I was speaking with E, a friend with who 15 years ago was given 2 years to live.
He said that 'metacognition', the ability to be an observer of his thoughts rather than being constantly immersed in them has been fundamental in his coping and longevity.
For anyone caught up in distressing thoughts or generally ‘in their head’, this is a very useful skill to have. Some people can make this shift effortlessly. For the rest, like me, it takes practice practice practice.
Targetted attention training like with mindfulness courses can be a great way to develop it. CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) is also very effective, particularly with high performance athletes.
Author: JD
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
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