Calm Your Thoughts: Stop Overthinking, Battle Stress, Stop Spiraling, and Start Living (The Path to Calm Book 2)

Now ask the question again: Why is that?

Remind yourself of your commitment to doing the opposite of your escape behaviors. Remind yourself that you can and will stay with feelings, and that all feelings, no matter how unpleasant, will pass. Sit with them and observe that past an initial period of high stress and anxiety, they aren’t overwhelming experiences—merely uncomfortable.

Why is that?

we want to develop resilience, we can also choose to stay with a sensation instead.

you might like to keep a diary to record your observations with your attentional training. Note the date and time, the mundane task with which you practiced your training, the duration you sustained, and any comments. You might like to note the kinds of thoughts that continually vied for your attention, and how successful you were at pulling your f

remember that you are not at the mercy of your anxiety, unless you agree to be. You can always stop and break down your experiences and work through them, consciously and on your own terms. Break it down: Situation Thoughts Emotions Bodily sensations Impulses/actions

Stand up quickly, say, “Stop!” out loud, snap your eyes open, make a loud clapping noise, or click your fingers. Empty your mind and try to hold that emptiness for thirty seconds or so. If the thought tries to intrude again, repeat “stop” as often as necessary.

you’re encountering constant mental chatter, remind yourself: it’s not a problem. Thinking is what brains do. You’re not trying to eliminate thoughts, just become aware of them, and in doing so, find space and distance. The trick is that resisting and avoiding is simply more of the same—so don’t resist. Just notice.

Dwelling on the past or worrying about the future – This is a mental habit that takes you out of the living present and forces your attention on what cannot actually be changed, leading to anxiety and paralysis. Negative thought patterns like catastrophizing, ruminating, and blame are similarly disempowering. If we focus on things that we can liter