I Shouldn't Have Eaten That

Photo by Myron Mott on Unsplash

Have you ever noticed yourself engaging in obsessive thinking? Examples:

I shouldn’t have eaten whatever. (You proceed to blame yourself etc. etc.)

I shouldn't have said whatever. (You proceed to blame yourself etc. etc.)

I shouldn’t have wasted that time. (You proceed to blame yourself etc. etc.)

I wish I hadn’t done that. (You proceed to blame yourself etc. etc.)

My own favorite is “I shouldn't have eaten that.”

What I’ve noticed recently is that obsessive thinking is a substitute for actually feeling the emotions that are present in that moment.

If I decide to simply feel what’s present for me (just feel, not think) the obsessive thinking stops. Of course, what’s present isn’t usually that much fun to feel which is why probably why I developed the obsessive-thinking habit to begin with.

Give it a try if you like. (It is a skill to just feel and not think. If you haven’t yet developed the skill, this post might not make any sense.)