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Guided Meditation For Overthinking: 7 Tips For Meditating When You’re An Overthinker

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Guided Meditation For Overthinking

Does your mind never seem to turn off? Do you constantly overthink things when you’re trying to relax? You aren’t alone. Overthinking is common and in this blog, I’m going to help you explore guided meditation for overthinking… or rather meditation to stop overthinking.

I have been meditating for some time now and yet there are times when I can’t seem to turn my mind off. Even during the quietest moments of my meditation, unruly thoughts find a way into my mind, when I don’t want them to.

When you are an overthinker, your mind is constantly on the go, thinking about the same situations again and again, different things you could’ve done or said, or even things that can happen in the future. An overthinking mind doesn’t stop for rest.

Many a time, overthinkers worry too much about the next day or even what’s going to happen in a few minutes rather than live in the present. Overthinking can take too much from your present moment and can leave you feeling drained of excitement and energy.

7 Meditation Tips To Deal With Overthinking

Meditation For Overthinking: 7 Tips To Help You

1. Maintain A Steady Schedule

Practice makes perfect, right? Meditation is a learned skill that only gets better with practice and patience. When you maintain a steady schedule, your mind automatically understands that this time (your dedicated time of the day) means it’s time to relax.

This, however, does not mean being strict with your meditation practice. Meditation is not about following rules, it is about doing what feels good and right to the one practicing. Find the best time to meditate out of your day and try to stick to it every day.

2. Have A Dedicated Space For Meditation

It is not ideal, especially for an overthinker, to practice meditation surrounded by laundry, clutter, or kids. To practice meditation for overthinking, you need to have a quiet dedicated space for meditation.

This means designating a particular room or space in your home for meditation, a specific chair or a mat, lighting a candle with a soothing scent, or lighting an incense burner. Whatever helps you feel relaxed and comfortable. The more you practice, the more you’ll be able to bring meditation into your daily life.

3. Meditate With Others (Group Or Virtually)

An overthinker may not feel as comfortable practicing meditation alone as they might be with others. Meditating with others has its benefits too. Collective meditation can amplify your meditation experience.

Knowing you’re not alone in finding peace for your mind can help you relax. Meditation is about finding peace and relaxation and if you find that with others – good for you! You can find meditation classes offline or virtually. Guided meditation classes offline or online can benefit the same.

4. Meditate With A Guide

If you’re not comfortable practicing meditation with a group or alone yet, you can try using pre-recorded guided meditation available online on YouTube. Meditation with the help of a guide can help as much as meditation classes can.

Guided meditation can help soothe anxiety, boost mood, promote relaxation, lower stress, and lower heart rate. You can also download meditation apps to find guided meditations to help you relax and quiet your mind.

5. Yoga Before You Meditate

Doing yoga before meditation can also help you get in the meditative mind frame. Movement and breath-focused yoga can help reduce stress and improve attention. Yoga can also help relieve physical aches that you might focus on during meditation.

If you find an empty mind too uncomfortable, you can find movement meditation, tai chi, yoga, or even walking meditation useful.

6. Begin With Some Breathwork

One of the best ways to quiet your mind is to practice breathwork in the beginning. Many meditation techniques focus on breathing only. When we become anxious and stressed, our breathing becomes erratic and rapid. Controlled breathing can help us slow our breathing.

If during meditation, your mind is consumed with errant thoughts, breathwork can help you bring your attention to your breathing than focus on your thoughts.

7. Music Can Help You

Music can help too! Music can help slow your mind and reduce stress as much as can any other relaxing technique. If you’re an overthinker who has trouble with keeping your mind quiet, music can help you. How?

Music can help you focus your attention on the soothing tunes, rhythm, or background noise than on the thoughts running rampant in your mind. You can experiment with different music to find the one that suits you best.

Related Read: Music Meditation: How To Meditate With Music

Why Meditation For Overthinking?

why_meditation_for overthinking

Meditation, especially mindfulness meditation focuses on teaching you to live in the present moment rather than in your mind anticipating and worrying about things that are yet to happen.

Guided meditation for overthinking aims to help you clear your mind and be in the moment. Your guide for the meditation will help you find peace and how to hold onto that peace and calmness for the rest of the day.

Most of the time, it is recommended that you practice meditation for overthinking regularly so your mind stays clear and quiet of irrational thoughts and anticipatory anxiety or worry.

The idea of a quiet mind sounds blissful, doesn’t it? However, achieving this quiet meditative state can be challenging if you’re an overthinker. For many overthinkers, meditation might not be for you but if you carefully and regularly practice meditation, you can learn to quiet your mind.

Looking for meditation for overthinking, below are some tips that can help you!

How To Meditate For Overthinking?

How To Meditate For Overthinking

Here are steps to help you practice meditation to stop overthinking:

Step 1: Sit in a comfortable position in a quiet room. Take three long deep breaths. In and out. With each exhale, try to relax your body and release the stress.

Step 2: Once you’ve relaxed your body, it’s time to work on the mind. This can be tricky. Here, you need to practice some self-talk. Thoughts will come but instead of letting them stay, you’re going to release them with,

“I understand that I have many things to think about but at this moment, I’m going to just breathe and relax.”

You can try your mantra or phrase.

Step 3: The next step is to just let the thoughts in but then let them go. It is imperative that you not let them stay in your mind. Acknowledge them but then let them go. If your thoughts stay behind and refuse to go, take a breath and bring your attention back to your breathing.

Step 4: When your mind is quiet and devoid of errant thoughts, slowly bring your attention to your breathing. With a few deep inhales and exhales, bring yourself back to the present and open your eyes, gently.

Meditation requires sticking to a routine. Once you’re in the habit of practicing meditation when feeling overwhelmed or when thinking too much, you’ll eventually be able to control the flow of your thoughts and relax when needed.

Thoughts Are Thoughts….

Thoughts are just that – thoughts. Racing thoughts are okay and normal during meditation but don’t let them overwhelm you or your relaxed meditative state. Sometimes letting your mind find relaxation is important no matter how overworked you are.

What meditation is for me might not be what meditation is for you. All of us meditate differently. The one common thing is the benefits of meditation.

Even if you’re an overthinker, you can benefit from meditation. All you need to do is find the best meditation technique suitable for you!

I hope this article on guided meditation for overthinking was helpful. For more, you can write to us at info@calmsage.com or follow us on social media. Like this blog? Tried the above tips? Let me know in the comments below!

Breathe In. Breathe Out. Relax.

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Mental health support at schools helps males, more than female students feel safe from bullying

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Bullying at boarding schools has a negative impact on student’s emotional health, but for male students, having a school staff member to rely on for support may mute the harmful effects of bullying, according to a new University at Buffalo study. Support networks did not have the same effect on female students, the researchers say.

The study, recently published in School Psychology Review, is one of few to examine the impact of bullying at boarding schools, which provide a unique environment where most students live on school grounds, away from their families. It is also one of the first studies to observe the effects of bullying on both the physical and emotional safety of students.

“If students feel unsafe at school, it can impair their ability to concentrate and engage academically, socially and emotionally, resulting in mental health challenges,” says Stephanie Fredrick, Ph.D., lead investigator and associate director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at UB. “When schools support both academic success and mental health, students may feel safer at school despite being aware of or experiencing bullying.”

These support systems may be even more crucial for the nation’s 250-plus boarding schools, where students may be at increased risk for bullying, stress, and internalizing depression and anxiety, she says.

“Boarding students do not have the ability to disconnect from peers or school by going home at the end of the day,” says Fredrick, also an assistant professor at the UB Graduate School of Education.

“Although schools have historically focused on teaching academic skills, they are increasingly involved in character development and mental health promotion,” she says. “Mental health professionals play a critical role in promoting health and safety for boarding students, especially because these students are apart from their families more than typical students.”

Buffers against bullying

Available mental health services included licensed counselors who functioned as therapists and a learning specialist who supported students with emotional, learning, and cognitive disabilities. Emotional safety was defined as feeling comfortable with expressing emotions, taking risks, and engaging in new experiences.

The researchers discovered those male students who perceived that the school supported mental health reported feeling emotionally safe on campus, regardless of their experiences with bullying. School mental health support did not improve perceptions of emotional safety for female students.

“It may be that school mental health supports were not robust enough to buffer against feeling unsafe for female students,” says Fredrick. “Other aspects of the school environment, including disciplinary or physical structure, or even peer support, may be needed for female students to feel emotionally safe.”

The research, she says, highlights the importance of policy standards to guide school mental health professionals in addressing boarding student safety concerns.

“The effect of bullying prevention programs tends to be small-to-moderate, so it is likely that students will always see a certain level of bullying at their school,” says Fredrick. “Simply having mental health professionals present and available throughout schools may enhance student perceptions of school safety.”

Story Source:

Materials provided by University at Buffalo. Originally written by Marcene Robinson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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On Being Overwhelmed: How Much Is Too Much to Cope With?

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We live in an era of a national opioid crisis, common suicides, and mental illness, which seems to spread like wildfire. Given these concerns and the undoubtedly stressful world we live in, it’s reasonable to ask if most of us know when we are emotionally overwhelmed. The answer, I believe, is sad no.

Over my many years in psychiatric practice, it’s become clear to me that we do not have a commonsense way of gauging when any one of us would likely be overwhelmed. So, I’ve devised a simple system for people to use as a way to examine their lives to see if it falls in the overwhelmed range.

This has nothing to do with mental illness. The system is for everyday life.

On Being Overwhelmed How Much Is Too Much to Cope With Pinterest Image
On Being Overwhelmed How Much Is Too Much to Cope With?

What Does It Mean To Be Overwhelmed?

Let’s begin with a definition. What exactly is being overwhelmed? It is when the things you must cope with exceed your abilities to cope. This is very straightforward on the surface but digging down can get more complicated. Simple or complicated, there are clearly times when we go over a threshold and have trouble coping. The part I have broken down is what leads to feeling overwhelmed.

Being overwhelmed may be a warning sign of a bigger problem, but is also a problem in itself. When overwhelmed we do not think as clearly, tend to be more emotional and of course, do not feel well.

Often, many of us do not realize we are overwhelmed until after we have bitten someone’s head off or have had great difficulty getting through some life demand. Other people may withdraw and stay in their room away from others.

The specifics do not matter. What matters is that someone is very emotional in a negative way and feel they can not deal with whatever is at hand for them.

The first things we usually examine when someone is having emotional difficulties are the signs and symptoms of mental illness. But I think we should begin a step earlier; namely, knowing what may have happened to overwhelm a person before these signs and symptoms appeared.

Or, put differently, can we tell beforehand when someone is likely to feel overwhelmed by her circumstances? 

We all know examples of this, such as the loss of a loved one or a frightening event. But there are many times when we find ourselves emotionally inundated and do not quite know what got us there.

Can We Predict When We Might Become Overwhelmed?

For years I have used a metaphor to convey to my patients why they suddenly find themselves feeling so unsettled. I define four essential constituents of mental well-being and compare them to the poles of a tent. The four are:

1) Health

This need not be perfect but allows you to function without pain, significant disability, or the imminent threat of either. A severe or terminal illness is usually the problem, but the chronic disease is a common cause that is often overlooked.

2) People

These are folks who care about you and share parts of your life. Friends, family or whoever fits the bill. 

3) A home

A place that is safe, comfortable and you have at least in part, a claim to. Your room may be enough. Home is a launching pad for building a life. It is a basecamp and a refuge for which there is no substitute no matter how physically adequate. 

4) A way to survive

In our culture this means money. We do not hunt and gather, nor sow and reap. We get money to buy what we need.

If any one of these is suddenly absent or disturbed, you will of course be stressed. The important point is this: if more than one is absent or disturbed, you will be overwhelmed. To think of the tent; one pole suddenly not working causes problems. Two poles mean you no longer have a tent. Now you are exposed to the elements and no longer protected.

To bring home the point, imagine yourself with any two of these four compromised in your own life. Perhaps you are having marital problems and your work hours are suddenly cut. Or you are trying to cope with an illness, and you discover your insurance has not covered an expensive piece of your care. Or perhaps you are in between jobs and you will miss yet another rent/mortgage payment. Or lastly, you have been quite sick and now, a few weeks into the problem, the flow of visitors dries up.

These problems and countless others are exhaustingly common and occur right under our noses, even if you are the person in question. The reason they are missed is that most of the issues are considered normal life problems and people are thought to generally plod through them.

But our psyches need a sense that life is still basically under some control and we will not end up powerless and alone. This is why we need the need these four poles.

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How to Cope with Overwhelming Emotions: 3-Minute Therapy. Courtesy, Dr. Christina Hibbert.

More of the Four Poles

We all have more sophisticated psychological needs than suggested by the four poles. Things such as close relationships and a sense of meaning in life are the two most important. The four poles do not replace these. Rather, they are the foundation upon which such things are built. They are the basis of our inner sense of stability and safety in an unpredictable world. The use of this metaphor has helped me communicate to my patients the excessive weight of stress they are carrying.

Rather than severe trauma, it is often common life events that pull the poles out from our safe tents. Divorce, illness and unemployment are unfortunately common and clear examples. Anyone who has been through these knows how easily one dimension such as money or health, reaches out and wrenches away friends, funds or even our homes.

Final Thoughts

If we incorporated the tent metaphor into our thinking a few things would be suddenly obvious.

For example, all cancer patients need—at least the offer of—psychological care as part of their treatment. In addition, homelessness is not just another social problem. It undermines the psychological health needed to solve the homelessness itself, so is self-perpetuating.

Lastly, some people may need more attention, even if just from family and friends, than they usually receive. These include women who have had recent miscarriages, people without advanced training who lose their jobs, and anyone caring for a chronically sick relative.

The ability to predict when things are just too much is just as important in our psychological lives as in our physical ones. We know how far is too far to run, how much is too much to lift. It is time we know how much is too much to cope with

 

Depression Hurts.
Online Therapy Helps.
 

 

 

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Melancholic Depression: What Is It, Its Features & How To Overcome Melancholia

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Melancholic Depression

There are many moments in our life where we feel a deep sense of sadness or gloom for absolutely no particular reason at all – also known as melancholia.

Feeling melancholic is nothing new. People have been experiencing this feeling for centuries if not decades but when this feeling of extreme sadness begins to take over our happy moments, that’s when we should not ignore it.

A subtype or a form of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), melancholic depression can be described as a condition where a person loses all interest and pleasure in day-to-day activities. In the DSM-5, melancholia is a criterion for diagnosing MDD. Therefore, an individual can be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder with Melancholic Features.

What Is Melancholia?

Well, when we talk about psychology, melancholia – the term – was first introduced in the 5th century BC by Hippocrates. The Greeks translate melancholia as “black bile”. The symptoms Hippocrates used to describe melancholia are similar to symptoms of depression we use now – fear, changes in appetite, restlessness, insomnia, and sadness.

Features & Symptoms Of Melancholia

Melancholic features when it comes to MDD are specific and used to diagnose melancholic depression.

Melancholia symptoms can be:

  • Depressed mood especially experiencing despair or emptiness
  • Feeling extremely depressed in the mornings
  • Agitation or slow motor functions
  • Experiencing changes in weight
  • Feeling extreme guilt or shame
  • Experiencing sleep disruptions
  • Having difficulty maintaining focus for long periods
  • Memory loss
  • Contemplating self-harm or suicide
  • Loss of pleasure in activities
  • Loss of reaction to positive events or news

These melancholic features are more likely to occur in individuals who experience or are diagnosed with MDD.

What May Cause Melancholia?

Melancholia episodes are not triggered by a specific event or a situation, rather it is a gradual process. A person may experience loss of interest, pleasure, or happiness even when something good happens in their life.

Individuals who experience MDD with psychotic features are more likely to develop melancholic depression.

While there are no exact reasons that contribute to a person developing melancholia, it is speculated that genetics, past traumatic experiences, chemical imbalances, or a history of depression in the family can be major contributors.

During the diagnosis, the doctor may ask several questions that may include learning more about one’s symptoms. A formal diagnosis is needed to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms such as:

Are There Treatments Available For Melancholic Depression?

For the better part of the treatment of melancholic depression, medications are prescribed as it is suspected that melancholia is not triggered by external factors but is caused by certain chemical imbalances in the brain.

Medications or antidepressants that can be prescribed by a professional psychiatrist can be:

  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
  • Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
  • Norepinephrine Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs)
  • Atypical Antidepressants: usually prescribed to improve mood.
  • Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)

According to a research study by the APA (American Psychiatric Association), tricyclic antidepressants work much better than other antidepressants, psychotherapy, or interventions when it comes to treating melancholy or melancholic depression.

How To Overcome Melancholic Depression?

Not all people are comfortable using prescribed drugs and medications to treat their melancholia symptoms. Since melancholic depression includes experiencing feelings of extreme sadness, loss of enjoyment, loss of interest in day-to-day activities, and fatigue, it can interfere with one’s daily functioning.

First, if you’re experiencing melancholia symptoms, it is recommended that you immediately contact a professional for a formal diagnosis and treatment plan. However, there are some self-help ways you can try (along with medications and treatment) to help reduce the symptoms of melancholic depression:

  • Getting regular physical exercise to increase endorphins and dopamine naturally
  • Spending time with people you love
  • Maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet
  • Practicing meditation
  • Maintaining a proper sleep schedule (try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night)

Please note that melancholia may make doing the above activities a little difficult but you must keep in mind that incorporating these lifestyle changes into your daily routine will help you in the long run.

You can also reach out to your support system or other online depression support groups. You can also connect with trained and licensed therapists and counselors here.

Melancholia or MDD with melancholic features can make navigating through daily life challenging. However, with a proper diagnosis and treatment, it can become easier to take the necessary steps towards recovery and coping.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, you can reach out to these helpline numbers:

Remember, help is available and you are not alone!

Coping with depression isn’t easy and it is a journey that is full of struggles and challenges but with the right help, it can be manageable.

 

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ARE YOU A CYNIC? HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?

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Are you a cynic

A Cynic is a person who believes that people always have a selfish motive behind everything they do. A cynic is overly skeptical about everything. If you are a cynic, you’ll always have a doubt about things being a success.

Basically, if you are cynical about a particular thing, it’s hard for you to believe that it can be successful. You will always think that the other is not honest about their intentions.

All of us are cynical about a few things that happen around us once in a while. I, somehow, am always cynical about a politician’s motives!

But a Cynic, almost all the time, disbelieves the integrity of everything. Cynics believe that there is no such thing as altruism, people always want something in return.

For example, X donated some amount to an organization, a cynic will always believe that it’s not just a simple act of charity. The cynic will come up with reasons like

* X probably wants some favors from the organization,

* X wants to impress the owner of the organization,

*X wants to look like a giver in front of the public eye, etc.

What Makes a Person Cynical?

Cynicism basically means being critical about things. Cynicism is not as bad as it seems provided it is in a limit. Anything in excess is bad! Being careful and cautious is good. Cynicism might have some root cause in some people.

You have to understand where cynicism is coming from. It can be a past experience!

ALSO READ: 11 Ways To Let Go Of The Past & Move Freely In Future

I recently dealt with fraud. Someone tricked me into taking my money as a form of purchase, online. Since then I’ve been very, very cynical about online shopping. Even if I am using an official portal of a legit website, I instantly click on pay on delivery!

Comment and tell me if you have experienced something that made you cynical about it.

It’s good to question things before you get involved. It clears concerns and also helps in getting a deeper understanding of things. This kind of cynicism is acceptable, it’s normal. What’s away from normal is having zero trusts in anything, whatever!

Cynics never give the benefit of the doubt to anything or anyone.

Characteristics of a Cynical Person:

Cynics have a different way of processing and analyzing situations. Nothing, for them, is as simple as it looks. They keep looking for a motive that can support their disbelief.

Do you sometimes feel like everything’s negative in life? Let’s look at some of the characteristics of a cynic:

  • Sarcasm is their first language
  • Loath plain positivity
  • Can’t take a compliment. They think compliments are fake!
  • Question anything and everything
  • Always concerned about other want from them
  • Don’t give a damn about being politically correct
  • Do not romanticize life
  • Always prepared for the worst.
  • They always sound smart

A pinch of salt makes your dessert even yummy. Imagine having a spoonful of salt in that piece of cake you’re about to eat!

If a cashier wishes you a good day it’s because he/she is being polite. They do not want anything from you! Even the thought of it makes me want to throw up!

It’s good to acknowledge the chances but not so much that it turns you into a big-time pessimist. Be cautious but also indulge in carefree moments, keep a little joy in life.

skepticism vs cynicism

How Does Cynicism Affect our Mental Health?

Well, cynicism has been linked with depression many times. There are various studies that state too much cynicism can lead to depression.

Researchers say that there is a 5 times higher chance of a cynical person having depression.

1. Depression and cynicism are actually intertwined. A cynic has a high chance of getting depressed, while a depressed person has an equal chance of developing a cynical mindset.

2. Cynicism may begin to bud in an individual when they give their all in achieving a goal, yet fail. This failure crushes their hopes and dreams, which in turn makes them bitter.

3. There is a disconnect between expectation and reality for a cynic. This leaves them feeling hopeless and helpless.

4. They often feel like no one does anything that actually matters. Nothing excites them because they doubt the sincerity of everything. This is a typical cynical personality trait.

5. Cynics ruminate on their pessimistic thoughts which aids depression

6. The distrust cynic have in every realm of life, turns their general grumpiness into a diagnosable disorder.

7. A cynic is always looking for evidence that leads to other people’s motives. This induces stress which can later take the form of anxiety

8. The core belief in a cynic is doubt. A strong doubt about everything in life. This doubt brings in the feeling of helplessness, anger, frustration, loss of interest in things, etc.

9. Cynics tend to indulge in self-destructive behavior.

10. Types of research state that cynics often choose to smoke and drink and have a high chance of committing suicide

11. Cynical people show reduced emotional attachment.

effect of cynicism

They start to think that everything is just a show and nothing really matters. All these attributes can push someone into depression or other psychological disorders.

How to Escape from a Cynical Mindset?

opposite of cynicism

Now we all know how being severely cynical about everything is not healthy. Give yourself a break! Not digging into every possible thing in life is as important as being cautious. If you notice the traits of a cynic in your life, escaping such a mindset is the best way out. Let’s find out how:

  • Recognize the cynical mindset
  • Challenge your cynicism
  • Tell your friends and family to check you when you’re being cynical
  • Draw a line between being critical and being cynical
  • Appreciate people in your life
  • Embrace positivity
  • Practice mindfulness
  • Express gratitude
  • Relax your thoughts, try yoga
  • Engage in recreational activities
  • Find the positive things in people

Little cynicism causes no harm but does not let it exceed the limit. Creating a balance is really important.

TAKE AWAY

Thinking that everyone around you is lying, in return for some gain is not fair. We should all learn to trust our friends and family.

Altruism is not just a mere concept. We must all appreciate the act of kindness that demands nothing in return.

Being cynical may be your way of protecting yourself from being wrong. However, if being cynical is affecting your health, you should start working towards striking a balance.

Let’s all appreciate the little things in life, be a little less cynical!

 

 

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