Hi,
This is Natalie.
If your mind has been spinning lately,
Fast,
Loud,
And full,
You're not alone.
Overthinking isn't a flaw.
It's your nervous system trying to protect you by staying alert,
Even when you don't need it to.
In these next minutes,
We'll soften that loop.
We'll slow your breath,
Ground your body,
And create a little more space between you and the thoughts,
A space where calm can find you again.
Find a comfortable seat or lie down.
Let your shoulders drop,
Your jaw loosen,
Your belly soften.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
And exhale gently through your mouth,
Like you're releasing tension you no longer want to carry.
Bring one hand to your belly.
Inhale softly through your nose,
And let the exhale be just a little longer than the inhale.
No counting,
Just a slight lengthening,
Enough for your nervous system to feel it.
Again,
Inhale gently,
And exhale slowly,
Letting your whole body soften by five percent.
Continue like this.
Overthinking is a fast rhythm.
Your body calms when you give it a slower one too much.
Let the exhale melt the edges inside you,
And let the inhale remind you that you're here,
Safe,
And allowed to rest.
Now,
Bring your attention to the points where your body meets the surface beneath you,
Your seat,
Your legs,
Your back,
Your hands.
Notice the weight of your body,
How gravity holds you without asking anything from you.
Let your awareness move down into your legs,
Your feet,
The soles of your feet.
Feel the simple heaviness there,
Heavy in a grounding way,
Not a tired way.
Imagine your thoughts drifting downwards out of your head,
Settling into the body where they become quieter,
Slower,
Softer.
Your mind doesn't need controlling,
It just needs somewhere gentler to land.
Now,
Bring your awareness to the thoughts passing through.
You don't need to push them away,
Just notice them the way you'd notice clouds in the sky.
When a thought appears,
Simply give it a soft label.
Planning,
Worry,
Remembering,
Analyzing,
Imagining,
Self-judgment.
Nothing more,
Just a small,
Kind label.
If labeling feels difficult for you and creates more thoughts,
You can simply name your thoughts as thought.
Naming your thoughts or labeling them shifts you from inside the thought to observing it.
If another thought comes,
And it will,
Label that too.
You're not trying to fight the mind,
You're meeting it with clarity and a little distance.
Notice what happens when you stop arguing with the thoughts and simply acknowledge them.
A thought labeled is a thought softened.
Now,
Take a breath in,
And as you exhale,
Imagine taking one small,
Step back from the thoughts.
Just a step,
Creating a tiny bit more space.
You might say softly inside,
This is just a thought,
Not a truth.
Or,
I don't need to follow this right now.
Or,
Thank you,
Mind,
I'm choosing calm.
Your mind is trying to help.
You're simply reminding it that you're safe.
Let thoughts continue drifting through,
But you,
You stay here,
And your body,
Breathing,
Steady,
Present.
You don't have to empty the mind,
You just have to stop merging with every thought that appears.
Take one deeper breath in through your nose,
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Notice how your body feels now,
Maybe a bit heavier,
Warmer,
More grounded.
Even if the thoughts are still there,
The relationship has shifted.
There's space,
There's quiet,
There's you.
If this practice helped,
Come back to it any time you feel the mind speeding up,
Sending you calm and clarity.
Take your time to gently return into your day.
