Are you in fear, faith or freeze mode? part 2 of 3
I wonder if you’re aware of the importance of deliberately choosing how you think can affect your life?
Right now, as we’re transitioning out of our bubbles, and we’ve never been so able to be aware of our own thinking. Sure, device time offers distractions, but we were down to the basics: smaller social connections, a bit of exercise, eating, and our own company. Sometimes, if you’re one of the fortunate, work.
So, how did lockdown go for you? Most of us have our moments in these extreme situations and some of us don’t cope at all.
If you’ve never thought about how or what you think, what an opportunity you have!
If you take a breath right now and are aware of your own self-talk (stuff like “That’s not me, I’m doing all right”, or, ”I’d do almost anything for a good coffee/chai latte with chocolate sprinkles/wine/gin/joint/punchbag right now.”) What's your most current thought?
I bet it comes under one of these three types: fear, freeze or faith. (There’s fantasy as well – but let’s not go there, because it’s really a subset of freeze…) I wrote about fear last week, so this week, let’s consider freeze.
Freeze
If fear didn’t fit, how about the brain freeze category? That’s when you see the news or hear something majorly bad from a friend and not feeling anything. And you don’t seem to have any self-talk going on, either. Perhaps you can’t remember when you felt mildly glad, or sad or mad or even contempt for a long time. Apart from the beat up on yourself. Like “How could you be so stupid/fat/undisciplined/crazy/bad?”
If you answered this question; what are you feeling right now? What would be your answer? (Go on, do it, you know you want to!) If you couldn’t come up with emotion – and no hungry, sleepy or going for exercise or “OK” aren’t feelings! They’re states of mind. Then you could be in brain freeze. Alternatively, you’re not used to saying what your emotions are.
Well, here’s the good news; there’s so much more for you! This is a state when you’ve been in stress or trauma and are overwhelmed by it. So the brain goes into a kind of hibernation to cope.
What can you do? Be kind to you! Exercise, eat your greens and lay off the sugar, the cigarettes and distract yourself with alcohol or drugs. Get an early night and learn how to turn off the worry. Most important, find out what triggers are setting up the brain freeze. Talking with trusted friends and family who don’t judge and listen well is really good too. Melt that freeze by putting some heat on it! Sometimes it needs more professional help.
Curious to know more about how to change your thinking? Jump on to the Choose to Think course. Here you can take a few minutes of focus to get to know your self-talk; to become more able to choose useful thoughts and work out what they might be. Get a grip on your thoughts, feelings and have more energy to be more of the gorgeous you. (You know you are!)
Try a discovery session with me and let's get over this brain freeze together. Send me a message, I cannot wait to connect.
Don’t freeze
Try a discovery session with me and let's get over this brain freeze together.
