TOPIC: A trick to make unwanted thoughts get the fuck out of your head (at least for the time being).
WHEN TO USE: When you have irrational thoughts or fears (about that one time in 6th grade when your friends little brother pointed out your girl-stache), when you're drowning in worries (that maybe, 20 years later, your co-workers are secretly staring at said girl-stache), or when you're dealing with negative self-talk (like feeling pressure from society to get rid of your girl-stache).
HOW TO USE (With Examples): Picture a conveyor belt above your head. Plop each worry on that conveyor belt and watch the worry in your mind scoot away and out of your head. Don't analyze it, don't hold onto it -just watch it go by. Full disclosure: this one is tough for me to this day, despite learning it years ago from my DBT therapist. If you have the ability to focus your mind on the conveyor belt and detach yourself from your thoughts, give this a try! I would encourage you to try this even if you think you can't do those things too. You may surprise yourself.
WHY IT'S LEGIT: The point of this trick is to learn to loosen your death grip on your negative thoughts. You are meant to simply observe your worries instead of analyzing, ruminating, and freaking out about them.
ABOUT THERAPY THURSDAY: Join me every Thursday on my Instagram story (@domjoellehaikel) as I share with you a new tip/trick I learned in therapy over the years. If you can't catch the segment in time, look out for written recaps like these or on my saved Instagram stories.