OnePerfect Shift out of overthinking.
Hello.
How are you?
Can't stop ruminating on the same thing (or person) over, and over, and over, and over, and over, huh?
Sorry.
I couldn't resist.
Actually, humor is a good way to interrupt anything.
“Overthinking” is included in anything.
You know, it's usually something not too funny, is what's hijacking our attention though, right?
So, accept my apology.
I’m not trying to be insensitive here.
But inject some humor into your life — helps you get perspective.
So let's set an intention together to shift out of overthinking.
That was a secret, hidden, mini-shift we just did by laughing at it a little bit.
But set your intention to come into a more ideal state over the next few minutes.
We're going to commit 100% of our attention to letting go of whatever's hijacking your attention today.
So set your commitment to that.
Say to yourself — ‘I'm committing 100% of my attention to letting go of whatever's hijacking my attention.’
—
Okay, good.
Say it out loud to yourself — ‘I'm committing 100% of my attention to letting go of whatever's hijacking my attention.’
—
Good.
Long deep breath.
—
Feel yourself sinking into the surface you’re sitting on, or laying on.
Just melt into it.
Feels so good to direct 100% of your attention exactly where you want to.
And you can do that.
—
Just be present.
We're shifting out of overthinking together.
When your brain power is used to obsess over something that's either not essential at this moment, or something you just can't do anything about anyway in this moment, your inner space, your quiet, your silence, your peace fills up with this repetitive noise.
And it blocks you.
It sits as a dense, and often a thickening layer, in front of your peacefulness.
And it thickens as you repeat the same thoughts over and over.
This rumination is blocking you from paying attention to what you want to focus on — or taking actual useful, strategic steps that you want to, to move forward in your life — because obsessing hijacks your attention from the present moment.
It drags you around in this purgatory of repetition.
So, let's interrupt it.
Let's interrupt it further.
Let's reconnect to the present moment intentionally, strategically, by taking another long — this time an intentional breath by inhaling deeply to a count of 4.
Ready?
1, 2, 3, 4.
Hold your breath for 4.
1, 2, 3, 4.
Now exhale for 4.
1, 2, 3, 4.
And finally, relax for a count of 4.
1, 2, 3, 4.
OK, good.
The timing doesn't need to be exact.
That was just a practice one, to find your rhythm and relax into it.
Let’s try it again.
This time, focus 100% of your attention on the sensations you feel as you’re breathing in and out.
And I’ll… I’ll… why don’t you count it for yourself?
I’ll just give the instruction.
Ready?
Inhale deeply for a count of 4.
—
Hold your breath for a count of 4.
—
Exhale for a count of 4.
—
And finally, relax for a count of 4.
—
And we’re going to keep doing that, to calm yourself down.
It can take a little while.
It could take a little repetition to break that inner noise.
So take your time.
Don’t be in a rush.
It’s a great way to start bringing yourself back to center, back to peace.
And if that rumination returns, return to this breathing ritual, until you’ve slowed it down a bit.
And then we’ll keep going.
Let’s do one more before we keep going.
Ready?
Inhale deeply for a count of four.
—
Hold your breath for a count of four
—
Exhale for a count of four.
—
And relax for a count of four.
—
Good.
Now you’ve shifted your repetitive thinking pattern a bit loose — it's time to insert some new instructions into your brain.
And those are your instructions.
They’re up to you.
The most important part is to identify what you want to be focused on for the next period of time.
Think about it as the next hour.
What mind state do you want to be in?
—
Do you want to be at peace?
Do you want to be engaged in learning something new?
Or practicing something you're trying to master?
Do you want to read, or write, or call a friend, or exercise, or work?
Set an intention.
Do you want to meditate?
Do you want to nap?
Maybe you want to sleep.
Whatever you choose, the key to breaking that rumination is replacing it.
Calming down first, as you've done.
Coming further into presence — that breaks it up a little bit.
And then replacing it with a better option for your brain to engage in for the next hour.
So, what's it going to be today, for the next hour?
—
Take 20 seconds.
Think about that.
Commit to it.
Decide and commit to it.
Ready?
Go.
—
—
You can decide on whatever you want.
You have complete ability to shift your attention with intention.
Just put enough intention behind it.
Another 10 seconds to decide.
What's up next for the day?
—
Got it?
If you do, you've almost finished implementing a strategy for shifting your attention into whatever you want to be doing.
Can you notice whether you're feeling more relaxed and less ruminative right now?
I hope you do.
If you do, you've made a shift.
Let's take one last step.
The last step is actually engaging in what you want to be doing for the next period of time — say the next hour.
Ready?
All right.
I'm going to sign off, and you're going to get to it.
Go.
Have a great rest of your day and night.
