Harnessing the power of mindfulness practices. This is bringing your awareness to the present moment without judgement. Mindfulness is the practice of focused attention; and can be achieved in a variety of ways.
Meditation Practices:
“Meditation is a precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is different from the normal waking state. It is the means for observing all the levels of ourselves and experiencing the center of consciousness within. Meditation is not a part of any religion; it is a science, which means that the process of meditation follows a particular order, has definite principles, and produces results that can be verified. In meditation, your head is clear, relaxed, and inwardly focused. When you meditate, you are fully awake and alert, but your mind is not focused on the external world or on the events taking place around you.” (yoga international.com) The purpose of meditation is not to silence our mind, but to achieve a level of detachment from our thoughts and become a curious and compassionate witness to them.
Body Scan: Connect body and mind by observing all of the feelings and sensations in your body from head to toe. Notice all physical sensations from tensions, aches, discomfort, stillness, and relaxation.
Guided Imagery + Visualizations: Distract your mind from overthinking by focusing on specific images that render helpful. Visualize the most relaxing place you’ve ever been. Visualize yourself achieving the goal you may be ruminating over. https://chopra.com/articles/how-to-use-meditation-to-visualize-your-goals.
Yoga Meditations: Incorporate yoga and meditation with specific focus on self acceptance, breathing, and incorporating body awareness.
Mantra Meditation: This is a way to meditate by focusing on phrase, word, syllable, or theme that challenge the beliefs and thoughts associated with your patterns of overthinking.
Apps like Calm, YouTube, and headspace are great places to start using meditation practices.
