Contents
- 1. Ask yourself if such thoughts are productive.
- 2. Look at the situation from the outside
- 3. Schedule according to biological rhythms
- 4. Focus on sensations
- 5. Give up the pursuit of the ideal
- 6. Accept what you can’t change
- 7. Accept that you cannot predict or control the future.
- 8. Move more
- 9. Realize that you don’t have to understand everything
- 10. Repeat phrases that help you focus and calm down.
- 11. Solve one problem at a time
- 12. Acknowledge the problem, focus on the solution
- 13. Think about what you are depriving yourself of because of fantasies or loops.
- 14. Think about what obsessive thoughts are saving you from.
- 15. Ask yourself what is in your power and what is not.
- 16. Set aside time for worries
- 17. Develop mindfulness
- 18. Practice deep abdominal breathing.
- 19. Take improv lessons
- 20. Help others
Do you often concentrate on the current moment and give your brain a break from unnecessary thoughts? Or do you constantly worry about the past, worry about the future and drift off into a fantasy world? We give tips that will help get rid of annoying thoughts and focus on the present.
Many of us replay conversations that have already taken place in our heads: “Why did he say that?”, “I made a complete fool of myself!”, “That’s what should have been answered …”
Maybe you’re worried about an upcoming meeting at work, a weekend party, or filing your tax return: “How will my presentation go?” “What if an ex comes to the party?” fill out a declaration?
Deep down we know that such thoughts only harm, but their whirlpool continues to pull us in. If you are facing a similar problem, one of the techniques can help you.
1. Ask yourself if such thoughts are productive.
Would another “mental rehearsal” for your upcoming meeting with your boss help you? Maybe it’s time to admit that you have already prepared enough, and you need to trust your intuition?
2. Look at the situation from the outside
Will the case that you constantly replay in your head be important in five years, or are you exaggerating its significance?
3. Schedule according to biological rhythms
When are you usually at your best physically, mentally, and emotionally? If you find it easiest to concentrate in the morning, try to use this time to deal with complex projects: in the afternoon, they may seem overwhelming to you. If you are full of energy in the evening, plan important meetings and tasks for the afternoon.
4. Focus on sensations
What are you hearing, seeing, touching, smelling and tasting right now? Focusing on the sensations will help bring you back to the present moment.
5. Give up the pursuit of the ideal
None of us are perfect and can never be. We are constantly changing, developing, but we will never know everything in the world. Instead, the acquired knowledge and information should be used as efficiently as possible.
6. Accept what you can’t change
Maybe things didn’t work out the way you wanted. Maybe you yourself made a mistake. Learn from the situation and forget about it. Don’t let the past distract from the present.
7. Accept that you cannot predict or control the future.
Worries and worries about the future will surely spoil the present.
8. Move more
Take a walk around the area or walk down the corridor once again, go for a run or ride a bike.
9. Realize that you don’t have to understand everything
To change a habit, you don’t need to understand why you picked it up. Sometimes introspection is helpful, but often it becomes a convenient excuse for not doing something you don’t feel like doing.
10. Repeat phrases that help you focus and calm down.
Tell yourself: “I can handle this”, “Relax!”, “Live in the moment”, “Deal with problems as they come”, “It’s okay, I’m safe”. You can also count to ten, exhaling at each count.
11. Solve one problem at a time
How often do you talk on the phone while driving, cooking dinner or surfing the Net? You’re dividing your attention between multiple tasks, which leads to information overload, which in turn causes anxiety and looping. Learn to focus on one thing.
12. Acknowledge the problem, focus on the solution
Think about the optimal outcome instead of worrying about everything that could go wrong.
13. Think about what you are depriving yourself of because of fantasies or loops.
Due to constant worrying, you deprive yourself of the state of flow and cannot enjoy the present moment.
14. Think about what obsessive thoughts are saving you from.
Maybe your mental exercises distract you from unpleasant feelings and discoveries? If this is the case, find out what you are trying to protect yourself from. Are you missing out on a lot?
15. Ask yourself what is in your power and what is not.
Focus on what you can change: your attitude to the situation, behavior, decisions. Of course, the actions of other people can hurt you, but they are free to do as they want. Also, you cannot change the past, but you can draw conclusions from it. We cannot predict the future, but we can prepare for it.
16. Set aside time for worries
If you decide that the situation really deserves careful consideration, make an appointment with yourself. At the appointed time, set a timer – for example, for 15 or 30 minutes. During this time, worry and worry. Take notes if necessary. If the allotted time is not enough, schedule another meeting and postpone the experience until this moment.
17. Develop mindfulness
Learn to be in the current moment, not making judgments, to notice thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations, while maintaining the position of an observer.
18. Practice deep abdominal breathing.
It helps to relax and focus on the present moment.
19. Take improv lessons
Spontaneity and creativity are qualities that are very useful in life.
20. Help others
When we turn our attention and thoughts to another person or a new business, we are distracted from our own problems and begin to concentrate on the present.
About the author: Rachel Finzi is a psychotherapist at the University of California, Los Angeles.