have you ever had an obsessive thought?
have you ever ruminated endlessly over something from your past?
most people have experienced this to some extent.
a few have been more plagued by it than others.
with time your obsession with the thought can turn into the actual problem,
rather than the original thought that was bothering you.
the problem is no longer what you were thinking about,
but the fact that you cannot seem to let go of the thought.
and most likely that thought:
1. is a nonentity (it exists only in your imagination)
2. does not define you
3. places unrealistic limits on you
4. never hurt anyone (except you) and never will
5. has begun to usurp your power
6. ignores all of the wonderful qualities that make you you
do NOT overanalyze the thought.
do NOT give it more credibility and strength than it deserves.
concentrate on eliminating the overwhelming need to focus on it.
because something else is probably bothering you.
and you are treating the obsessive thought as the fall guy.
this enables you to disguise or ignore what’s really going on.
to pretend the real issue isn’t there.
what are you running from?
what is making you fearful?
face the something else.
fix it, get rid of it, change it, accept it.
whatever you do, do SOMETHING.
disentangle yourself from the thought’s grasp.
then free yourself forever by finally letting it go.
and M.O.V.E. O.N.
your happiness depends upon it.
*******
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Yes, letting go of the thoughts that hold us back is so important. Thank you for this beautifully written reminder. Have you thought of collecting your blog posts into a book? You have a lovely way with words.
My favorite line (from Byron Katie’s ‘the work”): “Who would you be without that thought?” That has saved me from going down the obsessive thought rabbit hole on many occasions. Thank you the reminder that obsessive thoughts can sometimes be a distraction from an underlying issue. xxoo
What a great point you make, April! Looking back, I see you are exactly right. These all-encompassing thoughts usually are distracting from the real issue. Thank you for this gentle reminder!!
Great article! I totally used to do this a lot. Especially before I had kids. Once I had kids, I had less mental room to ruminate and obsess over things, and once I found out they both had autism and needed a whole lot more of my mental room to help figure out services and school and all kinds of things to help them, my ability to obsess on things that used to seem huge, but no longer were, kind of evaporated. Or maybe I just got too tired to let those thoughts keep me awake anymore. The funny thing is that even with the added challenges in life now, I am definitely happier now that I no longer obsess over things. I’ve learned to roll with a whole lot more punches and I’ve stopped sweating the small stuff. And I celebrate every tiny victory with my kids in a way that I think a lot of parents don’t for fear of spoiling them or making too big a deal out of tiny things. Things that are tiny for other kids are huge for mine. And worries that used to be huge for me are tiny now.
Another beautiful post! I find it very important to be able to detach from thoughts and look at them objectively, especially the ones that can ruminate and fester. Though can seem so powerful, yet they are temporary and fleeting and have no power unless we supply it. A wonderful post and a great reminder to be mindful of which thoughts we share our power with!
Fantastic article, you nailed it! This absolutely has been a pattern of mine and I’m so keen to free myself from it and let go…. Thanks for the inspiration xx