Use Color to Stop the Spin

It's today's tip!

My friend Molly and I were discussing our internal spinning loops of repetitive thought.

Have you ever experienced these loops? They’re the ones that keep us from reaching our goals. Instead of solid ground, we pace in place, or even worse, slip around, like contestants in a log-rolling competition.

I asked Molly about her loop cutting tricks, since anyone who experiences the spin has them. She said:

Years ago, someone shared this trick for stopping brain chatter. It’s very simple. You look around and name the colors you see out loud. That’s all.

Black. Red. Purple. Pink. Fuschia. Taupe. Grey.

Your goal is to get out of the loop and into the present.

This simple exercise does it. And I’ve found it works especially well when you’re traveling.

As she said that, we began to name the colors surrounding us.

Soon enough we found ourselves noticing the birds overhead.

We smelled the evening breeze as it arrived.

We felt the moment as it rushed around us.