How to change the channel on unhelpful thoughts

What is the film you hate the most? You just can’t stand this movie and, whenever it comes on the TV, you have to change the channel and watch something else. Anything else!

It doesn’t even have to be one film... what are the movies that you really detest? You can’t take them at all. They irritate you, annoy you or bore you to tears.

Why not add TV programmes to the mix? Which programmes have you scrambling for the remote control quicker than a speeding bullet?

One film I have to switch off is The Wizard of Oz. That bloody musical would come on every Christmas when I was growing up, and my delightful sister always seemed to have the monopoly on the small-screen switcher – except when the footie was on, for some strange reason. I had no chance of getting that thing off her; any attempt would see her scream the house down that I was a murderer.

So whenever Dorothy and her crew were singing ‘We’re off to see the Wizard’, I was off to my bedroom for some peace.

Now, as an adult and in the luxury of my own home, with no sister controlling the remote, I am able to watch what I like on TV. So when The Wizard of Oz comes on at Christmas – every bloody Christmas, dare I say – I turn it over as soon as it starts and watch something better, like Back to the Future Part II. Now that is a film worth watching repeatedly!

Maybe it’s my sister’s fault that I don’t like The Wizard of Oz. She watched that celluloid classic so many times that whenever it comes on the telly nowadays, I have to switch the channel before I break out in a sweat.

But that’s what we do when we don’t like a film or TV programme on the box. That’s what we do when we don’t like a song on the radio: we change the channel. We change the frequency.

So why don’t we try something similar with unhelpful thoughts? We may not be able to switch them off as easily as a television programme, but we can sometimes step back and choose where we place our attention.

We let negative thoughts enter our minds and then stay there. We may replay them over and over again like an old classic on repeat. We don’t like these thoughts or want them, but they play on and on. Thoughts about the past. Thoughts about the future. Nervous thoughts, anxious thoughts. They can affect the way we feel and behave, but we don’t always consider whether there might be another way of looking at them.

We don’t always stop to consider that some of these thoughts may be stories or interpretations that our minds have created rather than facts. They can feel like mini films, blockbusters, thrillers and horror films that we have made in our thoughts.

It can be easy to get lost in our thoughts, feeling like there is no other way. But we may be able to change our relationship with them. This is not always as quick or easy as changing the channel on the television, and it is not simply a matter of thinking positively.

Whenever the mind produces dark or unhelpful thoughts, we can try working with those thoughts instead of fighting them, allowing them to come and go.

We can explore our thoughts without judgement, consider what they might mean and ask whether the evidence supports them.

We may also be able to redirect our attention towards something more balanced, helpful or grounding.

Thoughts are going to appear in the mind whether we want them to or not. The key is to notice them and decide how we want to respond. Some thoughts may need our attention, while others can be allowed to pass. When they come, imagine letting them go as though you were releasing a red balloon and watching it sail into the cool, calm air. Let it go. Let them go.

Although you cannot control every thought that appears, you can sometimes influence how much attention you give it and what you do next. When an unhelpful thought comes on, try changing the channel or, as I used to do when I was a child, leave the room and do something else.

As with television, we may have more choices than we first realise. We might examine the thought, look for a more balanced perspective, let it pass or redirect our attention to something useful. So when BBC iPlayer isn’t cutting it for you, there’s always Netflix instead.

Change your relationship with your thoughts. Don’t get stuck on the same channel.