Dr. J explains how ruminating on negative thoughts amplifies PTSD, depression, and anxiety. His strategy: label thoughts as "just a thought, just a memory, just a fear," then shift focus elsewhere. Avoid self-judgment, which deepens the cycle.
Hey, how you doing? I was having a thought about the nature of thinking and thoughts. I know, say that 3 times quickly. So, a thought is either nothing or very powerful. When you think about a thought, it's ethereal, it's made of nothing. Yet it's got the incredible ability to have a tremendous impact on us. Particularly with dealing with something like PTSD or depression, anxiety, whatever. You dwell on this thought, you have this thought, you ruminate on this thought, and this thought starts to manifest. It changes your mood, it becomes very substantial. And in some people with PTSD, it becomes their whole world. They get consumed with this thing. They can't get out of that cycle. But stop. Just think a moment that the thought is nothing. It literally contains nothing. One tool I've found very helpful is recognizing that. When I get overwhelmed with this thing and I find I'm in the middle of this cycle, is going, hang on, this has no substance. It's vapor, it's air. I can put it away, I can put it to one side. Then I can take steps to thinking about more positive things. Because if I got in a hole thinking about something that was negative, I can get out of a hole just as easily and powerfully thinking about something that's positive. Because the same ethereal something that got me in the hole, another ethereal something can get me out of the hole. And that's the power of thinking and the power of thoughts and allowing thoughts to take over our mind. And I think it's very important that we're self-aware of what we are thinking. And sometimes don't be critical about having battles in your thinking, because that criticism and that self-judgment actually sends you down the cycle even further. I would suggest you stop and think, well, that's just a thought. And it might take you some time to move it out of your conscious mind. It's just a thought. It's just a thought. It's just a thought. Even if it's a memory, it's just a memory. It's just a It's memory. just a memory. It's just a memory. A fear. It's just a fear. It's just a fear. It actually becomes very calming. You center yourself and you can start to focus on something new. There you go. Dr. J's ruminations for Thursday with a really nice cigar. Cheers.
