Challenge for Growth Prompt #8- Stop (Repetitive) Thinking

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Stop Thinking

This week’s challenge is:

“Today I stop my repetitive thinking.”

So few of our thoughts are actually new; we recycle most of them again and again as we ruminate about past traumas, feel indignant over ways we were slighted, or obsess about possible future problems.  Overthinking keeps us trapped in our heads, rather than living from our hearts.  It also leads to depression and anxiety.

We may believe if we think about a problem long enough, we will figure out what to do about it. The reality is that inspiration is much more likely to come when our minds are silent than when we are in a never-ending cycle of analyzing.

This week, for 1, 2, 3 days or longer, commit to stopping your repetitive thoughts. One way to do that is to say “Stop…..Be here now” and then focus solely on the present moment whenever you find yourself in unhelpful thinking processes.  Distracting activities such as working in the garden, exercising, reading, writing, walking, etc. may also be helpful. If there is a problem you actually need to think about, set a beginning and ending time for doing that, rather than letting it take over your day.

Sometime during the week, write a post about some aspect of this topic or about experiences you had when you stopped your repetitive thinking. Feel free to use whatever form you desire: i.e., prose, story, poem, photograph, etc.  (If you don’t have a blog, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below.)

 

General Prompt Information:

New prompts will be posted at 5 a.m. (PST) every Wednesday.

Since it is easier to make behavioral changes if we focus on them one day at a time, each of the weekly challenges will start with “Today, I focus on…….” It will be up to you to decide how long you want to focus on a particular challenge— one, two, three days or even longer. At some point during the week, publish a post that relates in some way to the subject of the week.

Link your post back to this prompt post. If the pingback doesn’t work, then leave the link to your post in the comment section below.  Be sure to include “Challenge for Growth Prompts” as one of your tags.

Throughout the week, I will publish the links for the posts that were created as the result of this prompt.  I will also post the links from those who participated the previous week. That way they will be seen by anyone who comes to this page.


This week’s contributors to: Stop (Repetitive) Thinking

“Stay in the Present and Stop Thinking” – Living, Learning and Letting Go

Stop Repetitive Thinking- Home and Loving It

Mind: Shut Up Already!- Traces of the Soul

Challenge for Growth Prompt #8/stop repetitive thinking- Annette’s Place

Tools for Dealing with Repetitive Thinking- Living, Learning and Letting Go

My thinking corner/thoughts for the week- Annette’s Place

Hush…- Nik’s Place

How about you?

 

Last week’s contributors to: I unplug

Challenges for growth prompts/unplug- Annette’s place

Unplugged- Home and Loving It

I Unplugged!- Living, Learning and Letting Go

OFF- Nik’s Place

 

 

24 thoughts on “Challenge for Growth Prompt #8- Stop (Repetitive) Thinking”

  1. I took a tip from brain science which says that avoiding thinking about something actually reinforces the neuronal pathway you’re trying to erase (“don’t think about blue monkeys” means that’s all you think about). Instead, the moment you get a repetitive thought, write down what scares you about that thought; i.e., what is behind it that worries or frightens you? In a stream of consciousness way (don’t go back to read what you write), write down everything you’re afraid of that comes to mind until you run out. Then wad up the paper and burn it and go about your business. Do it daily and/or every time you get a thought you don’t want. That will crete new neuronal pathways and reduce the firing of the old one. I’m amazed at the increased energy and positive mood I’ve been experiencing as a result of doing this on a regular basis, and the repetitive thoughts show up much less often. Reduction of chronic pain can be another benefit.

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  2. Pingback: Stay in the Present and Stop Thinking! | Living, Learning and Letting Go
  4. Pingback: Mind: shut up already! – Traces of the Soul
  6. Pingback: Challenge for Growth Prompts: February Summary 2016 | Living, Learning and Letting Go
  7. Pingback: Challenge for growth prompt #8/stop repetitive thinking/2/27/2016 – Annette's place

  8. I’m playing catch-up and probably won’t get to this until this weekend, but boy is this a good prompt! I am such a natural over-thinker, analyzing everything without even realizing it most times. Not only does it generate anxiety, but it is an incredible defense-mechanism which helps to build and sustain emotional walls. I am quite skilled in that area!! I’m excited to see what my heart will pour into this one…

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  9. Pingback: Tools for Dealing with Repetitive Thinking | Living, Learning and Letting Go

  10. This is great advice…wonderful tips I have tried and others I have learned. I will certainly share some with my callers at work and reblog this to my blog StopTheStigma so others can read this. Thank you, Karuna:)

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  12. Pingback: My thinking corner/thoughts of the week/3/8/2016 – Annette's place
  13. Pingback: HUSH… | Nik's Place
  14. Pingback: HUSH… | Nik's Place
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