Willpower Tips Day 12 – Strategies for Responding to Self Sabotaging Thoughts

This post is designed as a followup to the thoughts we identified on Day 11

There are several different approaches that psychology PhDs recommend for responding to Self Sabotaging Thoughts.

There is also evidence that the techniques that work best for some people might actually make things worse for others. Therefore you need to experiment with what works best for you (But give it more than just a few tries).

Here’s one technique that I really like & that lots of clients have reported finding really helpful. It comes from a therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

1. If any of the examples I listed in the Day 11 post rang true for you or better yet, prompted you to think of your own example, write the thought on a piece of paper and put it either in your pocket or in your shoe.

2. Walk around with the thought for a period of time. One of the sets of instructions for this technique recommends a week, but you might decide to do it for a day. (As long as you decide on the time period in advance, you can pick any time period).

Why?

You might notice that you remember the thought is there from time to time, you might see it when you take your shoe off, or feel the note in your shoe from time to time.

The idea is to experience:

having experiential contact with the thought + observer perspective and psychological distance.

You and the thought can exist together without you needing to get rid of the thought or acting on the thought.

Try it!