bad thoughts will help you cope with a bad mood and relieve despondency. Take good care of your soul. Take care of spiritual purity, because any thought is material and it is the first step towards the abyss. Words of prayer have enormous healing power. Whenever you feel a negative thought overpowering you, pray.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to work through, get rid of, or distract yourself from negative thoughts. The most important thing is to have desire and faith in yourself. If you cannot distract yourself from negative thoughts on your own, visit a psychotherapist.
“Stop whining”, “Pull yourself together”, “Smile”, “Many people are much less fortunate than you”, “Just forget about it”, “Keep it simple”... All these countless phrases are uttered by the people around you, seemingly with the most friendly intentions. It’s as if depression and anxious ideas will leave your head with the wave of a magic wand. As if these phrases will solve all problems. Some people who advise how to escape from bad thoughts often have false ideas about the recipients of their parting words. They tend to consider depression a common whim.
Are there any chances of winning the fight against negative thinking?
If everything were as simple as these advisers think, then pessimists would not exist in principle - after all, who is capable of consciously choosing suffering for themselves? Even if this happens, then, most likely, such a person simply wants to get rid of even more fear and pain.Nowadays, almost everyone has heard about the importance of techniques such as meditation, physical exercise, relaxation and staying in the “here and now”. The catch is this: all of these practices are a challenge that is almost impossible to take on when feeling anxious or depressed.
However, there are ways that once again prove a simple truth. People who often suffer from negative thoughts must have much greater willpower compared to those who are simply generous with " useful tips" After all, fighting depression requires a lot of self-control. The basis for the use of these methods is the skill of switching attention and concentrating it on a certain type of mental activity.
Evolutionary functions of the brain
To understand how focusing on solving, for example, logarithmic equations can help overcome depression, it is necessary to dwell a little on the structure of the human brain. The fact is that, according to one of the theories belonging to the American researcher Paul MacLean, it has three sections. They differ in the time of formation, and perform different functions.
The oldest part of the human brain has been figuratively called the “reptile brain.” Its function is to implement a program of behavior in a life- or health-threatening situation. This reaction, as in all living organisms, can be of two types: to flee or to fight.
The next part that was formed during evolution is called the “mammal brain.” She is responsible for emotions and feelings, as well as for receiving pleasure.
And finally, the pinnacle of evolution is the neocortex - the part that, in fact, distinguishes humans from animals. This part of the brain is responsible for logical analysis, abstract thinking and other operations unique to Homo Sapiens.
The Human Brain and Anxiety
All three of these brains are equally necessary for a person - it cannot be said, for example, that the reptile brain is less important than the human brain. After all, if he did not fulfill his function, a person would not be afraid of obvious threats to life and would not take the necessary measures in a truly emergency situation. But the fact is that over millions of years of evolution, the reptile’s brain is so accustomed to reacting in a stereotyped manner, within the framework of the “fight or flight” instruction, that it often cannot distinguish fiction from reality. The more pronounced the state of anxiety or aggression, the stronger the influence of the “reptile brain” on a person.
To figure out how to get rid of bad thoughts in your head, you must first understand the mechanism of action of various parts of the brain. Having arisen at different times, they correspond to different levels of development of living beings. In order not to turn into an animal limited in its consciousness, it is necessary to use such a tool as distraction.
Distraction methods
How can I do that? Let's look at several ways that will help, in times of anxiety or worry, to transfer the “reins of power” from the reptilian brain to the conscious and thinking part that every person possesses.
- Firstly, it can be performing simple mathematical operations in the mind: for example, multiplying the first two numbers that catch your eye. You can distract yourself by remembering your friends’ birthdays or the brands of their cars;
- Next, you can list five professions starting with the same letter. It could also be a listing of five flowers or plants, favorite foods, fruits. Try to remember five luminous objects, or five things with a soft surface. By the time you do several of these exercises in a row, the negative ones will have lost most of their power;
- Try to take a good photo. It could be something from your surroundings, or even a selfie. Not only will the act of taking a photo help you take your mind off things, but the photo itself can have a calming effect.
I already answered a similar question, but the person there was “infuriated by everything.” However, the roots are the same, so you can duplicate them:
Obviously, the root of the problem is in the internal state, and it often changes with the help of changes in the immediate environment.
It’s not for nothing that the protagonist of the popular film about a man who drank a magic pill that made his brain work to its full potential began with a general cleaning of his house, and only after that he began to earn millions in stock trading.
Change all the world in the direction we want is impossible, but we can organize for ourselves a kind of mental brig, on which we can surf the surrounding reality with comfort and without fear.
What will you need:
1) The ship should not be ashamed to appear in the harbor. The reflection in the mirror should not cause rejection. You’ve been stuck in depression for several days, and it’s kind of scary to look at yourself. I got myself in order, and, it seems, it’s somehow more fun.
2) Order on board. Lud and clothes scattered in chaos throughout the house are like cabin boys out of place. When you, captain, walk along the deck, where everything is clear and in its place, the bowl of frozen porridge is no longer on the floor near the bed, but washed, in the kitchen, a slight reassurance will appear that, they say, everything is clear, you are ready to move on. For me personally, trash talk at home creates mental discomfort. And you don’t want to crawl out of the pigsty, because it’s like you’re coming out of there with its patina on you. For obvious reasons, I don’t feel like going back either. Again - a blow to the mood.
3) Before sailing, it is worth running all the systems in order to tighten the sails, drag the cannonballs to the cannons, and warm up the rowers with a burning whip. When everything is working and boiling, it just pulls you into motion. Sport is known to be an excellent antidepressant. Our mood is determined not by blue curtains and rain outside the window, but by hormones from the thyroid gland. Physical activity allows this useful gland to go to waste, and not only the body, but also the head is activated. Self-confidence, cheerfulness and a desire for achievement are good companions.
4) Raise the anchor. Everything is very simple here: small, long-postponed tasks suffocate, gnaw and upset. Completing them is an excellent anti-stress, encouraging you to enthusiastically find a bunch of new challenges, the final implementation of which can then be put off for another couple of months until tomorrow.
In general, this is a common problem. Mine included.
It presses in your temples, almost any contact irritates you, the barking of a dog on the street makes you bury yourself under your crumpled blanket with gritting teeth, you want to throw a dirty mug at your friends who invite you to have fun.
As a result, you come to the realization that you are simply buried too deep. And it’s hard to breathe, and the sun, if you get out, hurts your eyes. But all you need to do is let your eyes get used to it, become active, start up again. Then the world around will suddenly become friendlier, although it hasn’t changed much.
Outside the home is more difficult. Somewhere at work, a client seems to specifically want to jerk you off completely, even though he is adequate, if you analyze it. “Are you beeping, you idiot?”, the line at the store is too long, and so on. In this case, it’s better to stock up on some wine or beer, get home, put your home in at least visual order, rejoice at how great you are, reward yourself with a couple of bottles of foam, pass out and start the next day properly.
Oh, and don’t forget to put a couple of glycine tablets under your tongue)
Personally, I’ve been on these recipes for about 4 years now.” adult life"I'm surviving.
Maybe you'll have a blast too.
How to escape from problems? Often, when we are at home, with our family, or trying to sleep, a heap of thoughts continues to spin in our heads: “Do this, then that...”, “Call tomorrow...”, “What should we do?” etc. Quite often this prevents us from living fully, communicating with loved ones, and finally deprives us of sleep. Today I will talk about how to get all this husk out of your head.
It's quite easy to put other people's problems out of your head, for example, if they are work-related. I left work and forgot until the next day. However, what if the problems are ours? If they concern our business? What if they concern our property? If they concern our personal life? It is not so easy to get distracted here, although we are aware of such a need.
Methods of distraction from problems
Write down the problem
It may seem strange, but often problems are in our heads only because we are afraid to forget them. To remove this fear, we need to record the task on paper or in some other way.
The method works better if next to the recorded problem we mark what we will do when the time comes to solve this problem. The action plan is very reassuring.
Why does this help? The fact is that our minds can only accommodate so many tasks at once. Psychologists have even calculated how much (7±2). This means that if the problem contains more components, it is very difficult for us to “settle” it in our heads. We begin to consider one part of it, then another, forgetting the previous conclusions. Thus, we get into a “cycle”, our thoughts become looped, and we make useless mental efforts.
On paper, everything is clear, you can fit as many elements as you like, and most importantly, the paper doesn’t forget.
Take it out of context
This method helps a lot if bad thoughts keep you from falling asleep. It requires imagination.
The fact is that all our problems and experiences are clearly tied in time. A man lies and thinks: “Here I am, now is such and such a date, and now I have problems “A”, “B”, etc.” But fortunately, our mind can easily travel back in time to a place where there were no problems. It is important not to overuse this method and only use it to fall asleep.
To do this, you need to remember when you felt good. When you fell asleep the same way, but thought, “Actually, everything is fine with me.” But at the same time, this must be a situation some time in the past when you really wanted to sleep.
You can also change the way you think about yourself. For example, you can imagine that you are an eagle, flying above the earth and looking down.
The most important thing in this method is to immerse yourself in the sensations. The sensations should be monotonous. For example, if you imagine that you are an eagle, imagine air pressure on your wings. Or, if you are remembering the past, try to imagine the bodily sensations then, in the past.
“Catch a thought” method.
It also helps with falling asleep. Imagine having the equivalent of windshield wipers in your mind, like a car's windshield. Try to imagine that they can sweep away thoughts and images and sounds.
Now you can play. When you catch yourself thinking about any thought, imagine that it flies away somewhere to the side.
This is quite difficult and requires practice.
Humble yourself
This method is also for falling asleep. When nothing helps and problems still creep into your head, you can try telling yourself the following: “okay, let everything go to hell, but I’ll sleep now.” Trouble may be inevitable, but you have 8 hours (or however much sleep you have left) of peace.Right now everything is fine.Enjoy it.
Method “Counting Sheep”
I think many people have tried this method and found that it doesn't work. In fact, this method is extremely effective, but we are simply using it incorrectly.
Here's the thing. How many people have had to count sheep in modern world? Many people have only seen sheep in cartoons.
Try counting something more everyday, like loose change or cars.
That's all. Good luck!
P.S. Same the best way distraction is a sport.