Breaking the Negative Cycle

The key is to break this cycle early. Instead of letting a small problem escalate into a massive one, we need to catch ourselves before we spiral out of control. Here’s how you can manage this:

1. Acknowledge the Symptoms: When you have a headache or any other symptom, acknowledge it. It’s okay to feel down, frustrated, or discouraged, but don’t dwell on these feelings. Let them come and go.
2. Avoid Dwelling on Negative Emotions: The longer you dwell on negative emotions, the more they amplify your symptoms. Feel the frustration, the sadness, or the anger, but let it pass. Don’t sit in it.
3. Practice Brain Retraining: Use brain retraining exercises to help manage your symptoms. This can help you shift your focus away from the pain and reduce its intensity.

Visualizing the Solution

Let’s take the headache example again. Instead of letting it spiral into a massive problem, acknowledge it and try to limit the negative emotions surrounding it. Here’s a visual representation:

• You have a headache (one problem).
• Negative emotions (worry, fear, frustration) start to creep in.
• Instead of letting these emotions amplify the headache, acknowledge them and let them pass.
• Use brain retraining exercises to manage the headache.

By doing this, you prevent the headache from spiraling into a migraine and avoid the negative cycle of increasing symptoms and emotions.

Emotions as Stressors

Remember, just because you can’t see or touch your thoughts doesn’t mean they don’t exist. To your brain, these are stressors. Imagine your brain sees danger all around – not just the physical pain but also the emotional and mental stressors. Your brain recognizes these stressors, so it’s important to limit them as much as possible.

Be Patient and Kind to Yourself

Patience is key. There’s nothing you can do in the moment that will instantly make the headache or other symptoms go away. But by managing your response to these symptoms, you can prevent them from getting worse. Be patient with yourself and allow your body the time it needs to heal.

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If this video helped and gave you a new perspective, comment down below. Make sure to like the video and hit that subscribe button. Also, join our private Facebook group. It’s a community of Thrivers – people who don’t just want to survive an illness like this but want to thrive because of it. They use their experiences as a springboard to level up in life and become better because of it. If you’re ready for change and want to thrive, join us.