Indulging in Thoughts, or Not, with Rachel Bloom

Rachel Bloom is a lady who rocks, and her approach to thought management clicked with me this past weekend.

“…not every thought needs to be indulged—some are nonsense.”

As an example, let’s say that I have a thought, and it’s that same mean thought about myself that I’ve had every day for the past 25 years. What if, this time around, I choose to not indulge that familiar thought? What happens then?

This way of approaching thoughts, not as facts, but as nonsense or something you can choose to indulge in, as something you can control, as something you have power over, is liberating.

Because, all too often, I have a thought and I treat that thought as a fact. And if that thought is a fact, well, all of these other thoughts must also be facts, right? And before I know it, I’m spiraling down and down and down.

But, if I catch that first or second thought and I don’t indulge it, if I resist peeling back the layers to reveal more painful thoughts, well, I’m on my way to building a skill that will change how I live my life.

Life is painful and scary. That’s a reality. But, it’s much less painful and scary when I can use a skill to manage my thoughts.

Thank you, Rachel Bloom.