That Pesky Reliving Habit

Anyone here a re-hasher like me? Self-reflection is good, but reliving events over and over in your mind… not good. In fact, brain studies have revealed that rehashing a negative event feels to your brain as if it is actually happening all over again. Yep, definitely not good.

Like any habit, the first step is to catch yourself in the act. The next step though, may require some experimenting. If a memory is a simple one, I can sometimes visualize myself breathing the thought away. I’ve read that others find success in doing something physical each time, like clenching and then releasing a fist. And others have a designated time and place in which to revisit events.

The technique that works the best for me, is something called the

"thank you”. As soon I catch myself reliving a negative experience, I visualize pushing it out of my mind and replacing it with a “thank you”. Thank you for giving me that lesson. Thank you for protection so the result wasn’t even worse. Thank you for the reminder that she/he is human. Thank you for the reminder that I am human.

Until next time,

Laura