Kick Obsessiveness to the Curb!
Posted by Dr. Judy at 7:59 am
Do you have that little voice someone who incessantly talks to you?
Tells you how you screwed up, puts you down, or belittles you when
life has given you too many sour notes? Is ”second-guessing” yourself
embedded in your brain?
Or does your little voice positivity remind you of what you need or want
to do to make your day meaningful? Your inner voice is like the Energizer
Bunny who never winds down offering you hope and happiness?
I don’t know about you, but I was born an obsessive thinker.
My “internal dialogue” or self-talk starts chattering in my head as soon as
I wake up. Sometimes it’s talking about left-over stuff and other times with
novelty. Did you know your brain solves problems for you, offers you ideas,
or clarifies your world while you sleep? Yes, during sleep your brain is still
chomping away like a busy beaver.
Like everything else, obsessive thinking can be a pro or con. Great part is you
can generate ideas. On a good day, the creative stuff pops out and you muse
about fun ideas and possibilities. That’s super. You then can then develop an
action plan and create goals and accomplish them and YIPPEE!
On a tough day, your inner critic may pop out, slap you around, reminding you
that your membership in the ”Royal Flunkee Club” is well deserved.
What if you just accepted that your brain works nonstop? To savor your curiosity
and energy that allows you to get more things happily done? To accept yourself
rather than listening to chastising, harsh self talk.
What can you DO to get your inner dialogue to stop?
1. Physically get up and move! Changing your environment gives the brain
a diversion and helps quell your obsessiveness. It fires up your brain to pay
attention to something else. A re-framing relief.
2. Magic slate it away. When I was in coach training years ago, and
I was incessantly beating myself up for a mistake, esteemed Anne Durand,
MentorCoach CEO, told me, “This is not rocket science! It is one coaching
session. Judy, let it go!” But obsessive me, I was still angry with myself.
Exasperated, she admonished, “Get over your big, damn self!” I smiled.
She was right. And boy did that idea stick!
3. Treat yourself with respect.You are respectful to others; why not try on
that size yourself? You can tailor your inner self talk to look for the good. It works!
4. Write down one good thing that happened each day. One gratitude,
one good experience, anything that made you smile. Humor is another spirit lifter.
Remember those cancer patients who watched funny sitcoms got better faster
and lived longer?
5. Reread your positive intentions and affirmations.Praise yourself for
following through. Be gentle with yourself. Quit putting your washing machine
cycle on heavy duty! Tell yourself affirming self-statements, “It was hard, but
I did it. I am proud of myself.”
6. Accept you ain’t perfect! That is what is so wonderful about you!
Your uniqueness and mess ups make you a lovely human. If your brain
works over time, love it anyway. Making mistakes is always your golden
opportunity to learn. Living is learning and it keeps your brain in tiptop
shape. It even wards off dementia!
7. What you focus on grows. You can retrain your brain. The more you
focus on how wonderful you are, the more your brain will believe it. Your neurons
will sprout positivity. Use your tenacity strength. Find a positivity partner who
will help you remember to let go of your sticky negativity. Being accountable to
someone propels your positivity into high gear. Watch your confidence and
competence add sparkle to your life.
Have any light bulbs turned on for you obsessive thinkers?
May I kindly ask you to LET GO! of stinkin’ obsessive thinkin’.
Forgive and accept yourself, warts and all.
Go stomp in the rain or have a snowball fight. Smile at life.
No beating yourself up. Hug your ever-moving brain and thank God you have one!
Did I hear a negative “Yes…But this is hard!” emanating from your mouth?
My Mom used to teasingly threaten me, “Do you want me to come after
you with the fly swatter?” Ouch!
Nah, you don’t need a sting, you need to learn to sing! How ’bout:
“I love myself, yes I do, do-dah, do-dah,
I love myself in every way, oh do-dah day!”
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Want to review your strengths and see how to make them work for you?
You can see fun and picturesque 2-page stories in my new book.
Photo Adventures in Cuba ~ Unlock Your Power of Positivity!
Click here to take a peek!
I’d love to hear from you!
Just send me your questions, and I will answer in a future blog.
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