A couple exercises for those with trouble with ruminating thoughts and/or sleep
I was talking to my therapist not too long ago, about my troubles with sleep and thoughts/fears that wouldn't go away. It was like these thoughts and fears
would play in my mind like an old, tired movie and no matter how much I tried to push that "stop" button, the movie kept rolling. It was frustrating. Upon talking about it,
she encouraged me to try two exercises that seem to be helping not just with the ruminating, fear based thoughts, but they have helped me to try
to keep things positive instead of thinking worst-case scenario all the time.
Exercise One: Post-It Notes
Together we realized that I seem to deal best with my thoughts if I can physically see them. So I bought some Post-It Notes. For those that don't know what those
are, they're small pads of paper with some adhesive on the back of them so you can post them up on a wall or bulletin board, etc. What I started doing was
taking a single post-it note for every worry/care/concern/thought I had that was preventing me from sleeping, and writing one on it. I post that up on my wall, grab
another note and do the same thing. Sometimes my wall is littered with paper, but that's okay - it's a good thing.
After I am done getting my thoughts up there, I talk to myself - yes, talk to myself! And tell myself "Okay Cuch, that worry/care/concern is over on your wall now, it's
beyond your touch/control, time to sleep now - worry free."
It helps, believe me. It takes practice to reel your thoughts in, at first you'll feel like it's a futile exercise but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I have PTSD from
past abuse, as well as other anxiety disorders, and I haven't had a PTSD related nightmare in months. It does work.
Exercise Two - Cue Cards
This exercise is good for any disorder. GAD, SA, depression, you name it. It is all about positive affirmation, starting your day off and continuing in a positive state of mind.
Negative thinking is such a problem for so many of us, no matter the disorder, so this is one of my favourite things to do first thing in the morning and throughout the day.
What I did was write a single positive affirmation, quote, lyric, quality about myself on a cue card and put it in a little box - can be anything, a shoe box even - and then
another, and another until that box is filled up with positivity. It's hard at times at first to think of much, but over time, the box fills up with good things to think about.
Now what I do, is first thing in the morning, instead of focusing on my anxiety or depression, because I often wake up with it, I pull out my "positivity box" and read a cue
card. Sometimes one, sometimes man, depends on the day. Then I'll go over it. I'll read it, out loud, over and over. Anything from "you are beautiful, you are smart, you
are a loving or caring person" to "your anxiety is something that while scary, cannot physically hurt you". When I'm in the shower, making breakfast, feeding the cat,
whatever I do upon waking, I will speak the affirmation to myself.
What this exercise does, is take those negative, scary, depressing thoughts I wake up with and replace them with something positive - it counters your negative,
defeatist thinking and counters it with the opposite. It doesn't mean you won't have a bad day or have any setbacks, but what it does is put something on your mind
that will allow you to better deal with the negative things that come your way. Sometimes I will pull that box out three or four times a day to keep filling myself with
positive affirmation.
Try it. Try both. Like I said, it takes practice, but being proactive with your anxiety and ruminating thoughts really does make a difference.
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