Stop Playing the Same Awful Movie in Your Head

-Karthik Gurumurthy

You know what makes a lot of people miserable? Replaying bad stuff that happened to them over and over in their minds.

You’ve totally done this—something crappy happens with someone, and then you can’t stop running through it. What they said, what you said, how angry or hurt you felt. Even though it makes you feel terrible, you just keep hitting replay. It’s like being trapped in a theater that won’t stop showing the same horror movie on a loop.

Here’s How to Break Free

First, just notice when you’re doing it. Catch yourself in the act of running that mental replay. Realize that it’s got a grip on you, but you don’t have to let it.

Then—and this is important—make a deliberate choice to stop it. Literally shake your head and cut it off mid-scene.

Now check in with yourself. Where’s that pain you were feeling? It’s gone, right? Just like that.

That’s huge! You just proved to yourself that you can shut down these mental movies whenever you want. You’re not trapped. You’re in control.

Start Small, Win Big

Try this next time you catch yourself spiraling. Even if you only manage to stop the mental movie for a second at first, that still counts as a win. Once you know you can do it for a second, you can build up to longer.

Every big win is just a bunch of small wins stacked together. Control what plays in your head, and you’ll control where your life goes.