Video script: thinking about our thinking, part 2
GGC - 12 Week Pain Management Programme
This content is designed for the participants of the GGC Pain Management Programme.
Thinking about our thinking, part 2: how do our minds work?
Hello again. It’s Anna here. This next part of our section on thinking is going to look at how our minds work.
This might seem like a strange question but think for a moment about how our minds work.
Is our thinking always slow and reasoned out? Not always. Often we think very rapidly and automatically. And one thought quickly leads to another. (If I say, 1, 2, …. What happened, did you think 3? Our mind does all the work, automatically.
Do we always know what we are thinking? No. Often we are thinking about something whilst doing something else and we may not notice the thoughts that are going on in the background.
Is our thinking always in words? Not always. Our thoughts can be images, sensations, memories.
Is it always easy to control what we think? If I were to ask you to not think about a pink elephant, what is the first thing that pops into your head! We can’t stop or control our thoughts.
If we can’t control our thinking, we want to find a different way to influence it and reduce its negative impact on our lives.
In the last talk, we noted that our thinking is not always correct. It can be influenced by different things. What do you think might influence our thinking?
We have come up with some suggestions. As I talk through them, notice if there are some that are particularly relevant to you.
If we are really low in mood that tends to influence our thinking, doesn’t it? We tend to see things in a more negative way.
If we are very anxious, it affects us in a different way, we probably notice danger and risk and tend to worry.
Our culture, can influence our thinking, what we notice, how we view the world, what we expect.
Our past experiences - can definitely make us more aware of certain things, if things have happened to you before, you are likely to expect them again.
If we’ve had really difficult or traumatic experiences definitely than can alter the way that we see ourselves, the world, and other people.
Habit – over time we fall into a pattern of always viewing things a certain way.
Incomplete information – if we don’t have the full picture our minds can fill the gaps or make assumptions. Witness testimonies are a good example of this, where our mind is trying its best and can fill the gaps in our memories, sometimes incorrectly.
Attention – if we are paying attention to something or not paying attention to something that influences the way we think.
Bodily changes – being tired, hungry, having a cold – can all influence the way that we think.
Physical health – broadly that can influence our thinking, I guess particularly for this group we’re thinking about pain and how that can influence our thinking.
Lots and lots of external factors that can impact our thinking.
One of things we noted on the previous slide was “habit.” Our thinking habits can be influenced by some of the things we have just mentioned – our culture, past experience etc. We all develop short cuts and habits with our thinking. This is our brain’s way of helping us and saving us time in situations. But we’ve already noted that sometimes we get it wrong with our thinking . Sometimes these habits, or short cuts might not be accurate. They might not be helpful. In particular, we want to notice those thinking habits that are moving us away from our goals and might be stopping us living a life in line with our values, with what matters most to us.
You may have heard of rose-tinted spectacles – where someone has an optimistic outlook and does not notice the negatives as much. You may also have heard of beer goggles? Which demonstrate that when someone’s judgement is compromised by alcohol it can change their thinking and how they perceive things, for example they might find people more attractive or they might believe they are the best karaoke singer in the pub.
WE are ALL biased in our thinking in some way. Our thinking influences what we notice and then has an effect on how we feel and how react to situations (our behaviour/ what we do).
When someone is feeling down or depressed we know that it is very much like they are seeing the world almost through grey-tinted spectacles. They have a greater tendency to perceive things in a pessimistic fashion and to ignore more positive information. They will often be highly critical of themselves and their actions. It has been found that people can be more vulnerable to depression and anxiety if they have a tendency to think negatively. These tendencies, as we’ve said, can develop through our up-bringing or as a result of our experiences.
In a future session we will cover some specific ways we can be biased in our thinking.
For just now, try to notice particular habits that you are in with your thinking – whether they are helpful habits or unhelpful. These might be thinking about the worst case scenario, comparing yourself to others, worrying, criticising yourself, or it might be that you have a tendency to plan, or to see the best in people. Try to notice 2 or 3 habits, 2 or 3 things that you notice yourself doing with your thinking regularly and note these down in the space on thinking worksheet 2 before the group session.