5 Steps to get unstuck from thought loops

Do you find the same thoughts endlessly racing through your mind over and over?
Rumination is a common symptom of anxiety that can leave us feeling exhausted and stuck.

Einstein once said, “You can’t solve a problem at the same level of thinking that created it.”

The same thing is true with anxiety - often, when we feel stuck in an unsolvable problem or an unbreakable loop, it’s because we need a whole new way of thinking about things.
So here are 5 simple prompts to help get you unstuck, get some traction and get back on track.

1. Repeat after me:

"I am not my mind. I am the witness to my mind's activity. I am not obligated to accept anything my mind tells me as fact or reality."

2. "My mind and body are like a car that I'm driving.

I appear to be spinning my wheels right now.

Isn't that interesting! I wonder what it would feel like to get traction again"

3. "I am aware that my mind is telling me... (fill in the blank)

As I notice that thought in my mind, what other sensations do I notice in my body?"

4. "How would I name that sensation?

On a scale of 1-10, how intense is that sensation?

Can I tolerate that sensation?"

5. "What is the smallest choice I can make right now that will help me move forward?

What is the smallest step I can take to get grounded and gain perspective?"

In resilience,
Caitlin