are these thoughts normal?
You may have seen that October 10th was World Mental Health Day. While we make an effort to bring attention to and be mindful of our mental health everyday, days like yesterday are always a great reminder to check in with yourself, as well as others.
We reached out to our friends at Breethe, a leading mental wellness & meditation app, for some tips. You might want to break out a pen and paper. The article they shared with us is full of tangible takeaways to help keep your mental health in check.
ARE THESE THOUGHTS NORMAL?
One thing that’s often on our minds when it comes to mental health is that, most of us, at any given time, have sooo many worries swirling around in our minds (you know, like when you have 15 different tabs open on your computer). What’s up with that?
To an extent, this is totally normal. You’re not alone if you’re reading this and nodding your head.
We have a natural tendency to dwell and it’s called rumination.
In order to keep us safe, our brain and nervous system are actually hardwired to dwell on the negative more so than the positive.
But if we’re not careful, rumination can escalate or intensify our worry, anger, or feelings of discontent and we’re left feeling worse than we were in the first place — things become magnified in the mind after playing through it a number of times.
So, how can we stop dwelling and blowing things out of proportion?
Relax — Try Breethe’s “Ruminating Thoughts” guided meditation to relax your mind. Once the mind is in a relaxed state, you can more easily find your way out of sticky, negative thought patterns with the tips below.
Release — It may sound funny, but one way to get rid of a nagging thought is to write it down and actually throw it in the trash, according to a Ohio State University study. Those who wrote down negative thoughts about their bodies and threw them in the trash had a more positive self image after the fact, compared to those who kept the notes. Literally trashing our negative thoughts may, in fact, signal our minds to release it.
Replace —Think about something else that requires concentration. Try reciting your favorite poem or song lyrics the next time you’re obsessing or worrying about something. Or, imagine your next vacation. Where are you going? What fun activities will you be doing? Who will be with you? What new foods will you try?
Reframe — Here’s what we mean...stuck in traffic and thinking about how it’s a waste of time? Try finding the silver lining. Instead, could this be an opportunity to catch up on all of the podcast episodes you just haven’t had time to listen to yet?! Ask yourself if you can reframe the situation and look at things from a different perspective.
Try the ‘4 Rs’ and let us know how it works for you!
If you found these tips helpful and you’re looking for more support, Breethe is offering the Rhone Community a 30% discount on any of its memberships. (expires 1/1/22)
This will give you full access to all of Breethe’s content which has been created and tested by professionals “to create the most effective and supportive experience” for those wanting to relax, de-stress, and sleep better.
Learn more about Breethe and all of the different ways you can support your own mental health.