Ruminating dreadful thoughts are a source of anxiety. However, we can learn to interrupt this thought pattern before it takes a toll on our mental health. Here are five ways to deal with dread.
Anyone who’s ever felt anxious knows the feeling of dread. It’s an overwhelming, fearful anticipation of a future event. We experience dread when we ruminate about the possibility of something terrible happening. If we don’t learn to deal with dread, it can take a toll on our physical and mental well-being.
However, there’s a different way to approach dread, one in which we might even learn to handle or laugh at our dreadful, anxious thoughts. That’s the perspective presented by Saleem Reshamwala on a recent Ten Percent Happier podcast.
According to Reshamwala, an Emmy-nominated writer and director and current host of Ten Percent Happier’s More Than A Feeling podcast, not all dread is bad. It can help us survive, reveal what’s important to us, or motivate us to take action.
Yet, it’s impossible to view dread from a positive perspective if we feel paralyzed by it. Before dread takes a toll on our mental health, we can change our relationship with it. Here are five easy ways to deal with dread:
1. Journal about dread.
We can start by taking a few minutes each day to write down everything that is causing us dread or anxiety. This gives our brain an outlet for these thoughts. When we write out our worries, we label our anxieties. Labeling our emotions is half the battle. Plus, writing allows us to process our dread at a deeper level. Once it’s written down, our brains often don’t experience as much rumination.
For more on how writing can be helpful, read this!
2. Draw about dread.
Another technique is to take two minutes to draw a visual depiction of something we dread. Ten Percent host, Dan Harris, was skeptical of this exercise. Many adults don’t prioritize playful activities like drawing, Harris included. Thus, it was interesting to hear the host and guest try it out during the podcast. They laughed while sharing their dreaded depictions. It was an effective illustration of how “seeing” our dread as an image gives us a different perspective.
For more on the role “play” plays in our well-being, read this!
3. Normalize death.
Death is a common theme of dreadful thoughts. This can be minimized if we work to normalize death. This helps build a level of acceptance without judgment, a key component of mindfulness. In addition, death can serve as a reminder to make this day count, bringing us back to the present moment.
Some people find it useful to include memento mori in their environment. These items, including visual art or cultural practices, serve as reminders of death without invoking immediate fears of death. Think of Mexican Day of the Dead artifacts. These serve to honor lost loved ones while also reminding us to be here now.
For more on using mindfulness when feeling anxious, read this!
4. Welcome dread.
Instead of responding with our typical emotional reaction to dread, we can practice a welcoming approach to these thoughts. With this approach we react to dread the same way we would an uninvited party guest we don’t want to offend.
As soon as we detect our first inkling of dread, we say out loud, “Welcome to the party!” Dread is just one of many emotions that make up the party in our heads. Saying this out loud reminds us that we can’t control our thoughts. (Remember, what we resist, persists!) Instead, we can acknowledge thoughts and allow them to pass without reacting to them. Once again, this is a mindful approach to anxious thoughts.
I learned “Resistance = Persistence” during my yearlong commitment to calm. Read more of my lessons learned here!
5. Explore The Dread Project.
If you’re still struggling with dread, consider taking a deep dive into the topic. Reshamwala started The Dread Project to help people explore their own dread and work through it. It’s a five-day podcast challenge with emailed exercises and reminders.
These are just five ideas for dealing with dread, but there are many options. What’s great about these techniques is none of them require a significant amount of time to practice. They offer a simple way to “take five.” The next time you feel a sense of dread, give one a try. Let me know how it goes!
