Be an observer (DW#510)
Dec 06, 2018
It is easy to react negatively when we begin noticing how many times a day we are having cognitive distortions. This is NOT the time to put more labels on yourself (my head is a mess – why do I think so negatively? Why can’t I get this right? And so on . . . ) Thoughts such as these are simply indulging the mind’s inclination to making more cognitive distortions.
So instead of reacting to everything that we think, we can become unbiased observers of our thoughts.
When bad thoughts arise, (and they WILL), we can say, "It's interesting that I think that."
When good thoughts arise, we can say, "It's interesting that I think that."
Just watch your thoughts come and go, come and go, come and go.
When we practice observing thoughts rather than treating them as TRUE and then reacting, we can remain in control and not react based on our mental events.
Be like the ocean – underneath the waves, it is still, calm, unmoving.
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