Do you know that feeling? That a dark thought enters your mind …. and before you know it it’s all you can think about? And you find yourself stuck in a loop of negative thoughts.
I have tried yelling at my brain ‘Make it stop!‘ in despair many times, but it didn’t help. Have you done that??
Thankfully, the solution is actually quite simple, believe it or not. But before I get into that I just want to share with you a little bit more about how your brain works and why it even does this to you in the first place. It helps to understand.
Negativity Bias
Our brains are predisposed to have what is called a Negativity Bias. It means that your brain notices the negative more readily then the positive. For our ancestors in long gone times this made a lot of sense. Their survival depended on it! If they didn’t notice the danger, for instance of a tiger lurking in the bushes, they would simply die.
So, the human brain evolved to be very good at noticing danger. This can still be very useful at certain times in your life, but most of the time we are pretty safe in the sense of keeping alive. But out of habit, even when we are safe in the present moment, our minds still tend to keep busy looking for danger. And they might find it in memories from the past or in worries about the future.
Stuck in a loop of negative thoughts
This is where it becomes a bit of a problem. Because your subconscious mind doesn’t really understand the difference between danger in the present moment and the dangers that you are remembering from the past or imagining in the future. And therefore the danger in the thought is perceived and treated as real by the chemistry in your brain, and you begin to produce stress hormones like cortisol. Consequently, your muscles tense up, your heart rate and blood pressure rise and your breath becomes more shallow.
If there really was a tiger in the bush, that would be a good thing. This state would enable you to run away to safety. And then you would relax and recover from the stress.
But now, there is this thought in your head. And you can’t run to safety from it. There is no resolution, so it keeps repeating itself and stressing you out!
Neural Pathways
Another thing to consider is the fact that the more time you spend in a negative thought loop, the stronger the neural pathways associated with that thought will become. And that makes it harder to break the loop.
On the other hand, spending more time in a positive place will help you grow the positive neural pathways in your brain that lead to feelings of happiness.
You do have a choice here!
What is yours? Where do you want to spend more time?
I suppose that’s not a difficult choice to make. But how do you put it in practice?
How do you make it stop?
What you need is to convince your brain and your subconscious mind that you are, in fact, safe. Right now, in this moment. You are not in the past, nor in the future. You are here and there is no tiger. Just telling yourself so may help but also it may not. It can be challenging to really convince yourself at the level that is needed.
Sometimes a few deep breaths while you think of something pleasant will do the trick.
But there are times, believe me I know, that all of that is not enough. And no matter how hard you try, the negative thought loop persists.
Nature to the rescue 💚
These are the moments that I turn to nature. Being out in nature makes it much easier to redirect your attention. Engage all of your senses in nature and observe something calming or interesting, like the ripples on the water, branches moving in the breeze, or a little beetle nibbling on a leaf. Notice the sounds that you hear: the song of the birds, the wind through the forest or the buzzing bees. Pay attention to the smells of the flowers and the earth and notice what you can taste when you lick your lips. Feel. Feel the temperature on your skin, does the air move or is it still? Maybe you can touch the bark of a tree.
This activity sends calming signals to your nervous system, while giving your brain some pleasant things to think about. Try it!
A happy thought doesn’t solve my problems!
Okay, I can hear you think: “this is all great. I can go and smell the roses and feel better for a moment. But that doesn’t make the problem that I was thinking about go away!”
You are correct of course.
But here’s the magic:
The right conditions
Even though a happy thought itself doesn’t solve your problem, it does create the conditions for you from which you can solve your problem.
You see, a brain that is stressed loses it’s capacity for rational thinking, creative thinking and problem solving. It shuts down from seeing possibilities and from intuitive ways of knowing. Not a very helpful place to be when you need to solve a problem!
So, I encourage you to allow yourself to go and smell the roses, watch the bees that visit them, feel the silky texture of the petals, enjoy their beautiful colours. To help you calm yourself and engage with positive and happy thoughts. And to create space that way for the solutions and new perspectives to come to you! 💚
For more tips on How to Break Free from a Worry-Loop, get my free E-Book!
For more beautiful and useful information about the benefits of connecting with nature and accompanying exercises, check out my Nature Connection Courses!
I am also available for private coaching, if you need some individual help with breaking free from these negative thoughts and finding positive solutions for your problems. Book a free Discovery Session to learn more!
