Element E-Zine

     Thought Stopping

Welcome to Element E-Zine. This week’s topic is about ‘thought stopping’ in regards to stress management.

One great technique that many people find effective when it comes to managing stress is thought-stopping, also known as thought-blocking. It’s a cognitive behavioural technique used to manage feelings of stress.

Basically, it involves concentrating on stopping your unwanted, intrusive or overwhelming thoughts by mentally, or even out loud, saying something or doing something that will effectively ‘stop’ the thought.

Let’s give you an example. You may be feeling stressed about a disagreement you had with a friend. Just as you’re starting to think, “She must hate me! She thinks I’m stupid…etc etc”, you think to yourself or say something out loud like “STOP!!!!!” or clap your hands loudly to ‘block’ the thought.

With practice, you can master this technique to stop your unwanted, stressful thoughts. This is a great technique that can really help you to manage your stress, but obviously not all techniques work for everyone. If you don’t practice it enough, if you find yourself neutralizing the disturbing thought or image, or if you’re getting reassurance from significant others, then this particular technique may not work for you.

However, give it a go, and hopefully with some consistent practice, you’ll start to feel much less stressed out!

Hope you have a great week.

Regards from Marryam