Stopping the Spiral
Awareness is the key. It is easier to stop a spiral at the start. The further you go down the hole, the harder it is to come out. Now, don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that it is ALWAYS possible to come out, but stopping it sooner is better for many reasons. It may take practice, each time you get better and better. Believe me, I have had plenty of practice and now the spirals that used to last for hours that would end with me emotionally drained now last moments and leave me feeling fully functional, thanks to these few items I implement. Saving me time & energy.
Stop in the spiral- Phase 1
Number one – MOVE…put your body in motion. I don't care how you do it. If you can't run, walk, if you can't walk, flap your arms and lift your legs, twist from side to side (controllable not to where it hurts) just move! This causes your body to naturally make those “feel good” chemicals, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin. And before you know it, you will feel better. It's like an E-ticket out of that hole that you've spiraled into.
Number two – MUSIC- Play some music. Something with a positive, uplifting beat is preferred, or music that has good memories tied to it. (none of those that tear at the heart strings or that remind you of a love lost or painful time in your life.) Something that makes you smile, or think about a positive memory, something inspiring that speaks to how powerful you really are, or something that makes you want to sing or dance. We all have those songs. I recommend making a list. so they are easily accessible. For me, this can be anything from Foo Fighters, Metallica to Collective Soul, Pittbull or of course Kenny Chesney.
Number three – WRITE IT OUT (a.k.a. Journal)- take everything that's in your mind, every racing thought that's spiraling, swirling around going faster, gathering more momentum and start writing it out! Put it on paper. This is helpful because it gets it out of the mind, from here it starts to lose it’s momentum. And once you actually see what your mind is thinking, it deflates it. It’s one thing to think thoughts, but to put them on paper and to read them changes them, like a little wake up call. Another thing I love about journaling is that nobody sees it, it is for your eyes only. If you are in a situation where you want to make sure no one sees it, you can always put it in a safe burn box and light that on fire! (Another fun release technique!) But I mean it, write it ALL out. All the things! who made you mad, why, etc. If it pops up in your head literally make a path for it to travel to your hand on get in on that paper.
These are just a few things I feel are like life preservers for when you start to spiral.
Have you tried them? If so, how many times? Have you seen a difference in your spiral time?