How Gray Elephants Can Help Your Anxiety

Pink Elephant

What do you do when I say, "Don't think of a pink elephant?" You think of a pink elephant... right?  Now what would you do when I say, "Think of a gray elephant, not a pink one." This time you may have first thought of a gray elephant but as soon as I said "not a pink one" you thought of a pink elephant. This is called the "pink elephant phenomenon."

I like to relate pink elephants to anxiety symptoms such as overwhelming emotions, racing thoughts, and fatigue. You try not to think of them but its impossible not to. They are awful. They stink up your life.  They make a mess in your living room. You try to put them in your closet but they always get out and cause additional problems.

When we try to ignore our anxieties, or pink elephants, we give them energy which is why we often feel that ten seconds after deciding we are going to ignore how we are feeling everything becomes intensified. For example, think of when you get upset. You first start out by feeling a little irritated. Then you think to yourself, "Gees, I'm so bugged." Then you start thinking about why you are so bugged and how life is not fair. Before you know it you are ready to blow up and let the whole world know that you are raging fire. 

So how do we get rid of our pink elephants, or anxiety symptoms, in our lives? Easy, replace our pink elephants with gray elephants which represent positive behaviors and thinking patterns. There are three steps to this process.

1. You must accept that you have pink elephants. No more shoving them in your closet or pretending they are not there. Aloud say "I accept that I have ______ (fill in the blank with what ever your pink elephant is)."

2. Next, envision your pink elephant walking out your front door. Be sure to lock and dead bolt the door behind him. Tell him that you no longer need him and that he is not welcome in your space anymore.

3. The last step is to welcome in gray elephants. Say to yourself, "Now that my ______ (whatever your pink elephant is) is gone, I'm going to choose to take three deep breaths and relax (or something else that is a positive behavior)."

These three steps will allow you to say "Good bye pink elephants!" and hello to a happier you. You can take control instead of life taking control of you. After trying the pink elephant exercise post a comment below and let others know how it helped you.