Anyway, I love acronyms, and I just came up with another while talking to a good friend. This friend's mind runs with thoughts, ideas and anxieties often. I have been giving him the advice to say, "Stop!" to himself, and give himself permission to have a break from the hyper active mind.
Well, I thought, what can we do with this word, "stop".
S. Sit and listen. Often when we are anxiouse or in a panic state, we don't allow ourselves to listen. To the sounds around us...and to other people. When wanting to rush into monologues or diatribes, take a breath, and listen to somebody else or to nature.
T. Take it all in. Look around, see things, hear things, feel things (pick up a blade of grass and feel the texture, pick up a flower and smell it, eat a piece of fruit and really taste it). Get your senses focusing outward while your mind races to go inward.
O. Outside. If at all possible, go outside, being stuck indoors is the worst place to let the mind run wild which oftentimes skews thoughts of reality.
P. Persevere. Training and controlling the mind takes time. If years of habitual worrying and over thinking have been taking place, it's a habit, it'll take time to create new habits of positive thinking and peace...persevere!
Well, I may modify this, but I wanted to write it down before it slipped away...when the mind starts racing into overdrive, just say, "Stop!"
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| Lily the fairies water falls |
