Today I want to share a tool to get distance from your thoughts. This is a tool I first learned from a lady on a YouTube channel called Crappy Childhood Fairy. I have not taken the classes she offers and have not subscribed to her channel, so I am not endorsing all of her content. I am saying that a tool I heard first on her channel has been very helpful to me. I hope it will be for you as well!
Write down the thoughts, in a specific way
The basic idea is that you simply write down the thoughts you are having that are causing you distress. Because you are able to write the thoughts down, this alone can help to create some distance.
Key Idea: You are not your thoughts.
With this in mind, she offers that it can be helpful to add something like “I am noticing I am having the fearful thought that …” before the thought you write down. This allows you to acknowledge what is really happening.
Key Idea: You are the noticer of the thoughts.
Do not filter the thoughts that you are writing down
The first objective is to simply record what you are noticing, not what you are or are not agreeing with. You can reflect later. This tool is simply about noticing. Once you have established the distance between yourself and your thoughts, you will find other tools may be helpful.
The Crappy Childhood Fairy recommends doing this exercise daily for a period of time, at least. I did do this for about a month. I now find, I use it in times when I get flooded with thoughts.