Soundtracks, by Jon Acuff

     When doing research for this presentation, I was originally planning on talking about ruminating thoughts and overthinking. So I looked at my past presentation on rumination and realized it really needed some work. I went to my usual website to research mental health information and ran across a podcast where they were interviewing an author by the name of Jon Acuff. I had never heard of this author before, but on this podcast he was promoting his latest book titled “ Soundtracks”.  After listening to him talk, I became more than interested in his latest book he was promoting. I decided I needed to buy his book. 

    I am really glad that I did. In this book, the author shares that about 97 percent of us in this world tend to overthink. I for one can definitely be counted among that 97 percent. When we are overthinking, our brains tend to find a negative soundtrack that is part of our life, and play it over and over again. For example, a few years back when I started to make presentations here at DBSA, my negative soundtrack kept telling me, “ you can’t talk in front of those people. You will be too nervous. And besides that, you don’t really know what you’re talking about.” Boy, talking about your overthinking!  

Sometimes our brains can really be jerks. Maybe we spend time focusing on negative soundtracks, of perhaps being fired from your job or possibly getting dumped by your boyfriend or girlfriend. The author shares with us that our memory will tend to lie about experiences we may have had, even though they may be positive. Let’s just say that you are normally late for that weekly meeting you have at work. And then for the last two meetings you have had, you have been on time. Your brain will still try and convince you to ignore what doesn’t agree with your broken soundtracks. The author also shares that our broken soundtracks are always encouraging our fears. Every time you listen to a broken soundtrack, it gets even easier to believe the next time.

     The author tells us that the solution to overthinking isn’t to stop thinking.  We all know that won’t work.  Instead, how about training our brains to play different soundtracks rather than the old ones? Then, once you’ve picked the right soundtrack, it will get easier to pick the right actions. We need to try and remember that our thoughts give power to our actions, which create results. We also need to try and not take something we are experiencing and make it a permanent part of our life.  It’s important to remember that even though we may be having a bad experience, it’s not the new normal. You just might be having a bad day. 

The author Jon tells us that there are three basic actions that we can take to change our thoughts from a super problem into a super power;

1. Retire your broken soundtracks
2. Replace them with new ones
3. Repeat them until they are as automatic as the old ones.

      Retire, Replace and Repeat. 

The author Jon shares with us we need to ask our loudest soundtracks three questions to see which ones we should listen to.

1. Is it true? One of the greatest mistakes we can make is believing all of our thoughts are true. If we have a negative soundtrack in life that we keep repeating, it would be a benefit to get a second opinion on it. 
2. Is it helpful? Is the soundtrack you’re listening to now helpful? Does it move you forward, or keep you stuck? Does it help or limit a decision you are making? Overthinking can prevent us from taking the usually simple steps that would solve a situation.
3. Is it kind? Broken soundtracks can be tricky and can often pretend to be the truth. Is the soundtrack you’re listening to kind to yourself? After you listen to it, do you feel better about yourself?

Another favorite part of this book for me, is when the author shares that our goal shouldn’t be to totally turn off our soundtracks. The goal is to turn down the volume on them. When our lives turn up the negative thoughts, we need to take action and turn them back down. We need to turn them down when they get loud.  He shared a few techniques we can use to help us turn down the volume.

One idea is to try something physical. Some people recommend petting a dog or a cat. This has been known to release serotonin. Taking a long walk is good for you when you’re overthinking. One of the fastest ways we can turn down our soundtracks is by meeting a friend for coffee or dinner. This is a great way to get out of your own head.  I for one do this every weekend, and it works every time. It’s really important for us to get out and socialize!

A few other techniques you can use to turn down the volume:

1. Go for a short drive down one of your favorite roads, with the windows down and the music turned up!
2. Take your dog for a walk, it would be good for both of you
3. Take a nap, listen to your body and regroup by getting some rest. 
4. Text an encouraging message to a friend when they really need it.
5. Watch 10 minutes of your favorite comedian.
6. Use a meditation app such as Calm for at least 10 minutes.
7. Listen to your favorite playlist.

The important thing is to use our own self-care tools, and have them ready when we really need to turn down our negative soundtracks and replace them with more positive ones.