No, I do not know Latin. Although…. totally dating myself – it was taught in my school up until I was in grade 9!
The only thing I remember is “Tu es cannis femina in horto. Some combination of words I strung together. I think it translates to “You are a female dog in the garden. Apparently, I thought that was funny. I was fourteen. Some compassion please lol. There was no internet at the time!
Now. What I DO KNOW very well, is the mental torture one’s mind can inflict upon oneself when in an uncertain, ambiguous, and anxiety-inducing situation.
I know this from my own experience but with almost 10 years of Life Coaching, I KNOW there are also others!! I am not alone! YOU are not alone.
There is a collective suffering!
By “mental torture” I am referring to the seemingly endless thoughts, ongoing scripts, multiple stories and narratives, multiple hypothesis, that we create to try and get some form of answer to alleviate the discomfort of sitting in the unknown.
It’s exhausting. AND you may notice that of the 50 possible hypothesis you produced, 49 -or sometimes all 50-are wrong.
All that thinking and energy……. it is also emotionally distressing and can be destructive to your mental and emotional well being and relationships.
Does this ring a bell for anyone? Can you think of a time this has happened to you?
In this article I will briefly introduce Occam’s Razor, how it can help tame and alleviate ruminating, anxious and negative thoughts, (and more!) and walk you through an 8-step strategy on how to use this piece of wisdom in your everyday life!
But before I do so, here is a quick example that I hope you can relate to (quite common amongst clients and myself) and give you a clearer picture of what I am talking about. As you read it, you might want to reflect on an example of your own so as you read this article you can apply it to your example.
Note: In this article I will use a variety of different language to encapsule running thought trains (including that one right there) such as “narratives,” “stories,” “scenarios”, “hypotheses”, “entitles”, “scripts”, “soundtracks”, “ruminations”. I do this as everybody has their own language in describing their experience and I want to nurture an inclusive environment, so please use the one (listed din the article or your own) that honours your experience.
Example Scenario:
You text a friend to let them know you are not feeling well and can no longer go for dinner with them tomorrow night.
Your friend does not reply.
You see (thanks to our technology) that the message has been read. (I am NOT a fan of this -it breeds anxiety lol!)
Weird…they obviously read the message. Why aren’t the replying?
You write another message asking if your friend has received the message. Maybe you feel a little guilty, want to make sure they received the message (notice at this point the “stories” “entities,” “multiple hypotheses) are brewing….”
Why haven’t they got back to me? Are they pissed at me? They must be pissed. They are not replying.
Next Day. You see the second message has been read. You do not phone them (because who does that now anyway and if they were pissed, you don’t want to deal with it.
So, you sit and sink further into the rabbit hole.
The night of the cancelled dinner comes and goes.
At this point, the entities have been catastrophized and multiplied.
Why haven’t they gotten back to me? Now I am REALLY sure they’re pissed.
Then your brain gets more creative. But maybe it was not about the cancellation……I know last time we met they seemed quiet. Maybe I said something wrong.
Now your whole friendship is in question.
Maybe I am not a good friend. What if they don’t want to be my friend anymore?
A pleasant or at least simpler thought of “maybe they are busy” came up, but of course your brain defaults to personalization. That option doesn’t stand a chance against the others!
And so on, and so on.
Tired yet?
We are at almost 48 hours of this.
You distract yourself (a strategy in itself!)
Finally, 48 hours later, you get a reply, and your friend calls you and tells you they are sorry for not getting back to you sooner but after receiving your message decided to do a mini road trip and completely forgot to get back to you. They then ask if you are feeling better and would love to reschedule dinner.
Really? I mean, really?????
Your now say to yourself, 2 days with multiple stories, ruminations, accompanying anxiety….and NONE of them are true. Not even one!
If only I could have come to a conclusion that my friend was just busy and did not get back to me. Plan and simple, it could have given me my life back.
End of example.
Now why can’t we just think the best case (assume the best), from the start, right?
Well, you can.
We actually have quite a bit of power in this case. The power of choice.
You can also use the principal of Occam’s Razor and choose the simplest option out of all the ones your brain has generated.
It is a matter of choosing what to believe-choosing a narrative, conclusion, or temporary answer that you can accept for the time being so you can get back to living!
Now there are multiple ways to address anxious thoughts. Some will work for you, some will not, and some may work some of the time, but not other times.
And that’s ok. It is good to have a variety of techniques handy so you can choose what resonates with you, and in this article, I want to share one that resonates with me!
What is Occam’s Razor?
From my understanding it is a law and/or principal that is used in both philosophy and science.
Occam’s Razor, coming from the Law of Parsimony, states that: Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates as “Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.”
“Occam’s razor, principle stated by the Scholastic philosopher William of Ockham (1285–1347/49) that pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate, “plurality should not be posited without necessity.” The principle gives precedence to simplicity: of two competing theories, the simpler explanation of an entity is to be preferred. The principle is also expressed as “Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity.”
Quick background: I learned this initially not through a philosophy or science course but through David Kessler’s Grief Educator program.
He uses Occam’s razor as one of the four ways to approach guilt in grief.
I then got the idea that this could work with ruminating, anxious thoughts, and overthinking.
So. If we take this principal and apply it to the example scenario, “my friend was busy” might be the simplest conclusion.
“Now write this down somewhere. On a post it. Create a t-shirt. Stamp it on your head. Whatever you need to do. I’ll repeat: Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity and out of multiple entities, the simpler explanation is to be preferred.”
What can this help with?
This method can help alleviate and soothe (notice I did not say “eliminate”) the negative emotional and mental consequences that may accompany a variety of unpleasant and uncomfortable mental and emotional states including:
- Cognitive distortions (i.e. personalization, magnifying, catastrophizing)
- Analysis paralysis?!
- Rumination, overthinking
- Anxious thoughts
- negative thoughts
- Uncertainty and ambiguity
- Guilt-ridden thoughts
- Insecurities
- “What if’s
- When there is lack of closure
How to use the Principal of Occam’s Razor for your Thoughts in 8 Steps
Warning: I said “simple” not easy!
1.Bring Awareness to Notice and Recognize when you are in the “multiple hypothesis zone”. This can manifest in different people differently and although the seemingly endless narratives (i.e. multiple thoughts, ideas, explanations, scenarios, playbacks) may be the main sign, these also evoke accompanying reactions to the mental stimulus manifesting in emotions and feelings such as anxiety, fear, worry, stress, and for some somatic experiences-possible racing heart, faintness, sweaty, pacing, could also be shut down.
Remember to bring in Mindfulness, without the judgement. These are your experiences, neither good or bad, right, or wrong.
2.PAUSE and REGULATE: Once you are aware of your heightened state, it can help to turn down the heat or volume and regulate your emotions.
This is essential as to use Occam’s razor, you need to reach some level of regulation so that you can broaden your perspective and be in a calm enough state to assess your options. If you are dysregulated this approach may not work.
If you are way out of your window of tolerance, whether that be hyper or hypo aroused, this can evoke the 4 F’s response to stress: a flight, fight freeze (yes, there is Fawn to) and again this method requires a more calm and regulated state
We are not going for cool as a cucumber, but we do not want to be a squirrel being chased by a dog.
Or if you like numbers and scaling, aiming you get down from a 9-10/10, to get to a 4-6.
Here are some ideas you can try out to calm yourself.
3.Write all the possibilities (competing theories) down: Once you feel a bit more calm and regulated(remember, the narratives will still be swirling but you may not be in one of the 4 F’s-mode you can then take a pen and paper and do some writing.
Yes, writing can help as when it is all in your head, which is a lot to carry. Writing (a good brain dump!) can unload what is going on in your mind and help you recognize, identify, and sort through the thoughts, allowing you to take on the position of the meta-cognitive observer.
4.Then ask yourself, what is the simplest explanation? This is where Occam’s razor comes in. Out of all the entities what is the simplest one? According to Occam’s razor, or my application of it, the simplest one is the one to go with
5.Try it on. So, if you were to step into this “simplest entity” and decide to go with it, what happens when you choose the simplest entity (or hypotheses, story)? What if that thought was actually the reality? Now how do you feel, mentally, emotionally, and physically?
Keep in mind that:
- “Simple” does not necessarily correlate to a positive outcome. It can still be a “shitty” explanation. But it is now simplified, there is only one story, which can make dealing with it more manageable as you have now reduced its power by labelling it and containing it.
- It also does not mean the “correct one,” but according to Occam’s razor, often the simplest one IS the one that ends up being true.
It is normal to “try on” a few different entities before concluding which the simplest one might be.
How do you know it is the simplest?
Tip: Simple is a judgement so that is up to you, but it can help to think of the hypothesis that a friend might tell you is the simplest, so you can ask a friend for feedback
Tip : Reverse it-if a friend came to you asking for what you think, what option do you think is the simplest and U-turn onto yourself.
Tip: Think, Simplicity. It may not have other thoughts attached to it, it may be summarized in one simple sentence …and it stops there.
6.Make the cognitive decision to choose and stick with the simplest entity because your mind will naturally want to walk the paths of all the other entities.
When this happens (and it will, but hopefully with practice, not as often) gently walk yourself back to the selected, simplest entity.
This may have to happen a few times.
Tip: Once you have identified, selected the simplest option, it can help to implement a distraction (something physical, unrelated to your situation)
7.Evaluate: It is important that after acting, you REFLECT and LEARN. You may want to take a journal or make some notes about your experience in implementing this approach.
How would you describe you experience in using this exercise? Would you use it again? Why or why not? What did you find helpful? What did you find not helpful? What did you learn about yourself?
8.Practice. Eventually, you may not need to write the thoughts (hypothesis, entities) down. You may be able to catch yourself early on and quickly implement Occam’s razor after 2-3 thoughts rather than fifty. Sometimes even immediately without having to go through all 8 steps. But it takes practice!
A Few Items to be Mindful of:
Remember that this does not eliminate all possible entities but by choosing to believe the simplest hypothesis, you can then get some rest…..some closure and when you find yours ruminating back to the other possibilities, gently bring mindfulness in (or follow the steps here, and bring yourself back to the thought you chose to believe.
It also does not mean that the simplest is the most positive, desirable outcome.
Once you have chosen the simplest entity and quieted down the multiplications, you may still need to take some action. But hopefully you will have a better understanding of what action may or may not be needed and feel more competent in moving forward with your situation!
That is for another article (or a coaching session)!
There we have it folks!
I hope this application of Occam’s razor in navigating times of uncertainty and ambiguity, brings you some new found peace, rest and allows you to enjoy your and life, relationships…..your precious time here…….without as much emotional distress that can come from mental processes such as overthinking, ruminating, and creating unnecessary stories or living out hypothesis that really…..are often complicated and untrue.
A kind reminder that everyone and every situation is different and unique. Take what resonates with you and leave the rest.
And as for the example scenario in this article?
You can just pick up the phone and ask the person (hopefully they will answer and be honest). It may feel uncomfortable for a few minutes, but that pales in comparison to the mental scattering of multiple scripts and stories.
But even if you did call them, sometimes…other people…these things are out of our control. With Occam’s Razor YOU get to choose what YOU feel at ease with (or at least a closure). YOU are the one in charge of your thoughts.
Spero te fruendum hoc articulum!
Note: This approach is not to be used as a therapeutic tool or treatment for any mental health issues in any way. Please consult with a healthcare professional!