Struggling
You’re Aware of your thoughts, but still Attached to them
Step 2: Detaching from unhelpful thoughts
When you can notice your thoughts, especially the unhelpful ones, you’ll also be aware that you’re probably ‘attached’ to them. You may take your thoughts very seriously or even feel that they’re part of who you are. That’s fine - to be aware of it is a big step. You can then learn to detach yourself from these unhelpful thoughts later.
If you feel that 'you are your thoughts’, you’re not alone. It’s a common belief that when you’re so attached to your thoughts, that they seems to be part of who you actually are. When they are negative thoughts, this can be particularly harmful.
So how do you detach from your thoughts?
Thought Management can help you detach from your thoughts, and show you ways to let them go.
There are several ways you can detach from your thoughts, and even thought they are simple in theory, the practice isn’t necessarily easy.
Here’s one way that you can try to release yourself from your thoughts.
Once you’re Aware of a thought, and named it (see Step 1 on the previous page) , the next thing to do is:
Step 2 : Breathe.
Breathe deep into your body, dive deep, as if you’re moving away from the unhelpful chatter in your head and diving down away from it.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. A big one.
Fill your lungs with air and focus on what’s happening in your body as you breath in and out.
Do this a few times and see if you can feel the difference in your body.
There are other breathing techniques that you can use too. See what works best for you.
Once you’ve taken a few deep breaths and come into your body (and away from your mind), the next thing to do is connect with what’s happening around you…
Step 3: Connect with Reality
Open your eyes and take a good look around at what’s happening around you.
Notice what people are doing, or saying, or just look at the space around you.
Don’t overlay any judgement as to why it’s happening. Just watch what’s happening around you right now.
Just observe what’s going on in your environment, and notice what’s happening right now. Do this without the judgement of your thoughts getting in the way, and stay as present as you can in the moment.
If it doesn’t work for you, that’s perfectly ok. The fact that you’ve tried at all, is a massive step towards stresslessness. Keep trying until you feel a change. Have a go in different situations, especially low risk, where there’s less pressure. There are other approaches you can use that will be covered in the blog, which you can sign up for below.
These 3 steps will help you get some space between you and your thoughts, so you can detach from them.
It’s not easy, this takes time and it going against what your mind has been used to all your life. So be kind to yourself if it doesn’t happen straight away. Come back to it another time, and try again then.
Remember it’s always best to start your practice in low risk situations. Don’t wait for a really big challenge to try a new process like this. Start with a small issue, maybe you get splashed by a car going by, or someone cuts you off in traffic.
Summary
This is one approach to notice and detach from your thoughts, and (there are others)
It’s simple in it’s approach but isn’t always going to be easy.
1) Awareness of your thoughts - notice and name them.
2) Breathe deeply and dive deep into your body
3) Connect back to reality.
To learn more about how to detach from unhelpful thoughts, I will be sharing techniques and tools, so make sure you’re subscribed using the link below to stay updated and you’ll receive them direct to your inbox.