Inhale calm presence... Exhale and watch your anxious thought dissolve into passing smoke particles.
This combines slow breathing with an idea from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) called cognitive defusion: stepping back to see a thought as words passing through your mind, rather than a fact you must obey or argue with. Seeing the words fade is a visual version of classic defusion exercises such as “leaves on a stream”. The aim is not to get rid of the thought, but to loosen its grip.
If the same distressing thoughts take up much of your day, or include thoughts of harming yourself or others, please talk to a professional. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 in the US, or Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland.
An ACT skill for stepping back from thoughts — noticing “I’m having the thought that…” instead of being caught up in it.
Not necessarily, and that is not the goal. The aim is for the thought to feel less gripping, so you can get on with what matters.
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Try the observer mind exercise or the worry tree.