What is overthinking?
As we all know, our brains are constantly moving, constantly going. Thinking of new ideas, about worries, concerns, happiness, sadness, work, money, stress, etc. See, even just mentioning all of the things that our brains think about is stressful in itself. It’s completely normal to have your brain going at a hundred miles an hour all the time, but it can be hard when you are an overthink But what does this mean exactly, to be an “over thinker”?
For example, let’s say that you had a really bad day at work. Instead of coming home and putting your mind to rest or onto something else, you are thinking about the bad day you had. Wondering what other people must have been thinking of you for using the bathroom ten times in one day or wondering if anyone saw that you knocked over all of the paperwork off of your desk or the toilet paper that was stuck on your shoe when you were walking in from lunch.
When you’re an over thinker, you think about the same situation too much, the different things that you wish you would have had happened, and the things that you wish that you could have happen in the future.
It can also come in the form of worrying too much about what is going to happen tomorrow, in the next few hours or in the up coming next few minutes. overthinking takes away from each moments peace. It pulls energy away from more productive thinking.
It can wind up being a draining experience and it can never allow you to fully be present in the moment.
What is guided meditation for overthinking
A guided meditation for overthinking uses mindfulness meditation to teach you to live more in the present moment, and not allow your mind to run away with thoughts.
For some sessions, you might be instructed to lay down on the floor or in your bed on your back while you’re guided during your meditation. The instructor will attempt to put you into a state of relaxation, informing you that a clear mind is what you have in the moment and a clear mind is what you need to keep in order to live a life that is in the here and now.
They will help you realize that you are at peace, then they are going to try and get you to hold onto the peace for the rest of the day. It is recommended to do this everyday until you know how to control your brain on your own.
How meditation helps with overthinking
Overthinking is caused by stress, worrying about what is going to happen in the next minute and all the way up to ten years from now. When you are in a meditation session, it allows you to do nothing, but lay there and think about all of the things that you are going through, but it causes you to be relaxed while you are doing so.
The whole point of using meditation to conquer this mental battle is to get you to be in a calmer state of mind and then teaching you how to keep yourself there for the whole day.
With guided meditation for overthinking, you’re walked through a process of slowly cleaning the clutter of the mind and quieting down the constant chatter.
There’s also a lot of research that suggests meditation helps people suffering from anxiety, and who are in their heads all day, get out of it.
How to meditate for overthinking
When you finally get settled down and you are starting the guided meditation for overthinking the first thing you are going to want to do is take three long, deep breaths. With every exhale, relax your body a little bit more every time.
Once you feel that your body has come to a complete stop, that is when you start working on your mind, which is a little trickier. You are going to have to talk to yourself, saying things like, “I know that we have a hundred and one things to think about right now. I understand that I am anxious, I understand that I feel like I need to do something about the future, but for right now we are just going to take a minute and relax.”
Keep telling your mind that it is okay to let go of the things that cannot be changed or controlled. Try thinking about the same thing over and over, such as, “I am at peace.” or “I am so relaxed.”
By doing this, you are training your brain to be at peace and relax when you are in the state of meditation. Pretty soon, you mind will automatically know when to do when it hears the meditation music and feels you laying down at the same time every single day.
When it comes to meditation, sticking to a routine can sometimes be the most effective way to cure something inside of the brain and then, even after you feel better, you’ll want to maintain a regular meditation habit.
Why Meditation Isn’t the Answer to Overthinking
This is a guest post by Sammy Felice.You’ve been meditating daily for the last week, month, or maybe even years. In moments it’s blissful, otherwise it can be frustrating, at least at first. Thoughts come and go – but you’re now aware of your thoughts and begin to sense a deeper dimension of consciousness. But not too long afterwards your meditation, your mind goes back to its habitual patterns of thinking, churning negative thoughts in different periods of the day. And you can easily become tangled in them and lose your state of awareness.Is there a way to make this happen less frequently, so that you can experience your life with greater presence?
One of the reasons why we overthink and what we can do about it
Meditating will bring awareness into your being and thoughts. And done consistently, it will allow you to begin to understand how your mind works. But it won’t solve your patterns of overthinking. There’s an issue that lies behind most of overthinking that isn’t tied to meditation.It’s tied to the way we breathe.When we only breathe from the neck up, we’re likelier to stay stuck in your head. When you don’t feel your belly rising with you; an act of letting go if you will, it’s easier to get lost in your thoughts. If we were to change the way we breathe, we would change every single living moment of our lives into something far deeper. Simple reminders to deepen our breathing can help. But for many of us, our muscles around our chest, neck and belly are so tight that this alone won’t work.
You’ve been conditioned to not breathe properly
So many things in our society, seem to be created to perpetuate a castrated way of breathing. From the ties we wear to the belts we tighten every Monday-Friday, to the monitor displays that force us to bend our necks down, most of us aren’t breathing deeply! But that’s just part of the reason why you’re not mindful.You many not be breathing properly because:
Begin a daily breathing practice, expressing more of your thoughts, and eating healthier
The deeper we breathe, the more of life we’re accepting.Yet you have all these ideas swirling in your skull, and maybe what you need is more good conversations? Social isolation can quickly make us feel like we’re rattling our cage. And even the most meditative practices won’t stop our overthinking if we’re not connecting with other people. Another good way to express our thoughts is to begin writing a morning journal.In short, speak with people you can trust often, and write down your thoughts. These practices can give you a sense of relief that allows you to let go and breathe more deeply. Otherwise, maybe the foods you’re eating are making you feel sluggish and thus impacting your breathing. Or they’re making you feel too anxious and causing you to breathe rapidly.When you can master the art of subconsciously breathing properly, even when you’re in the midst of an attention-consuming activity, you would have reached a new state of contentedness and mindfulness. It’s far harder to take your mind seriously when you’re breathing deeply. It’s almost as if everything on your mind takes a back seat. While getting there takes time and practice, it just goes to show that meditation in and of itself isn’t a silver bullet.
When you still get stuck overthinking
Remind yourself to breathe deeply by focus on your belly button rising and falling. And if you ever find yourself lost in a tangle of thoughts, refer to this quote:“You will have bad thoughts. The key is never to fight them. They are your friends. Accept them just like a loving parent would to their misbehaving child and let go so you can breathe deeply. Treat your mind with love, and love will flow and emanate from you, one breath at a time.”How do you deal with overthinking? Have you made any changes in your lifestyle that have allowed you to breathe more deeply?About Sammy Felice is a Copywriter, who is passionate about ideas and research related to leading a meaningful and productive life. His free book explores ways people can improve their daily productivity and level of gratitude. Image: Isabell Winte
Using Mindfulness To Stop Overthinking
Do you remember going into the Library as a child?
“Shh, be quiet” your parents used to say.
The librarian would give you that piercing stare if you took your voice above a whisper.
But silence is hard to go by today.
Every household will typically own at least one TV, and the variety of channels to choose from is endless. We’re connected at all times through smartphones and tablets, the streets are getting crowded and our place of work is never quiet. Your favorite music can easily be streamed with a few button clicks, social media keeps us connected with friends, family, co workers and even celebrities. The volume of life is increasing, it’s a noisy place to live in.
So when was the last time you truly sat in silence, with no distractions for 15 minutes?
Silence is when we become aware of our thoughts, our emotions and the course of life we’re on. It’s when we become present. That can be scary for a lot of people.
We run away from silence and distract it with noise, putting on the Football, checking our Facebook news feed, messaging friends or reading the newspaper.
This noise acts as a distraction from thought, keeping you programmed to the same mindset containing the emotional traumas you’ve developed that could effectively lead to anger, stress, depression, and other mental health struggles.
You reading this article in essence shows me that you’re not as afraid of silence as others.
You’re currently present, digesting the words you read and being aware with how they make you feel.
Introducing more silence into your life can have an amazing impact on your personal growth.
Did you know the average person has 70,000 thoughts a day?
That’s a busy mind. If a high percentage of those thoughts were negative, what damage could it inflict?
A busy mind typically leads to anger, rage, sadness and insecurity. With thousands of thoughts racing through our minds, it’s hard to make decisions, have connected conversations and handle our emotions.