Proven Strategies to Defuse Your Anxiety
I hate papers, I hate papers,
Yes, I do, Yes, I do,
Make them go away now, make them go away now,
For-e-ver, for-e-ver.
(Tune: Frere Jacques. Words: Janice Russell)
This is a client’s song. She’s overwhelmed by a ton of papers to go through before a cross-country move. The humor in the song makes her laugh which helps to disconnect her from the overload-if only for a few moments.
The song is a cognitive defusion technique.
I heard a clip on the mindfulness app Calm about this topic and thought it would be helpful for clients…and myself. In fact, I created my own song to the tune of Happy Birthday per the instructions in the clip.
In brief, cognitive defusion is a powerful concept originating from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on altering our relationship with our thoughts rather than changing the thoughts themselves.*
THE PROBLEM WITH COGNITIVE FUSION. Before diving into defusion, it’s essential to grasp the concept of cognitive fusion. In a fused state, we are entangled with our thoughts, perceiving them as truths and allowing them to dictate our actions and emotions. For instance, someone fused with the thought, “I’m a failure,” may feel discouraged and avoid pursuing new opportunities because they believe this thought to be an absolute truth.
THE POWER OF COGNITIVE DEFUSION involves creating a psychological distance from our thoughts, allowing us to observe them without getting entangled. This technique helps to reduce the power of negative or unhelpful thoughts, making it easier to act in alignment with our values and goals.
TECHNIQUES AND EXAMPLES
Cognitive defusion strategies aim to weaken the grip of the intrusive thoughts by altering how we interact with them. In addition to creating a song, as illustrated above, here are a few other approaches. See if one or more appeal to you and give it a try.
Thank You Mind: When an unhelpful thought arises, respond with, “Thank you, mind, for that interesting thought.” Rather than dwelling on a difficult thought, acknowledge it – possibly in a somewhat sarcastic manner. This approach allows the thought’s presence without accepting it as a directive.
A client with several brain-based conditions struggled to get projects done around her house. Every time she planned to do something, her “committee” (her word, not mine) would get involved. They would give so much input that it was just easier to do nothing.
She found that stating, “I hear your ideas, I think I will do <whatever she had decided> instead” sometimes kept the thoughts at bay long enough to complete a task.
Close the Window: Having lots of thoughts at the same time can feel like having multiple windows open on your internet browser-overwhelming! Imagine that you can click the “x” associated with a thought and that it would disappear. Continue closing your “thought windows” one at a time.
For instance, when someone has a biopsy and is waiting to hear the results, many concerns crop up, mainly around what happens if it comes back positive. Here are just a few: “surgery means I have to take time off work,” “who will take care of <project or person>,” “I dread having chemotherapy,” “what will I tell people,” “I can’t cope withe cancer,” etc.
Rather than dwelling on these thoughts, visualize each thought as a separate window on your device and click on the x to make it disappear. Then do the same with each concern.
Remember, the thoughts are valid, it’s just that you ruminating on them isn’t helpful. Closing the window on them helps decrease their intensity.
Thought Parade: Visualize your thoughts moving along rather than staying put. There are many different ways you can “see” this: leaves in a stream, cars passing on the highway, credits rolling on a movie screen, etc. When a disruptive thought arises, put on the leaf/car/credit and let it continue floating by until it moves out of sight. This imagery helps reinforce the idea that thoughts are transient and don’t require immediate action.
Taking the same example from Close the Window, put each thought on the leaf/car/credit (or whatever imagery works for you) and wait for it to leave your “sightline.”
Reframing: In this technique, you modify “I am” statements. This subtle shift helps create a distance between the thinker and the thought, making it less impactful.
A client had a series of medical events. She’s undergone lots of testing to determine the cause, yet everything shows that she’s in great health. While it’s nice to be in such good health, it’s discouraging not to have any answers. Every time a doctor schedules another test, she says, “I’m so tired of having tests and not finding any answers.” This is completely understandable! However, one way to reframe this is “These tests provide great baseline information for future medical issues.” This helps defuse the frustration, even if just a little bit.
THE BENEFITS OF COGNITIVE DEFUSION
- Improved Well-being: Over time, practicing cognitive defusion can lead to a greater sense of well-being, as we become less entangled in negative thought patterns.
- Increased Flexibility: Defusion fosters psychological flexibility, allowing people to choose actions based on their values rather than being driven by unhelpful thoughts.
- Emotional Regulation: By viewing thoughts as mere mental events, we can reduce our emotional reactivity, leading to better emotional regulation.
IN CONCLUSION
Cognitive defusion is a transformative tool that helps individuals disentangle from their thoughts, leading to greater emotional resilience and psychological flexibility. By practicing defusion techniques, we can cultivate a healthier relationship with our thoughts, promoting overall mental well-being.
I’d love to know your thoughts about cognitive defusion!
Comment below about which strategy you’ll try. Or share an idea that’s worked for you in the past.
*I want to be clear, while I use some of these strategies with my coaching clients, I am not a therapist. If a client needs support that I’m not qualified to give, I always refer them to a licensed mental health professional.
