You are the thinker and the observer of your thoughts. You must pay attention to your thoughts so you can identify โwhoโ is running the show; this will determine which technique you will want to use.
Begin each day to pay attention to your thoughts and catching undesirable thoughts.
There are two ways to control your thoughts:
Technique A โ Interrupt and replace them Technique B โ Eliminate them altogether This second option is what is known as peace of mind!
The technique of interrupting and replacing is a means of reprogramming your subconscious mind. Eventually, the replacement thoughts will become the โgo-toโ thoughts in applicable situations.
Use Technique A with the Inner Critic and Worrier and Technique B with the Reactor and Sleep Depriver.
For the Inner Critic When you catch yourself thinking something negative about yourself (calling yourself names, disrespecting yourself, or berating yourself), interrupt it.
You can yell (in your mind), โStop! No!โ or, โEnough! Iโm in control now.โ Then, whatever your negative thought was about yourself, replace it with an opposite or counter thought or an affirmation that begins with โI am.โ
For example, if your thought is, โIโm such a loser,โ you can replace it with, โI am a Divine Creation of the Universal Spirit. I am a perfect spiritual being learning to master the human experience. I am a being of energy, light, and matter. I am magnificent, brilliant, and beautiful. I love and approve of myself just as I am.โ
You can also have a dialogue with yourself with the intention of discrediting the โvoiceโ that created the thought, if you know whose voice it is:
โJust because so-and-so said I was a loser doesnโt make it true. It was his or her opinion, not a statement of fact. Or maybe they were joking and I took it seriously because Iโm insecure.โ
If you recognize that you have recurring self-critical thoughts, you can write out or pre-plan your counter thoughts or affirmation so you can be ready. This is the first squatter you should evict, forcefully, if necessary:
He riles up the Worrier. The names you call yourself become triggers when called those names by others, so he also maintains the presence of the Reactor. He is often present when you try to fall asleep so he perpetuates the Sleep Depriver. He is a bully and is verbally and emotionally abusive. He is the destroyer of self-esteem. He convinces you that youโre not worthy. Heโs a liar! In the interest of your self-worth, get him out! Eliminate your worst critic and you will also diminish the presence of the other three squatters.
Replace him with your new best friend who supports, encourages, and enhances your life. This is a presence you want in your mind.
For the Worrier Prolonged anxiety is mentally, emotionally and physically unhealthy. It can have long-term health implications.
Fear initiates the fight or flight response, creates worry in the mind and creates anxiety in the body.
You should be able to recognize a โworry thoughtโ immediately by how you feel. The physiological signs that the fight or flight response of fear has kicked in are:
High heart rate, blood pressure, or surge of adrenaline Shallow breathing or breathlessness Muscles tense Use the above-stated method to interrupt any thought of worry and then replace it. But this time you will replace your thoughts of worry with thoughts of gratitude for the outcome you wish for.
If you believe in a higher power, this is the time to engage with it. Here is an example:
Instead of worrying about my loved ones traveling in bad weather, I say the following (I call it a prayer):
โThank you great spirit for watching over _______. Thank you for watching over his/her car and keeping it safe, road-worthy, and free of maintenance issues without warning. Thank you for surrounding him/her with only safe, conscientious, and alert drivers. And thank you for keeping him/her safe, conscientious, and alert.โ
Smile when you think about it or say it aloud, and phrase it in the present tense; both of these will help you feel it and possibly even start to believe it.
If you can visualize what you are praying for, the visualization will enhance the feeling so you will increase the impact in your vibrational field.
Now take a calming breath, slowly in through your nose, and slowly out through the mouth. Take as many as you like!
Restoring fearful thoughts with gratitude will decrease reactionary behavior, taking the steam out of the Reactor.
For example:
If your child gets lost in the mall, the typical parental reaction that follows the fearful thoughts when finding them is to yell at them.
โI told you never to leave my sight.โ This reaction just adds to the childโs fear level from being lost in the first place. Plus, it also teaches them that mom and/or dad will get mad when he or she makes a mistake, which may make them lie to you or not tell you things in the future.
Change those fearful thoughts when they happen:
โThank You (your choice of Higher Power) for watching over my child and keeping him safe. Thank you for helping me find him soon.โ
Again, when you see your child after this thought process, your only reaction will be gratitude, and that seems like a better alternative for all people involved.
For the Trouble-Maker, Reactor or Over-Reactor Permanently eliminating this squatter will take a bit more attention and reflection after the fact to identify and heal the causes of the triggers; but until then, you can prevent the Reactor from getting out of control by initiating conscious breathing as soon as you recognize his presence.
The Reactorโs thoughts or feelings activate the fight or flight response just like with the Worrier. The physiological signs of his presence will be the same. With a little attention, you should be able to tell the difference between anxiety, anger, frustration, or pain:
High heart rate and blood pressure; a surge of adrenaline Shallow breathing or breathlessness Muscles tension Iโm sure youโve heard the suggestion to count to ten when you get angryโwell, you can make those ten seconds much more productive if you are breathing consciously during that time.
Conscious breathing is as simple as it sounds; just be conscious of your breathing. Pay attention to the air going in and coming out.
Breathe in through your nose:
Feel the air entering your nostrils. Feel your lungs filling and expanding. Focus on your belly rising. Breathe out through your nose:
Feel your lungs emptying. Focus on your belly falling. Feel the air exiting your nostrils. Do this for as long as you like. Leave the situation if you want. This gives the adrenaline time to normalize.
Now you can address the situation with a calmer, more rational perspective and avoid damaging behavior.
One of the troubles this squatter causes is that it adds to the sleep depriverโs issues. By evicting, or at least controlling the Reactor, you will decrease reactionary behavior, which will decrease the need for the rehashing and ruminating that may keep you from falling asleep.
Master your mind and stop the Reactor from bringing stress to you and your relationships!
For the Sleep Depriver (Heโs made up of the Inner Planner, the Rehasher and the Ruminator, along with the Inner Critic and the Worrier.)
I was plagued with a very common problem: not being able to turn off my mind at bedtime. This inability prevented me from falling asleep and thus, getting a restful and restorative nightโs sleep.
Hereโs how I mastered my mind and evicted the Sleep Depriver and all his cronies.
I started by focusing on my breathingโpaying attention to the rise and fall of my bellyโbut that didnโt keep the thoughts out for long. (Actually, I now start with checking my at-rest mouth position to keep me from clenching.) Then I came up with replacement strategy that eliminated uncontrolled thinkingโimagining the word in while breathing in and thinking the word out when breathing out. I would (and do) elongate the word to match the length of my breath. When I catch myself thinking, I shift back to in, out. With this technique, I am still thinking, sort of, but the wheels are no longer spinning out of control. I am in control of my mind and I choose quiet.
From the first time I tried this method I started to yawn after only a few cycles and am usually asleep within ten minutes.
For really difficult nights, I add an increase of attention by holding my eyes in a looking-up position (Closed, of course!). Sometimes I try to look toward my third eye but that really hurts my eyes.
If you have trouble falling asleep because you canโt shut off your mind, I strongly recommend you try this technique. I still use it every night. You can start sleeping better tonight!
You can also use this technique any time you want to:
Fall back to sleep if you wake up too soon. Shut down your thinking. Calm your feelings. Simply focus on the present moment.
