Thought Spirals: A Users Guide

We have all been here. Likely it’s because we made a mistake. Did or said something we wish we could take back or say differently.

We are humans.

And yes, sometimes these mistakes can have consequences. But you know what else does? Ruminating. Zooming so far into ourselves we create such a limited view.

We beat ourselves up. We talk trash to ourselves. We replay the situation a million times over in our head. We look for ways to further validate our convictions. Each time we think we are going to find this miraculous answer as to why it happened, but instead, we only crime to beat ourselves up and criticize ourselves even more.

This isn’t helpful.

So the next time you go down this rabbit hole. Pause. And even when emotions are heightened, ask yourself “is this rabbit hole going to harm me or help me?” And if it’s going to harm you, you need to zoom out.

By zooming out, it allows you to Focus on what you can do differently next time, and gain other perspectives from a wider view. It also allows you to challenge your own assumptions. This includes talking with other people and sharing the story you’re telling yourself, so they can poke holes in your narrative and provide you with perhaps a different perspectives.

You will never find your answer in the pity party or being zoomed so far in you have put yourself under a microscope.

You will find it in the distance. From zooming out and looking at the situation from a wider perspective and allowing yourself the distance from the emotions and the actual situation.