🔸 Break the Loop Protocols


Interrupt the spiral. Reclaim the wheel.

“Ruminating isn’t thinking. It’s rehearsing your own helplessness.”
— HHH Trail Note

📍When to use:


  • You’re caught in a thought loop and can’t let something go

  • You’re catastrophizing, fantasizing, or stuck in self-talk

  • You feel mentally “stuck” and can’t shift your focus

  • You’re having the same emotional reaction again and hate it


🧠 Step 1: Label It


Say this out loud or write it down:

“This is a loop.”

Why: Naming it breaks fusion. When you name the loop, you stop being in it and start being aware of it. That creates space.


✂️ Step 2: Pattern Cut


Do one of the following physically jarring actions:

  • Run cold water over your wrists

  • Hold your breath for 10 seconds, then exhale slowly

  • Walk outside barefoot (if you can)

  • Stand up and yell one absurd word, loudly: “SPATULA!”

Why: These actions disrupt the automatic neural pattern and re-anchor you in the present.


🧭 Step 3: Redirect


Pick one thing to focus on for 2 minutes. Ideas:

  • A piece of music (headphones in, eyes closed)

  • Wash a dish, slowly

  • Read one paragraph of something calming

  • Text a friend and tell them you’re stuck and breaking the loop

The goal isn’t “joy.” The goal is exit velocity.


⚠️ Optional Check-In


Ask yourself (gently):

“What was I hoping to solve or feel by looping?”

There may be something real underneath the spiral—an unmet need, a fear, an unresolved decision.
You don’t have to fix it now.
Just notice it. Write it down if you want.

The loop isn’t your enemy. It’s a flag. You just don’t have to live there.


🧭 Want to Go Deeper?


Explore:

  • The Occluded Middle

  • Mood Before Meaning

  • Rewriting Belief Loops