The Berserker Style
The Berserkers were a tribe of Nordic warriors in the Middle Ages related to the Vikings. They used to go into battle just wearing a bear skin and holding a sword. This is back when people used to wear armor, so these guys were basically out of their minds, but their deal was that they wouldn’t stop fighting unless they were killed - they just wouldn’t stop. So, they became the most feared warriors of the Middle Ages, because if you were a Berserker and you were about to attack a village, the people in the village would be like, “Holy &%#@! This person is coming that I literally have to kill them in order to make them stop!” It’s pretty intimidating. So, from then on, the kings of the Middle Ages designated their best troops as being their Berserker troops, and that’s where the word “berserk” comes from in the English language.
The Berserker Style of fighting against negative thoughts is, instead of talking back to them or pushing them away, once example of a Berserker technique would be to repeat your thoughts over and over again on purpose. For example, you might repeat “I’ll never get better” over and over in your head, while trying to feel bad about it. What you’re basically saying to the thought is, “Screw you. I’m going to keep doing this until either I die or you die, but one of us is going to die right now.” The great thing is that no thought can kill you. If you just stay on one sentence, it always starts to sound like a chant, or a song, or a mantra; and, if you do it long enough, your brain eventually starts talking back to the thought or you get distracted and start thinking about something else. You can use the same technique to focus on physical pain, panic symptoms, sadness, or anger. The feelings get more intense at first, but then your mind starts to wander. You can also use the same technique to expand your life by doing things just a little bit outside your comfort zone (such as leaving the house more often, reaching out to friends, and being more assertive). You would do things just a little outside your comfort zone, but over and over again until they are inside your comfort zone.