This Week I Learned...(Inner) Silence is Golden

You know how when you're upset about something you tend to think about it incessantly? We call that "churning" and we do it a lot. In our minds, we tell ourselves over and over again how the thing that's upsetting us doesn't line up with our demands and expectations. It shouldn't be the way it is, so we're mad, sad, or frustrated. If staying upset requires that we talk to ourselves about it, what do you suppose would happen if you just stopped talking to yourself? What would happen is that it would dissolve. All the pain and anguish would end shortly after your mind became quiet.

Action step: Try this the next time you're upset. Turn all your attention away from the circumstance and towards the physical sensations in your body. Resist the urge to go into your head and keep the monologue alive. Just notice your physical feelings and, like a scientist, study their longevity. How long does the feeling last when you're not thinking the thoughts that created it? The answer may surprise you.