1) We cannot control our thoughts
– We don’t choose what thoughts come into our mind.
– We think thoughts all day long, it’s a function of the human brainsome of these thoughts will be pleasant, some will be neutral, some will be unpleasant.
– In fact, the more we try to stop/prevent certain thoughts from happening… the more frequently they may pop-in
– Accepting that we cannot control our thoughts can be a liberating step towards coping with unhelpful, anxious or intrusive thoughts
2) We are not our thoughts
– Since we cannot control our thoughts- we don’t choose them either
– Our automatic, initial thoughts are not representative of who we are/our values… how we decide to respond/act on our thoughts can be representative of our values
3) Thoughts are private, personal experiences
– On the note of “2) we are not our thoughts,” an important piece of this is that our thoughts are private inner-experiences
– We have every right to keep our thoughts private
– We can choose which thoughts we express/share externally
4) Thoughts are not facts
– Thoughts are guesses.. opinions.. random firings of neurons..
– Thinking a thought does not make it true, fact, or probable
– For example, you can think “2+2=10” a hundred times in a row..it still will not be true
5) We can control trying to improve how we relate and respond to our thoughts
– We won’t always get this right and that’s okay! Responding to our thoughts in an adaptive, values-based way is a practice.
– Our goal is to catch the initial thought and pivot the way we react/relate to them from there. However, it is never too late in a chain of thoughts to pivot in a more helpful direction.
