{"id":288,"date":"2021-08-06T18:38:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T18:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.feilcounselingandconsulting.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2022-08-30T20:45:32","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T20:45:32","slug":"circular-thought-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.feilcounselingandconsulting.com\/index.php\/circular-thought-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"Stuck in Circular Thought Patterns?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Get Off The<\/em><\/strong> Merry-Go-Round<\/em><\/strong> of circular & repetitive thought patterns<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this describes you, what steps can you take to help get off this debilitating merry-go-round?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One good first step is to write out the repetitive thought patterns<\/strong>. When most of us write, it can be helpful because we don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example can be:<\/strong> \u201cBeing trapped at home is terrible, I\u2019ll never be able to live a normal life, pay my bills or be with friends again\u2014why is God doing this to us?\u201d Break out each phrase: \u201cbeing trapped at home,\u201d and on a separate pages \u201cbeing at home is terrible,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll never live a normal life again,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now on each page, write observations about that one statement.<\/strong> For instance, is it a true statement? If it isn\u2019t, write out a corrected statement that is true or more accurate. So, on the page \u201cbeing trapped at home\u201d\u2014is it really true? Probably not\u2014you 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be aware when your statements are predicting the future<\/strong>. Are you really a prophet, able to predict the future 100% accurately 100% of the time? That is God\u2019s standard of a true prophet. If you aren\u2019t a real prophet (probably not many of those out there!), write truthful statements. Correct a belief stated as \u201cI\u2019ll never live a normal life again,\u201d which is a prophetic statement, with truth. An example may be, \u201cI\u2019m afraid<\/em><\/strong> I\u2019ll never live a normal life\u201d to \u201cAll of the predictions our government officials make are that we will return to normal once the virus is stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These steps can help us bring our thoughts captive as the Scriptures say<\/strong>. Anxiety is a cruel taskmaster, so we have to take proactive steps to \u201cknock it down to size.\u201d Thank God that He is all-knowing, and he is still at work in your life\u2014the virus isn\u2019t stopping him in any way! And besides, merry-go-rounds are supposed to be fun!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doug Feil, MS, LPC, is the author of this blog post. He has been a Professional Christian Counselor for over 40 years. If this blog describes you and you want additional help and tools to break this pattern of Merry-Go-Round thinking, please return to our website & fill out the contact form for an initial 15 minute consult with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may also contact him at: dfeil@feilcounselingandconsulting.com or 720-689-4631.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What steps can you take to get off this debilitating merry-go-round of circular thoughts?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-counseling","category-stress"],"yoast_head":"\nStuck in Circular Thought Patterns? | Feil Counseling and Consulting Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some ideas to help you get off The Merry-Go-Round of damaging circular and repetitive thought patterns we all face.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.feilcounselingandconsulting.com\/index.php\/circular-thought-patterns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stuck in Circular Thought Patterns? 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