Throughout September FD Consultants want to highlight the impact of negative thinking, which often gets activated when we are stressed. In this week’s blog we look at a cognitive therapy (When we’re feeling distressed about something or going through a difficult emotional experience it can feel like our thoughts are running out of control. Our minds start racing and we find ourselves dwelling in the past and worrying about the future. When we’re feeling distressed about something or going through a difficult emotional experience it can feel like our thoughts are running out of control. Our minds start racing and we find ourselves dwelling in the past and worrying about the future. At times, our thoughts can become so powerful and consuming that it is difficult to focus on anything else. Reading, being productive at work, or even just carrying on a conversation seems impossible. The thoughts become so persistent that nothing can distract us from them and nothing else can hold our attention, and it can feel like there isn’t anything we can do to slow down these thoughts or get some peace of mind. Because it is natural to want thoughts like these to go away and to have some control over what is going on inside our heads, we often wind up trying to will these thoughts away and shut them out completely. But just like we cannot control our emotions, nor suppress our emotions, neither can we control or suppress our thoughts. Usually the more we fight our thoughts and try to block them out or force them to go away, the stronger we make them and the more resolute they become. However, when our thoughts start racing, we get stuck ruminating, or we just cannot quiet down our minds, there are a few strategies we use to calm our thinking. A cognitive therapy (CBT) approach to calming our thoughts entails examining and challenging the thoughts we are having to find some alternative ways of thinking about the situation. This can involve things such as positive reappraisal; or reframing a negative event in a more positive light; or putting things into perspective and considering the negative event or emotion in a broader context that makes it easier to manage. In cognitive therapy we learn to assess negative thoughts when they arise, rather than taking them for granted as being true, and considering if there might be other ways of looking at a situation. Asking yourself some of the following questions, grouped below into three categories, can help you to reframe a distressing situation and see it in a different light. By taking the time to ask these questions, you can disrupt the thinking-in-circles pattern that typically occurs when we allow negative thinking to go unchallenged. Asking these questions gives you the opportunity to step back from your thoughts a little, slow down your mind, and consider things from a fresher and calmer perspective. What are the facts?
Are there any other possible explanations?
What can I do to help me deal with the situation?
Once you are able to gain a broader perspective, things tend not to be as overwhelming, your mind quiets down, and you can start to see things more clearly. Once you have some clarity, then you can find concrete ways to deal with whatever is troubling you. Often it helps to write out your answers to these questions, as writing thoughts down helps get them out of your head and slow down your mind. And seeing the answers written out in front of you can make them sink in and seem more real than if they are just more thoughts added to whatever is going on in your mind already. This technique can be particularly helpful when you’re worrying a lot. For organisations looking for employee psychological support, FD Consultants are the trauma specialists and well-being service who will best deliver a reliable, quick, and bespoke support system in the workplace. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly. Please do contact us at [email protected] if you require our psychological support services, either as an individual or organisation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
CONTACTArchives
April 2022
Categories
All
|