What to do when you have a lot of thoughts in your head and you feel a lot of tension and stress? I have a simple exercise for you to clear your mind and get relaxed.
This exercise is very similar to journaling, but there is one part that makes it different and you will see it below.
Exercise. Part A.
At the end of the day, when you feel that your head is overloaded with thoughts and worries, sit down, take a piece of paper and a pen. Then simply start writing down everything that comes to your mind. It can be any thought, so just keep writing. It may be the things that you worry about. Or it may be thoughts like “have I cooked lunch for tomorrow?”. Don’t look back at what you’ve written, and don’t check the spelling, as it doesn’t matter.
You can go on writing for as long as you want. It can take you 2 or 3 pages, less or more. Believe me, you will feel when you want to stop.
And now when you have finished writing, we are reaching the second step.
Exercise. Part B.
Usually the things that worry us are not the most pleasant ones. Sometimes it’s very negative and stressful thoughts. So, it is only natural that we want to get rid of them. And in order to do that, we should take our notes and get rid of them and/or destroy that piece of paper. For example, you can tear it apart, cut it in pieces etc.
This action will help you realize that the things that worry you, will disappear at some point, just like this piece of paper. Getting rid of the paper that contains your negative thoughts, will help you take the stress off yourself.
And after you have finished this exercise, you will feel that your body and your mind have relaxed.
Discover more ideas about how to switch your attention in my article “how to distract from negative thoughts”.
