I am sure everyone has played with sand at a beach at some point in their life. My favorite activity as a child was to take a shovel and dig away until the spot became a deep pit. Our mind/brain works the same way. If we take a thought (shovel) and keep replaying it over and over and over (digging), it becomes a deep memory and we all know what that can lead to. Years and years of therapy cannot undo those memories.
So, here is something I practiced today. I was walking Cherry and she was the best dog anyone could ask for. She walked past big dogs and was friendly with the little humans and dogs. Life was paw-fect – until she barked at a big doggy. I would have still been okay had the owner (#$@%!^) not made a sarcastic comment about my Cherry.
For the rest of the walk, I started replaying the scenario over and over again. Then, I caught myself and told myself that I was going to focus on the other positive experiences Cherry presented me with. Every time the bad though popped up, I said STOP and thought about a pleasant experience during the walk.
By the end of the walk, I did not feel drained out as I usually do after poor social experiences.
Try it and see if it works or not. It certainly will.
I live to learn 