>> Why We Have This Emotion
Torment keeps us focused on the unresolved problems in front of us. If things have gone beyond individual moments of pain and into persistent torment, it's time to get outside help.
◎ What to do in the moment
Good Ideas
- Get outside help from others
- Seriously, get some outside help
- Label when it happens. "Here's that tormenting thought again"
- Move from "why?" to "what now?"
- Hard exercise or anything that demands your full attention
Bad Ideas
- Isolate yourself
- Ignore or suppress the feeling
- Try to "think" your way out of it
- Mentally re-argue your case again and again without taking any action
- Treat the situation as unsovable
- Belittle yourself for suffering