Caught In A Thought Swirl? Try This.

I happen to have a very sharp, articulate mind that gets really busy trying to find problems to solve. My mind will start riffing on what I did wrong and how I could have done it differently, or what someone else might be thinking of me.

I call this the swirl—that mind that just goes on and on, even when no one else is in the room. I'm talking to people, having conversations, and making stuff up.

When this happens, I just take a moment and start talking to that active mind and let it know I really appreciate it when it's serving me. For example, it’s helpful when I’m doing spreadsheets or balancing my checkbook. I just talk to that part of myself and say, “Hey, I really appreciate you. I value you. And right now I need you to stand down.”

I picture that I have a very luscious twin bed in my head. I take that part of my thinking mind and lead it over, tuck it in, and just let that solution-oriented, critical thinking mind rest lovingly. Sometimes I have to tuck it in several times because it gets out again and tries to go into another swirl.

But I just do it again, always reassuring it with, “Hey, mind, I really value you. I love critical thinking, but it's not always serving me. You don't need to be at the forefront. I've got this. It's safe for me to drop into my soft mind and heart.”

“Hey, mind, I really value you. I love critical thinking, but it's not always serving me. You don't need to be at the forefront. I've got this. It's safe for me to drop into my soft mind and heart.”

You can use any image you like. It might be a hammock, it might be a king size bed. You know that part of your mind the best. Kind and gentle, tucking it in, and letting it know it can rest—giving you the opportunity to actually be in the experience you're having.

Play with this, if you want to. You can find more of these kinds of tools in my Tools For These Times course.