Today I journaled about one of my personality traits - worry. I come from a long line of worriers and while I don't think I'm as bad as my Mom and Grandmother, I still find I worry a lot, and of course esp. about health & pain issues. One of the prompts today mentioned redirecting your thoughts. Where is the line between redirecting thoughts and repressing emotions? I think I frequently try to distract myself from thinking about something that is worrying me or about pain by watching TV, reading or doing an activity. Is it better to do this or should I try to focus more on what is causing me to worry?
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Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
Cactusflower
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi SSS
Such a good question!
Thoughts are just that - worry is a thought pattern. Worry is future anxiety, and it is not the truth for we can not for-tell the future. Thoughts are in your head, and many thought patterns like worry act the same way pain does - to distract us from emotions.
Emotions are what people feel in their bodies. TMS folks often have so many challenges with this. I know I do. It’s why many turn to meditation. Meditation lets us separate from our thoughts be observing them. Why observe them? Because we are not our thoughts, but have allowed thought to control us. Worry is simply one of those controlling thoughts - it keeps us from feeling peace and contentment, joy and other feelings and emotions.
One tactic to redirect thoughts is mindfulness. You get absorbed in what you are doing eg. Washing dishes, feeling hot water, maybe looking out a kitchen window or listening to music while you work. Your goal is to keep tour mind on task, gently bringing it back when you notice worrying. Now say you happen to think about what someone said to you earlier today and how it annoyed you. Feel that annoyance, that bit of anger in your gut. Notice how your body tightens. Let that pass through you and then go back to your music and dishes.
It takes practice, but noticing and awareness is the key to unravelling your patterns of habitually.
Such a good question!
Thoughts are just that - worry is a thought pattern. Worry is future anxiety, and it is not the truth for we can not for-tell the future. Thoughts are in your head, and many thought patterns like worry act the same way pain does - to distract us from emotions.
Emotions are what people feel in their bodies. TMS folks often have so many challenges with this. I know I do. It’s why many turn to meditation. Meditation lets us separate from our thoughts be observing them. Why observe them? Because we are not our thoughts, but have allowed thought to control us. Worry is simply one of those controlling thoughts - it keeps us from feeling peace and contentment, joy and other feelings and emotions.
One tactic to redirect thoughts is mindfulness. You get absorbed in what you are doing eg. Washing dishes, feeling hot water, maybe looking out a kitchen window or listening to music while you work. Your goal is to keep tour mind on task, gently bringing it back when you notice worrying. Now say you happen to think about what someone said to you earlier today and how it annoyed you. Feel that annoyance, that bit of anger in your gut. Notice how your body tightens. Let that pass through you and then go back to your music and dishes.
It takes practice, but noticing and awareness is the key to unravelling your patterns of habitually.