Have you ever felt that you´re a victim of whatever your mind ponders on at any moment of the day:

That whenever a thought crosses your mind you immediately have to dedicate 100% of your attention to it, even if it is something as random as ¨can dogs eat celery?” (and yes, they can)

If this has ever happened to you, then don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone.

Your just part of a group of people who “suffer” from things such as OCD, ADHD or any other one.

And don’t panic, eventhough this may sound as a rock band from the 70’s, this are just different ways of saying that you’re brain is different, and different doesn’t mean bad, it’s just, you know, different.

The key concept here is understanding how to handle your brain, thus yourself.

You see, as Nobel Prize Daniel Kahneman explains in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, inside your brain there’s two systems,

1. System 1: is fast, instinctive and emotional

2. System 2: is slow, deliberative and logical

And every single second of the day you’re basically jumping from one system to the other.

And here’s another fun fact. Research has found that at least 40% of our daily activities are done out of habit, thus, system 1, so you may not be as rational as you think you are.

This only proves the power of our system 1, or unconscious (habit) brain.

And this is exactly the reason why we find it so easy give into our intrusive thoughts the moment they appear.

So, how can you avoid this?

First, you need to understand the exercise, then you must do it every-single-day.

This idea is brought straight out of Cognitive Behavioral Psychology or CBT, and it works like this:

1. You must carry a notepad and a pen with you at all times

2. Every time an intrusive thought crosses your mind, simply write it down

3. Next to it, write down the reason why you think that thought came to be. For example, I may be thinking about playing video games because my work is boring and I want to do something I enjoy. Thus, my thought came to be as a way out of my boredom.

4. If the thought persists, simply schedule 1 minute to think about it, but do it 5 minutes from when the thought appeared.

This whole process is designed to basically telll your brain you´re in charge.

That there’s nothing wrong to have this kind of thoughts, what’s wrong though is paying attention to them when you shouldn’t, hence the scheduling.

It may sound simple, and even boring, but you have no idea how much change it can provide.

Try it out for a week and you’ll see the results for yourself!
 

And if you wish to learn more stuff like this, don´t remember to check your e’mail!