Dismissing Unhelpful Thoughts

You can’t control or stop the thoughts directly. It’s your reaction to them that matters. You can chuckle at the absurdity and persistence of the portion police and dismiss those thoughts as automatic looping gibberish. They’re leftover from a time when eating more meant launching a worry sequence and taking it very seriously for hours or days. Now, when my brain spits out a stressful, pointless line of thinking (as it does), my reaction is along the lines of, “Ha! No.” Or, “Good one, Brain.” Literally a 2 second response. I don’t engage and try to sort it all out the way I once did. I know it’s not helpful. The more attention you give unwelcome thoughts, the more they show up. It’s like feeding a raccoon.