Asking ourselves questions is a natural way to enhance our curiosity and decrease our anxious, looping thoughts.
If we spend time ruminating, try these tips:
Turn a statement into a question by adding a question mark. “People should talk more respectfully to me,” becomes, “People should talk more respectfully to me?” Secondly, “finish our thought” by asking, “And what does that mean [about me]?”
It often takes more than one round of “what does that mean” to get to some interesting information. We might find out, “or else I won’t respect them back,” or “then maybe they'll think they are better than me”.
If we keep asking, we might get, “If I respond with disrespect then that means I don’t always treat others with respect either,” or, “Do I think they are better than me?” These thoughts and questions lead us into an awareness of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors that, while not always comfortable, are fertile ground for learning.
