Persistent thoughts: Find calm and hope for the future

April is National Counseling Appreciation Month to bring awareness and acknowledgment to the outstanding efforts counselors provide in a myriad of settings. In honor of this month, our Licensed Counselor Dallas Payton is providing tips to those who struggle with persistent thoughts.

For those who struggle with persistent thoughts about regrets or a bunch of “I wish I would have, I should have, or I could have…” about events in the past, it is important to 1st recognize that dwelling on the past keeps us from experiencing better times in the present and future.

Such cycles of thinking can cause problems with sleep, irritable mood, and a defeated attitude about ones abilities in the present and future. Our best years are ahead of us, not behind us.

One way to change your thinking about troubling times in the past is to recognize that a change is needed. Once you commit to making a change, then it is important to identify a new thought to challenge, correct or stop the troubling thought.

When developing a replacement thought it needs to be true, related to the troubling thought or memory, and at the same time is calming or gives you hope for the future. An example of this can be:

“I’m not there anymore.”
“I’m not the same as I once was.”
“Stop it! Focus on what is happening now.”
“That is in the past, I’m living for the present and future.”

You can create your own replacement thought as well. Once you decide on your replacement thought, it is important to use it every time the old troubling thought from the past comes up. This will create, mental muscle memory. The more you use the replacement or corrective thought, the better the result will be.

West Valley now offers online scheduling for group therapy and counseling. Schedule today.