Stuck in Circular Thought Patterns?

Do you sometimes find yourself stuck in repetitive, circular and even ruminating thought patterns? These thoughts just seem to go around and around without doing anything helpful but can be very effective at increasing fear, anxiety and helplessness. Many people can experience this in a heightened level when they wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. and their mind races without daytime distractions.

If this describes you, what steps can you take to help get off this debilitating merry-go-round?

When we get anxious, stressed or afraid, this pattern can become even stronger and more persistent. It is a tool that our internal fear and anxiety can use very effectively to increase and grow.

One good first step is to write out the repetitive thought patterns. When most of us write, it can be helpful because we don’t tend to write in a circular fashion, but rather in a more linear way. After it is written out, take several additional steps to take it in a more productive, linear way. Write on top of a separate page one line or section of the whole thought cycle. It may take multiple pages to write out each thought separately.

An example can be: “Being trapped at home is terrible, I’ll never be able to live a normal life, pay my bills or be with friends again—why is God doing this to us?” Break out each phrase: “being trapped at home,” and on a separate pages “being at home is terrible,” “I’ll never live a normal life again,” etc.

Now on each page, write observations about that one statement. For instance, is it a true statement? If it isn’t, write out a corrected statement that is true or more accurate. So, on the page “being trapped at home”—is it really true? Probably not—you probably are choosing to restrict your activities. Even if you are homebound, you have many options for rest, edification, enjoyment, connecting with friends and family, etc.

Be aware when your statements are predicting the future. Are you really a prophet, able to predict the future 100% accurately 100% of the time? That is God’s standard of a true prophet. If you aren’t a real prophet (probably not many of those out there!), write truthful statements. Correct a belief stated as “I’ll never live a normal life again,” which is a prophetic statement, with truth. An example may be, “I’m afraid I’ll never live a normal life” to “All of the predictions our government officials make are that we will return to normal once the virus is stopped.”

These steps can help us bring our thoughts captive as the Scriptures say. Anxiety is a cruel taskmaster, so we have to take proactive steps to “knock it down to size.” Thank God that He is all-knowing, and he is still at work in your life—the virus isn’t stopping him in any way! And besides, merry-go-rounds are supposed to be fun!