Post 2: Anxiety Relief - Stop the Thought Swirl
The swirl won't stop
Is it happening again? How long has it been going on? An hour, all day, several days? Is it making a repeat performance from long ago? Thought swirls can happen at any time from a variety of triggers. It starts with one thought that the brain grabs onto and starts to analyze. This analysis typically yields several theories which have their own analysis. Your brain may start to show you all of the reasons something has happened or why someone acted the way they did. Has your brain ever created full conversations between you and another person? How did that go? Was it a funny or romantic conversation? Or was it full of contention and strife? These conversations often branch out into more thought swirls about the conversation that never actually happened in real life. All of this thought swirl can leave you emotionally exhausted, disconnected from the present moment, and feeling physical pain such a tight chest, sore arms and a headache.
How to get a reprieve
There are countless articles, books, apps and painted signs that advise you to just breathe to become present and mindful. If your thought swirls are as strong as mine, the breathing exercises are not enough to harness the power of your brain. I learned another technique that was much more effective.
Get Grounded in the Present Moment with Your Senses
This exercise redirects your brain to something else and gives it work to do. By using our current location, it helps anchor us to the present moment. In the present moment, you are safe and reality is neutral, it just is.
Our brains are amazing multitaskers. At the beginning, the thought swirl will continue at the same time as this exercise. Over the course of about 5 minutes, your brain will shift its focus to just the exercise. This will give you a reprieve from the thought swirl. The length of the reprieve will be different each time depending on the circumstances. You can repeat this exercise as often as you need.
1. From your current location, use one or more of your senses to observe something.
- Touch ---your hair, your shirt, the couch, the car steering wheel, a blanket, a toy, etc.
- Smell---your hair, tea, coffee, a plant, the air, etc.
- See---another person, a tree, artwork on the wall, YouTube Video of moving water, etc.
- Hear---sounds outside, the air conditioning, a fish tank, the refrigerator, etc.
- Taste---various teas, combination flavor items, etc. note: this is not eating, this is tasting
2. Observe and describe at least 5 attributes
- Describe it to yourself in your head
- Describe it verbally
- Write down your descriptions
I have found that having an action like talking or writing helps speed up the brain redirection.
3. Repeat the process on another object. Keep finding new objects to observe and describe until you feel the thought swirl is gone.
4. Ask yourself where you are and what you are doing. Remind yourself that you are safe.
Real Life Examples
Example 1: Passenger in a car
- I feel the arm rest. It is grey and smooth. It feels cold to the touch because the A/C is blowing on it. It has little tiny holes in the fabric. The stitching is even. The color of the thread is a pretty close match to the fabric. I like the curve of the part I can hold onto. I appreciate there is a space that my phone can fit in. When I rub my hand back and forth gently on it, my fingers kind of tingle. The tingle goes up into my wrist. It makes me imagine champagne bubbles in a glass. I'm amused. I like champagne bubbles. "Tiny Bubbles, in my glass..."
- Where am I? I am in a car as a passenger. The car is driving down the road. The car is working. I am safe. Nothing is happening to me right now.
Example 2: I found a stuffed animal made with many different fabrics
- I feel the horn. It is rough. The fabric has raised lines and grooves. It feels kind of scratchy. It has stuffing inside the horn. It is sturdy but it can still move.
- I feel the end of the tail. It is made of little strings. Each string is a different color. I see peach, yellow, pink, blue, aqua and gold strings. The stings are really soft. They feel fluttery against my cheek. I can smooth them out or run my fingers through them.
- I feel the rest of the tail. It is white and made of fleece. It does not have stuffing. It is a tube of fabric that can lay flat.
- I look at the body. It is the same material as the tail. It is white and made of fleece. The body is so soft. I can hug this animal. I feel kinda silly hugging a stuffed animal as an adult. But, it feels good, safe and comforting.
- I look at the belly. It has a patch of floral fabric sewn on. It has pretty stitching holding it onto the body. The stitching is really tight which seems to be causing the stitching to look shiny.
- I look at the eyes. They are embroidered with black thread. The eyes are kind of small. The face is precious and makes me smile. Sweet animal.
- Where am I? I am sitting on a bed in a room by myself. I am hugging a stuffed animal. I am safe. There is no activity around me and everything is quiet. Wow, it is quiet.
Now what?
Now that your brain has quieted, it might be tempting to fill it. Give yourself a break. I know we are all overachievers. But, this is your time to refill your Survival Lamp. If you find your brain starting to grab some new thoughts, stop it in its tracks by looking at the object you described. It will anchor you. Look around at your surroundings. It's funny how looking around at the walls in the room can make you feel so surprised. You really are just sitting there in a room. Isn't it amazing how your brain can visualize so strongly that you feel that you are somewhere else? But, really, you are sitting in a room, safe, with nothing happening. Now you can breathe.
Need More Help?
I am pleased to offer a free online course to you:
Free Yourself from Anxiety with Mindset Management
Note: This blog, written by Gretchen Hernandez, originally appeared on introspectionsolutions.com in 2018
Author
Gretchen Hernandez
Author
On a mission to help people stop suffering, Gretchen started writing a blog in the summer of 2018. Using some wit and real life examples from her life and her clients', Gretchen strives to create posts that are engaging and actionable.
