Yes, we all do it. Worrying about the future or ruminating over the past.
What if 'insert really bad thing here' happens, how will I cope?
Or why did I say 'insert really stupid comment here', what must they be thinking of me?
Using our good friend google to come up with ideas for managing negative thinking, or eliminating it completely, will bring up lots of strategies that you can try. And many of these will work. However, I'd like to share one of my favourites with you as I think it's simple, quick and effective enough to quieten down those negative thoughts when they are stopping you from doing something else. In my case, this is usually sleeping. Or getting back to sleep when I annoyingly wake up at 5am.
It's the "helpful or harmful" question.
When I ask myself whether these thoughts are helpful or harmful, this allows me to press pause on those thoughts (this engages my thinking brain, which is what's needed to stop the primitive part of my brain running at 100mph without pausing for breath, loving its negative thinking and leading me down a path to never getting back to sleep).
The answer is always - harmful. Then I have my go-to happy and calming memory ready to go, so my brain can focus on that instead.
Word of advice: It's worth having this memory prepared before hand, when you're feeling calm and relaxed, as thinking of one in the moment isn't always easy.
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