The Challenge

Time Limit

The other day, while out to dinner with my best friend, I was telling her how much I hate having these negative thoughts constantly creeping into my mind. It’s like no matter what, they always seem to be there, affecting my mood and perspective. She listened intently, then suggested something that actually caught me by surprise: she recommended that I allow myself to have negative thoughts—on my own terms, of course—between the hours of 9 o’clock AM and 10 o’clock AM. She even went a step further, saying, since 9 and 10 come around twice a day, I’d get two opportunities to vent my frustrations and negative thoughts each day.

Fabulous, right?

I was definitely up for the challenge! At first, it seemed like a simple solution to give myself permission to feel negative emotions, but only within a specific timeframe. I imagined it would be liberating to have two designated windows to let it all out—whether it was venting about irritating situations, work stress, or the annoying behavior of certain individuals. You know, the usual stuff that can weigh us down.

But here’s the twist: what I didn’t expect was that negative thoughts started flooding in right as soon as I woke up. There I was, groggy from sleep, and already my mind was racing with complaints and worries. It seemed like my brain was ready to unleash a torrent of negativity, but since it wasn’t quite 9 o’clock yet, I had to stop myself and remind myself, “You have to wait until 9.” So, I waited. And I waited.

When the clock finally struck 9, I was ready to let it all out. But here’s the funny part—I couldn’t remember what I was upset about anymore! The thought that had seemed so significant just hours before was suddenly lost in the haze of the morning. It was like my mind had cleared itself just by giving me permission to feel whatever I was feeling at a specific time.

It was almost as if the act of waiting for a moment to express those negative emotions gave my brain the space it needed to move past them. I wasn’t harboring that frustration anymore because I knew I had the freedom to address it within the designated window, which made it easier to let go of the need to dwell on it.

It turns out that having such a simple, structured approach to negative thoughts actually helped reduce their power. Instead of carrying that burden around all day, I was able to just acknowledge the negativity, wait for the right time to process it, and then move on. So, in a strange way, it worked. Now, I’m actually looking forward to my two daily sessions of venting—it feels like a small victory in the battle against negativity..

I would love to hear how you deal with the daily thoughts that just drag you down and possibly ruin your entire day. Do you have any tips or methods you use to to stop yourself from spiraling out of control that you would want to share…