THOUGHT STOPPING — Windows Live

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Tip#1	Thought stopping, as the name implies, is as simple to understand but difficult to learn and practice as are the Stress and Panic Tips. The basic rule is that you cannot think good and bad thoughts at the same time. They are mutually exclusive.

Tip#2	We all carry on an interior monologue or conversation with ourselves most of our waking hours and don't even notice it because it is so familiar to us that it is simply a habit that we don't have to pay attention to.

Tip#3	This self-talk is learned very early in our lives as we are instructed how to do anything from putting on our shoes to solving a quadratic equation. The younger we are and the newer the learning, the more likely we will see the self-talk being used.

Tip#4	As we get older and better at the task, it fades into the background and we don't notice it unless our learned habit is interrupted or we have to learn something new. That's the time to watch ctrl-alt-del being pressed and self-instruction begin.

Tip#5	When we are emotionally or physically stressed and we try to solve the problem, our thoughts become more noticeable to us because we are working on relatively new learning. We may even see the person moving their lips as they sub-vocalize trial solutions.

Tip#6	What does this have to do with thought stopping? We need to recognize first, that the thoughts are there to be stopped and second, when symptomatic thoughts are most likely to occur.

Tip#7	Most problems are easiest to solve when they are small. Therefore, to stop objectionable thoughts, it is important for us to recognize their presence as early in the process as possible while they are still "small" and haven't yet become a habit.

Tip#8	It is extremely difficult to "not think" unless we have Zen training or something similar. The alternative and more intuitive appoach is to deliberately and actively think about something else. Almost any other thought can be used.

Tip #9	Reciting a poem, nursery rhyme, prayer, baseball statistics, winners of the last 10 years' F1 winners, or quilt patterns are all examples. The best thought to use is one that interests you and that is pleasant to think. You are then more likely to do it.

Tip#10	Physiological results of Zen training produce different results when the startle response is measured. Other meditators quickly adapt to a noise stimulus and stop reacting to it. Zen masters don't adapt and react to the sound as if it were new each trial.

Tip#11	Make your positive thoughts interesting enough that they don't just become background noise that you think bad thoughts right over. They must engage your interest. It's fair to change them when they don't.

Tip#12	The unconscious not hearing negatives enters here, also. If I tell you, "Whatever you do, DON'T think about a white horse," what is the first thing you think of?

Tip#13	As with other types of learning, there is a performance curve showing that the more you practice, the better you get. Again, we are playing the percentages, with even a small reduction of bad thoughts being desirable.

Tip#14	Counting sheep can work but isn't too interesting. An old Frommian technique to fall asleep is to lie down and imagine you are in a movie theater watching a blank screen. If thoughts intrude, just chase them away and go back to the white screen.