how do you get out of your own head?

18 comments

1. Journalling and walks in the woods. Personally find that taking time in a quiet place to actually process things more carefully and examine my internal dialogue, feelings and reactions to the world around me is a much greater help than trying to stop thinking about the things that are feeling too heavy.

2. Try affirmations. The mind is powerful, and how you talk to yourself matters. Reframe the things that happen to you, change how you think about them. It will have to be a conscious thing at first, when you catch yourself thinking down on yourself, find a different way to think about it. Even saying it out loud can help. Things like “I fucked that up” can be changed to “How can I learn from that?” Do it enough, and it will become second nature. Always be kind to yourself, it makes a difference

3. don’t quell your inner dialogue. listen to it. and remember that thoughts and feelings are different things.

   therapy can also be very, very healing.

4. Think about someone else who might be in a bad spot and how you might be able help.

5. It gets you out of your own head. Realizing other people have problems too puts yours in perspective and helping them makes you feel good. And you’re not obsessing over your own issues while focused on someone else.

6. Don’t fear what’s outside of your own head

7. Keep noticing it, it’s like being under water. Try getting above the water as often as you can, find activities that help you, and see if you do them in mornings – would they improve the rest of the day? For example, walk or jog, yoga etc.

8. Not advice, just an answer to your question

   Alcohol mostly, followed by smoking whatever I can get my hands on, and swallowing whatever pills I can get my hands on too…

9. I drown out my thoughts with constant audio stimulus. Headphones, music, podcasts, and I go to sleep with the tv on. Is it healthy? Probably not

10. I play drums

11. Meditation.

12. I think of contingencies for the most common next actions, then don’t worry about it again until I can do something about it

    You understand that you aren’t a god and cannot plan for everything. Just do the most probable scenarios. And be prepared to think on your feet and adjust on the fly. It is a skill, and the more you practice, the better you will be.

    By overthinking one thing, you waste energy that could be used to improve somewhere else.

    Old Viking Proverb: It is a stupid man who lies awake all night worrying about his problems. In the morning, he is all worn out and weary and whatever was, still is.

    Time is our ultimate currency. Spend it wisely.

13. Recognize diminishing returns of continued introspection. Being in your head and contemplating things that have happened, things you’ve said and done, etc. Very good and healthy and helpful for your progress. But the bulk of it happens very quickly. After that, the value of continued Focus tends to not provide much value, and then quickly starts to be a negative. It takes time to teach yourself how to say “no, I’ve thought about that enough. Doing my best every day, and that’s good enough. Moving on!“. But with practice, it can be done.

14. I never go there it’s pretty ugly and dark.

15. Focus on something specific to do instead. Something that occupies your entire mind and so doesn’t allow your mind to wander back into whatever rut you are trying to mentally get out of.

16. Service to others. Go do something for someone who needs it. Do it quietly and humbly.

17. If it’s maladaptive or dangerous seek help, if you’re just in your head set an alarm for five mins or something and just go down that rabbit hole. It helps me to just let what ever bullshit is in my head play out. Then realize that for me to get from where I am to where my head took me required a ridiculous amount of shenanigans. Then it’s done. For me at least. Gota figure your brain out.

18. I fucking hate when I leave my head. Real life suck a lot. I hate waking up every day and know I get to do it all again when I fall asleep. Going inside my head is my only freedom.