2 Unconventional Methods to Help You Escape Your Thoughts
Weekly Newsletter 06
Just a short one this week, because I’ve been crazy busy.
Originally published in Medium’s 2 Minute Madness on May 16, 2021.
“It’s not real. It’s all in your head.”
This sentence is the bane of my existence.
The only thing worse than telling this to someone is telling it to yourself. To put it bluntly, saying that symptoms of mental illness are “all in your head” just affirms your cognitive distortions and puts your more in your head.
This advice is careless at best and toxic at worst. Getting out of your head isn’t just a quick mental shift. It’s a process and a skill.
These are the 2 most effective unconventional methods I use to free my mind and back to the moment.
1. Storytelling
Humans are addicted to stories. Part of what can cause mental illness is a disconnect from the stories that we have lived through.
Storytelling feels therapeutic. In fact, for many people (me included), the therapy itself is a form of storytelling.
Telling your stories is one of the most important steps in processing your thoughts, and it’s unprocessed thoughts that lead to mental shackles in the first place. Most people just don’t tell their stories, and their stories get stuck in their heads.
Tell stories in order to let them go. Even if your story feels “whiny” to you, if you need to tell it, it needs to be told. Not doing so will likely hurt, and more people might resonate with your story than you think.
2. Talking To Strangers
“But Chris, talking to strangers is the cause of my anxiety!”
Trust me, I relate.
Talking to strangers — especially strangers who you want to impress — can be especially unnerving. My social anxiety has ruined first dates and other important interactions countless times, and the thought of actively striking up conversations with new people makes my stomach churn.
This might be odd, but try to think of strangers as new stimuli. When you focus on new stimuli, your anxieties can become excitement. That is the goal.
If you choose to be bold and strike up conversations with strangers in public (just casually, don’t be weird), there’s a great chance you’ll reduce your anxiety and get out of your head.
Closing Thoughts
There's nothing wrong with meditation or journaling. I just feel that there’s more to processing anxiety than conventional methodology.
In my experience, I’ve had to use more unconventional methods to get “out of my head” because sometimes, I just don’t have time to sit on a cushion and channel my inner monk.
If you’re like me and you’re either too busy, hyperactive, or just can’t bother with conventional stress relief, perhaps these 2 methods can help you the way they’ve helped me.
Other Articles Published in the Last 7 Days
Your Whiny Stories Are Not Whiny at All
One Quote For the Road From the Book I’m Currently Reading
“Just about everything you learned in school about life is wrong, but the wrongest thing might very well be this: Being well rounded is the secret to success.”
― Seth Godin, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit
As always, if you enjoyed what you read, please share, tell your friends, or reshare the article from Medium. It helps me more than you know.
Wishing you the best,
—Chris
