Hello !

Do you remember when you were a kid, how much fun it was to chase bubbles and pop them?  I would run after the bubbles, laughing and giggling as I tried to catch them in my hands or pop them with my finger.  I watched my children do the same thing when they were little. In recent years, it’s been fun to watch my grandchildren laugh as they chased the bubbles that were coming from an automatic bubble blower.  So many bubbles that it was impossible to catch them all. 

Our thoughts are like the bubbles made by an automatic bubble machine.  Thousands of thought bubbles pop into our head each day.  Some of the thoughts drift by unnoticed.  Others are pleasant thoughts that can actually make us smile and feel good about ourselves.  Those thoughts are a match for our natural state, which is happiness.

Still other thought bubbles are troublesome, irritating or upsetting to us.  Those are the thoughts that tell us we are not good enough and lead us to feel insecure or to worry.  They are the thoughts that bring old hurts back to the surface of our minds or cause us to ruminate over things we have no control over.  When those kinds of thoughts come up, they can take us down into a low mood and make us feel bad very quickly.  

If you find yourself in a low mood, you may have a tendency to try to figure out what is causing your low mood. It's impossible to do and just leaves us feeling more frustrated.  Meanwhile, the automatic thought bubble machine continues to pump out more negative thoughts.  Those new thoughts support the thoughts you are already grappling with.  Your insecure feelings will grow and your mood will drop even lower.

Can we just turn off the thought bubble machine?

We can't actually turn off the thought machine. The human mind generates about 60,000 thoughts per day. Approximately 90% of those thoughts are repetitive and some research shows that an unsettling 75% of our thoughts are negative. We can however, tune out the negative thoughts that our mind is generating. 

So, how do we tune out the thought machine?  We tune it out by focusing our attention on doing something that has nothing to do with the negative thoughts.  We can go for a walk or a drive.  Play with a puppy or work on a hobby.  Clean out a closet or go to the gym. Do anything that relaxes you and takes you out of your head.  

I realize that sounds simple and not sophisticated at all, but sometimes, the most effective ideas are not complicated.  The next time you are plagued by thoughts that make you feel anxious or unhappy, try the simple method of distracting yourself with something enjoyable.  

When we tune out the thought machine, the negative thoughts fade away and our natural state of happiness comes to the surface.  

With loving support, 

Linda

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