The way we do this is sometimes called “grounding”. We want to redirect our thoughts and feelings to the truth of the present, where we feel safe and in control. Some easy-to-learn mindful strategies that might help will include both body (somatic) and cognitive anchoring techniques. And it is time to rewire the circuitry in our brains. But when these thoughts become all-consuming, what once was a supportive form of self awareness and protection becomes the trigger for our current limitations and unhealthy fixations. There are all sorts of reasons why these ruminating patterns initially develop – past trauma or hurt in our life, a lack of self esteem/trust in our own ability, moments of failure and regret, etc. (This concept is explained by Hebbs Law – “neurons that fire together, wire together”). The more we focus on the past/future thoughts, the stronger the unhealthy loops become. Mindfulness is the ability to concentrate on the “now” in a factual (but non-judgmental) way. The short answer for how you can quiet these unhelpful thought patterns is to find ways to recenter your focus on the present. These thought patterns can drag us into pits of anxiety, stress and depression instead of calm – ironically causing the very results that we were hoping to avoid in the first place. So instead of being a brief moment of reflection to help us grow and be more prepared for something new, this reminiscing and anticipating often leads us into a spiral of greater helplessness and overwhelm.
And our thoughts connect to emotion in these moments, usually through a judgmental (and negative) lens.
There is literally an endless possibility of scenarios that will run through our minds the more we over-think a past or future event. But this advancement can be a curse when our attention is so largely on things that cannot be changed or that may never happen. Human beings are the only species whose brain functioning has evolved enough to allow these future/past focused thought patterns to happen. They pull our attention away from our current reality (the present moment), which is usually where our focus is needed if we truly want to feel content and safe. Both of these types of repetitive thought processes require a great deal of energy and are quite draining. We call these reflectionary patterns, and they are usually our brain’s way of critically replaying the things we already did or said, so we can learn and adapt for the next time. And there are thoughts that focus on what has already happened in the past. We call these anticipatory patterns, and they are usually our brain’s way of trying to predict the “what-ifs” of what might be coming, so we can feel more prepared or secure. There are thoughts that focus on what might happen at some point in the future. Two common thinking themes tend to hijack many of our brains. It can be the brain’s attempt to try to find ways to protect us and to feel in control, through understanding and planning.
When our thoughts get stuck in a repetitive looping cycle, we sometimes call this rumination. How can I quiet the thoughts? Signed: Racing Thoughts It keeps me awake at night, and distracts me during the day. My mind races a lot, and it creates a great deal of worry and stress for me. OctoKim Silverthorn Racing Thoughts Dear Tacit,
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