Can you stop an unwanted thought from taking up space in your head in the first place? Here's what new research found, by ckbergland
, I describe a few simple visualizations that can preemptively stop unwanted thoughts from"looping." For me, the best way to outsmart intrusive thoughts without overthinking my attempts to suppress them is to visualize thoughts being covered in Velcro and Super Glue, which makes them stick to my prefrontal cortex. On the flip side, in my mind's eye,makes it harder for unwanted thoughts to stick or take up real estate in the front of my brain.
When proactively clearing my mind of an unwanted thought, I don't forcibly try to keep it out. Instead, I accept that unwanted thoughts will always be floating around in my head and don't waste mental energy trying to stop them from ever intruding.
Whenever I notice an unwanted thought percolating on the horizon or hanging out in the periphery of my mind, I relax the backs of my eyes and, without exerting too much rigid mental control, visualize it slipping away. When I feel it dissolving into the background, without missing a beat, I quickly refocus my attention on something else and don't give the unwanted thought another millisecond of rumination.
Once you've decided not to let an intrusive thought take up too much brain space, if the unwanted thought bubbles up into consciousness, don't get upset or panicky; instead, make it"slippery" and let it go nonchalantly. Cultivating a attitude when unwanted thoughts start to seem intrusive takes away their"looping" power because you don't dwell on them for long.