- 1). Recognize how you react to a situation then stop to think about it. Does your body tense up? Do you start to fidget? Do you feel your blood pressure increase and your heart rate increase? If you start to feel these things, then you know that something is bothering you. Recognize what this feels like and focus on calming down.
- 2). Breathe slowly and count until you feel yourself calming down. Think about something pleasant or something neutral. Repeat a word in your head slowly.
- 3). Ask yourself whether the action that bothered you really was that important. Sometimes our brain will play a trick on us, for example, and make us personalize an action that was not meant for us. Personalization is a cognitive distortion where you see yourself as the cause of something that really had nothing to do with you. Stop and ask yourself whether or not that was the case.
- 4). Remove yourself physically and mentally from a bad situation. If you see that a situation has nothing to do with you, move away physically. Go outside for a few minutes, take a bathroom break or go sit in your car.
- 1). Grab a neutral object that will physically remind you to stop thinking negatively. A neutral object is something like a small rock, paperweight, ball or other tangible object that, when you grab it, will train your mind to stop in its tracks and move on to another thought. Do not grab your smartphone or go to your computer or television. The stimulation from these things will likely make your mood worse.
- 2). Hold the object or place it in front of you when something starts to bother you. If you are in an office, place the object on your desk.
- 3). Think about the object, say its name and fight any other thoughts coming into your head. Continue to focus on the object until you feel you are in control again. Breathe slowly until you feel relaxed.
Recognizing How You React to Situations
Using an Object to Stop Negative Thinking
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