As overthinkers we spend a lot of time fast forwarding into the future and as soon as we’ve reached a goal or made it through a difficulty we’re straight onto thinking about what’s next. Constantly striving forward means that we’re missing out on the joy and contentment in our lives right now.

In this episode we look at:

• How we move the goalposts so we’re always looking to what’s going to happen next
• What is destination addiction and hedonic adaptation
• What we can do to combat striving and feel more joy in the everyday
• How mindfulness, gratitude and savouring play a role

Resources:

• Episode 3: The life-changing power of feeling grateful
• Episode 4: How to take micro mindful moments in your day
• Episode 7: How noticing the little things creates calm and joy
• Episode 9: The truth about controlling worry

We each have something in our lives that supports our mental or physical health and gives us the chance to be the best version of ourselves so we’re better able to take care of those around us too. You may not think of this habit or action as an act of self-care but you know that it would really impact you if it vanished from your daily life.

• In this episode we look at:
• What a non-negotiable is
• How it supports your wellbeing
• Why having non-negotiables isn’t selfish
• Examples of how you could already have non-negotiables in your life 

Resources:

• Episode 11: How overthinkers can take care of themselves
• Episode 3: The life-changing power of feeling grateful
• Join my e-course, A Thankful Heart, to learn how to appreciate all aspects of your life, create your own gratitude habit, reduce your stress, build your resilience and enjoy life more

Saying ‘sorry’ can become a go-to word we use whenever we want to get someone’s attention or ask a question, when we have nothing to apologise for. Using sorry is about more than using one word instead of another, it’s about apologising for taking up space in the world.

In this episode we look at:

• The different ways we use sorry when we’ve nothing to apologise for
• Why it matters that we say sorry when it’s unnecessary
• How you’re misrepresenting yourself by using sorry even when you know you’re not apologising
• What words to use instead of sorry in situations where no apology is needed

When someone is having a tough time and struggling with difficult emotions, we give them compassion. Yet we find it so hard to do the same for ourselves. By practising self-compassion we drop shame and criticism and give ourselves a break.

In this episode we look at:

• What self-compassion is and its three key components
• Why it’s essential to give ourselves compassion and how it benefits us
• How to recognise when we need self-compassion and what to do

Resources:

• Episode 11: How overthinkers can take care of themselves
• Kristin Neff’s book Self Compassion and her website selfcompassion.org
• Episode 17: How to get back to sleep when you wake up worrying
• With Exhale, a beginners’ guide to meditation for overthinkers, you’ll learn how to recognise when your thoughts are causing you to feel difficult emotions and unstick yourself from them so you can soothe your mind and nerves

Waking up in the early hours with worrisome thoughts racing around your mind is frustrating, scary and feels very lonely. Knowing you have to be up soon only adds to your stress. But you’re not alone in how you feel and there are ways you can help yourself back to sleep.

In this episode we look at:

• Why getting frustrated with yourself and trying to empty your mind doesn’t help
• How being kind to yourself with self-compassionate phrases is a more effective calming technique
• Why it’s more helpful to acknowledge rather than ignore your thoughts
• An exercise you can do that will relax you to drift off back to sleep

Resources:

• Episode 16: How to quiet your mind to fall asleep more quickly
• With Exhale, a beginners’ guide to meditation for overthinkers, you’ll learn how to calm your mind and soothe your nerves with a daily practice, and it includes a sleep meditation.

It’s frustrating when you’re worn out from a busy day but when you collapse into bed your mind won’t stop whirring long enough for you to go to sleep. The more you will yourself to sleep the more elusive it becomes, and the more stressed you get.

In this episode we look at:

• Why sleep is a priority not a luxury
• What we can learn from children’s bedtime routines
• 6 ways to calm your overthinking mind before you get into bed

Resources:

• The session I gave at The Mindful Living Show on the power of appreciating your own life is now available as a recording here.
• With Exhale, a beginners’ guide to meditation for overthinkers, you’ll learn how to calm your mind and soothe your nerves with a daily practice, and it includes a sleep meditation.

Whether you’re a morning person or not (I’m not) you can often feel frazzled and rushed from the start, which then sets the tone for the rest of the day. Without getting up any earlier or finding more time in your morning, you can begin your day on a more positive, nourishing and calm note.

In this episode we look at:

• How to create positive feelings for yourself and others before you even get out of bed
• Incorporating supportive actions into everyday activities like getting washed and dressed
• Setting intentions, using affirmations and mantras to keep in mind how you want to feel during the day

Resources

• Episode 4: How to take micro mindful moments in your day
• Episode 10: What to do when you feel overwhelmed
• Episode 11: How overthinkers can take care of themselves

There’s one little word that we use all the time and by doing so we make ourselves feel bad in so many ways. That word is ‘should’. You should do this, you should be that, you shouldn’t feel this. It’s laden with obligation, shame and an absence of choice, whether we use it in our self-talk or when someone uses the word in conversation with us.

In this episode we look at:

• How we use ‘should’ in everyday life
• What messages we’re giving ourselves when we use it
• Why we think it can help us but it’s actually harming us
• What language we can replace ‘should’ with that gives us choice and autonomy

While it’s important to stay up to date and informed on what’s happening locally and across the globe, overthinkers can become overwhelmed by news reports and feel a mixture of guilt, upset and helplessness.

In this episode we look at:

• The difference between being informed and overwhelmed
• How staying glued to the news doesn’t necessarily help you or those involved in the reports
• The positive action you can take motivated by the news to feel less helpless
• What you can do to reduce your overthinking and upset when you feel overwhelmed by news reports

 Resources:

• Episode 6: How to disrupt the overthinking cycle
• Episode 8: Calm your mind and open your eyes with a mindful walk
• Learning to ground yourself in the present and recognise when you’re getting caught up in your whirling thoughts allows you to untangle yourself and calm your nerves, take a look at my online course, Exhale, for how you can learn to meditate in just a few minutes a day

Meditation isn’t about emptying your head, sitting cross-legged in silence or spending hours chanting, and your mind wandering means you’re doing it right, not wrong! If you get lost in a spiral of thoughts and what ifs, taking a few minutes a day to meditate can really help you.

In this episode we look at:

• What the point is in meditating
• How overthinkers can benefit from it
• The science behind how meditation calms and soothes us
• Clearing up common confusions that are stopping you from meditating

Resources:

Exhale, a beginners’ guide to meditation for overthinkers, is a self-study online course available now. It provides step by step guidance to start you off meditating and create a sustainable meditation practice that works with your life.