“A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms.” (www.noaa.gov)
Just as the unpredictable nature of real tornadoes can wreak havoc on a landscape, so too can the whirlwind of thought tornadoes disrupt the clarity of our thoughts, the stability of our mind, and our personal wellbeing.
Thought tornados are biased ways of thinking that can negatively affect our perception of certain situations and can block us from effectively solving problems. While there are many thought tornados that can strike anyone at any time, one prevalent thought tornado is called Mind Reading. With this thought tornado you assume you know what other people are thinking or the motivations behind their actions. For example, if say “hello” to someone at work and they don’t respond, you might think that they are ignoring you on purpose.
This thought once formed, can begin to spin and rotate, extending to other examples in our life and can wreak havoc on our relationships, our self-esteem, and our ability to make good decisions. Left unchecked, over time, Mind Reading can lead to increased anxiety and an excessive amount of stress.
One of my favorite exercises to run with coaching clients that are working to manage their thought tornados is to ask them to write down the negative thought and visualize walking into a courtroom with the thought. Then I ask them to write down all of the supporting evidence that they have that the thought is true and then write down all of the evidence to counter the thought. Then, it goes to the judge to weigh all of the evidence and decide whether the thought tornado can be proven true beyond a reasonable doubt. Once the judge has rendered their decision, the distorted thinking can be released and a new, more helpful thought can be created.
