How to ruminate less
Sometimes I’ll get stuck ruminating on something that happened.
Could be something that happened yesterday or 4 decades ago.
I’ll replay the scene or convo with a new outcome, sporting a zinger of a comeback that my brain couldn’t come up with in the moment, thanks freeze mode.
I can lay in bed in the morning, while in the shower, or at a stoplight rehashing and just sittin’ in that good ole dirty diaper of shoulda/coulda/woulda until the cows come home.
And I have, sheesh…
But I am done wasting my precious time and energy and getting a figurative “diaper rash” over things I can’t change.
Doesn’t mean I’m never going to do it, of course I will because I have a normal and healthy brain and it’s in protective mode when it’s ruminating.
But when I catch myself in that mental space, I’ll just notice it without judgement (cuz judgement gets us absolutely nowhere!) and say, “ope, I’m ruminating, what am I going to do about the thing?”
If there’s an actual action to take, I’ll take a kitten step in that direction.
Maybe I need to say something to someone, research the art or photography class I keep talk about taking, reinforce a boundary, accept that “it’s not my circus or monkeys” so it’s not mine to fix, or reach out to that cool person to see if they’d like to meet for coffee.
Or just have my own back and be like, “yep, I was weird again and I love that about myself, LOL!” Sometimes I just need to keep redirecting my attention to something else like you would if a puppy got a shoe.
It can even be something as simple as, and said with complete compassion, “Jenn, get your ass out of bed, go get coffee, and let’s start the day.”
Letting thoughts run free in my brain is like allowing a toddler or puppy do whatever the hell they want whenever the hell they want.
Big mistake.
And remember, thoughts are just sentences in your brain.
They aren’t the ultimate truth or set in stone.
They’re literally things we made up in our noodles, stories, explanations created by very young versions of ourselves to try to make sense of confusing shit.
And because we made them up, why the hell not poke some holes in them and see if they stand up to reality and tweak ‘em?
I’m never suggesting toxic positivity, spiritual bypassing, or sweeping stuff under the rug!
Never ever ever!
But why keep telling yourself the same shitty story that prolly has *very very* little truth to it?!
WTF does that get you?
A bigger diaper rash from staying in your dirty diaper!
Action is the antidote to anxiety. (Anxiety isn’t an enemy and we don’t have to live ther 24/7!)
Moving your body gets your energy flowing.
Ideas and happy hormones start to pump through your body and things get a teensy bit easier.
You don’t have to move mountains and you’re not looking for a 180* shift.
Just a little tweak, crack in the cement, or a possibility is all you need.
You don’t have to be flooded with motivation, inspiration, or feel like it 100%.
One of my fave sayings I live by is, begin anywhere!
For real, get outta your diaper and do one little thing.
You got this, Sunshine and I’ve always got your back!
