Negative Mind Chatter Can Stress us Out and Exhaust us
Thoughts are sneaky. They’re bombarding our consciousness all the time and we don’t even notice. It’s like living in a busy city whose noise is so familiar we don’t hear it anymore. Cars. People. Construction. Sirens. Imagine carrying around a huge, heavy backpack filled with things we don’t need or enjoy. We carry it for so long we forget it’s even there, and yet we wonder why our body is achy and tired.
Our incessant thoughts are like that – taking up so much of our vital energy – leaving us stressed out and exhausted. I’m not referring to the kind of thoughts used to solve a problem or contemplate beauty. I’m talking about the unintentional thoughts that seem to sweep us away, enticing us to worry about the future or regret the past. For many of us, those worrisome and regretful thoughts take up a good deal of our mental space. And they don’t feel good.
Research studies show that our thoughts stimulate emotions that trigger a rush of chemicals to our cells. Troubling thoughts produce cortisol and other stress hormones that compromise and weaken our body and remove our joy, while thoughts that feel good flood our body with oxytocin, the love hormone, and our cells are soothed and strengthened.
The cornerstone of my entire program for relievingstress and anxiety, busting the blues and opening to transformational joy is changing your thought patterns. No matter what else you do to live happy, it cannot be sustained without a well-tended mind. That begins with Daily Practice #1, observing your thoughts.
How to Observe Your Thoughts 1. Write on a sticky note: What am I thinking right now? or just the letters WAITRN? 2. Put it on or near your bathroom mirror as a reminder. 3. While you’re brushing your teeth, notice your thoughts. 4. Don’t judge them, just notice that you’re thinking. 5. Once a week change the position of the sticky note; otherwise your brain will tend to ignore it.