Finding Tranquility: The Key to Less Overthinking and More Peace

Chapter 1: Understanding Overwhelm

As someone who frequently grapples with overthinking, I have always kept myself busy with multiple projects, often initiating new ones before completing others. This constant busyness often leads to feelings of overwhelm. Throughout my decade-long journey as a Wellness Coach, I have explored numerous therapies and techniques. While each has its strengths, they often overlook an essential truth: we are more than just our thoughts.

What Is Overwhelm?

Overwhelm, which frequently manifests as stress, anxiety, or even depression, is a prevalent issue in our modern society. We inhabit a world that glorifies constant thinking, productivity, and relentless pursuit of goals, making it all too easy to fall into the trap of overthinking.

When seeking advice on achieving goals—be it in business, personal life, or creative pursuits—one can easily become inundated with:

Actionable steps
Productivity hacks
Mindset shifts
Perspective adjustments

However, the most effective advice is often quite simple: find stillness, identify your next steps, and take them one at a time. Sometimes, the best course of action is to rest; lack of sleep is often cited as a major contributor to mental distress.

Despite the simplicity of this advice, many struggle to implement it because they are unsure how to quiet a racing mind. This leads to a cycle of trying harder, thinking more, and ultimately feeling defeated. I liken overthinking to a washing machine running on a spin cycle, where thoughts whirl around without resolution or clarity.

Psychological Innocence

It's crucial to understand that this overthinking is not a conscious choice. Who genuinely wants to feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed? Fortunately, when we grasp the nature of thought, we can begin to disengage from it.

The Nature of Thought

Thought is an energy that flows ceaselessly through our minds. Studies indicate that we generate between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts daily, with a staggering 80% of them being negative. Thoughts are transient; we experience approximately 6,000 "thought worms" each day.

Moreover, thoughts are neutral. As highlighted by Sydney Banks' research, we harness the power of our minds to generate meaning from our thoughts. This ability is vital for decision-making, emotional experiences, and navigating life’s complexities.

My journey toward understanding thought helped me recover from longstanding depression and overcome past traumas. I even founded a non-profit organization aimed at educating those struggling with negative thinking, particularly individuals in the prison system.

The key takeaway is profound: recognizing that we think automatically fosters psychological well-being, regardless of our thoughts' content, as stated by Dr. George Pransky.

We Are Not Our Thoughts

Reflecting on a challenging period in my life, I remember being in a dire financial situation. I attended a lunch with friends, feeling the weight of my hunger. When the waitress passed by, I noticed a folded twenty-pound note and a coin on the table, and a thought crept in: "What if I took that money?"

Although I never considered theft before, the thought emerged due to my circumstances. I acknowledged this thought without judgment and let it pass. This incident illustrated how thoughts arise from our environment, and we often engage with them without realizing it.

We are not deliberate overthinkers; we innocently mismanage the power of thought without understanding it. Our education rarely covers how thoughts function, nor do we learn to cultivate a quiet mind. By recognizing that thought is merely energy, we can learn to take it less seriously, even amid overwhelm. This realization allows for greater space between our thoughts.

Peace of Mind: Our Innate State

It may be difficult to accept, but we are not born with a cluttered mind; we acquire this busy-mindedness over time. Children do not fret about falling; they simply get up and continue their day. My work indicates that clarity and peace of mind emerge when we allow thoughts to settle.

Consider where your best ideas originate. It’s often during moments of mental clarity—when you're showering, cycling, or enjoying nature—that insights come to you. These moments occur when you temporarily release the incessant cycle of thoughts.

Dropping thoughts is akin to the natural act of breathing. However, many people don't know how to do this, as it's not a tangible action. Various techniques—like meditation or physical activity—can provide temporary distraction, which allows bothersome thoughts to subside.

Deborah Baron beautifully articulates the concept of space between thoughts in her article, The Cure For Too Much Thinking. She describes how recognizing that she was engaged in thinking opened up a mental space that allowed her to step back from that stream of thought.

In one of our discussions, Deborah likened her thoughts to a ticker tape running through her mind. Once she understood that this was merely a flow of thought energy, she could detach herself from it, finding a deeper state of tranquility.

Even in overwhelming moments, that quiet inner voice can guide us. During calmer times, I've come to realize that understanding how our minds function leads to a more tranquil state.

Tips for Managing Overthinking

Awareness: When feeling overwhelmed, shift your focus from the content of your thoughts to the awareness that you are thinking. This creates a space between you and your thoughts.

Acceptance: Try to accept your feelings in moments of overwhelm. Acceptance reduces resistance and allows thoughts to flow more freely, much like fastening a seatbelt during turbulence.

Resilience: Remind yourself of times you've shown resilience. This helps reinforce the idea that no thought or feeling is permanent.

Reinforcement: Experiment with the concepts discussed here. Observe when you have your best ideas and how that feels compared to moments of overwhelm. You don't need to act on these observations; simply noticing them can lead to insight.

Conclusion

The remedy for excessive thinking lies in recognizing that you are the thinker. Realizing that you experience life through thought allows you to discern when you're caught in a thought storm. This awareness loosens the grip that thoughts hold over you.

Peace of mind is our inherent state, accessible at any moment. When you feel disconnected from it, the quickest way to reconnect is by understanding that thoughts are merely energy, and the meanings we derive from them shape our emotions.

This post was inspired by my presentation on Medium Day with Deborah Baron, I Coach Emerging Leaders, and Wyn Morgan.

Chapter 2: Guided Meditation for Tranquility

In this guided meditation titled "The Space Between Thoughts," you will learn how to find stillness amidst the chaos of your mind. This meditation provides techniques to help you detach from overwhelming thoughts and cultivate a sense of inner peace.

Chapter 3: Transcendence Through Meditation

Join the "30-Day Transcendence Meditation Challenge" to explore how daily meditation can help you connect with your inner self and find tranquility in your daily life. This challenge offers practical insights on managing thoughts and enhancing mindfulness.