So settle yourself into your space,
Taking a nice long slow breath in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
Repeat that a couple of times,
Gathering yourself,
Bringing yourself into the present moment.
And in today's meditation,
We're going to look at what it means to overthink.
Overthinking often begins with just a simple thought that the mind tries to solve or make sense of.
And the mind is designed to think,
To analyze and to solve.
But overthinking is when we move into a space that's not so helpful for us.
Our brain starts to replay the same idea from all different angles,
Searching for some kind of clarity or certainty.
And because our brain is for threat and risk,
It can naturally lean towards the worst case scenario,
Making sometimes small things,
Small issues seem much bigger.
And over time,
This mental looping can become exhausting,
Using up our energy and attention without reaching any real conclusion or resolution.
So take another big,
Long,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
Hopefully talking about overthinking hasn't created stress in your body.
And just bring your attention to your body now,
Noticing where you're supported,
The chair beneath you,
The ground holding you.
Notice your feet,
Your legs,
Your back,
And let your body be heavy.
Notice the current rhythm of your breath,
The natural rhythm.
You're breathing in and breathing out,
Becoming aware of your whole body in this space.
And now shift your attention to your thoughts.
Just notice what's going on there right now,
No judgment.
And as thoughts come,
Remember to observe them like clouds moving across the sky.
No holding on,
They pass right by.
And now for the next few minutes,
We're going to create a little space by naming when a thought arises.
When you notice a thought,
Just name it by saying,
Thinking.
And once you notice a thought and name it,
Bring your awareness,
Your attention back to the breath.
Another thought,
Thinking,
And back to the breath.
In our practice,
We're not trying to stop thoughts.
We are changing our relationship with them,
Becoming the observer rather than being right in the middle of the thought,
Being the thought itself.
We're creating that space.
And now let's deepen our breath ever so slightly,
Making the exhale slightly longer than the inhale.
And this signals safety to the body.
And let's repeat some affirmations for today,
Reminding yourself,
I am safe in this moment.
I can take one step at a time.
I don't have to have it all figured out right now.
Clarity comes when I create space,
So let these words settle,
The knowing that looping over the same thought is not productive or helpful.
Creating that little bit of distance from our thoughts can help us see how useful or unuseful this overthinking can be.
So bring your attention back to your body and to the room around you,
Noticing how you're feeling right now,
Taking a final long slow breath in and exhaling,
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes and coming back to your day.
Thank you for joining me,
And I wish you a wonderful inner day.
