Overthinking is probably one of the most obvious causes of stress, frustration, and anxiety. And yet, it’s really easy to slide into a mental churning of the things you don’t understand in your reality or the negative ideas you’re unconsciously compelled to reinforce about yourself.
The problem is that overthinking just keeps you spinning in place without bringing any clarity or resolution. It’s both a habit and a defense mechanism that gives you the illusion of control (of “fixing” something) but really just keeps your ego-mind in control of your perception.
Spinning is precisely what the mind does. It’s this revolving quality that distinguishes humans from animals, as it produces thoughts that help us judge, learn, make associations, and understand things. One thought produces another, similar thought, and the continuous flow of thoughts (and desires) shapes your beliefs; then repeating beliefs create patterns of perception and behavior that keep revolving out of the inertial energy of your own attention.
So when you overthink, you’re not only investing more and more energy in the ideas and thoughts that keep you stuck; you’re also nurturing old patterns of perception that will show up in your reality as painful situations to justify the beliefs you’re reinforcing (see You Can’t Be Happy Without Understanding Your Mind and Your Life-Movie Is a Dream Within a Dream).
Since your current reality is invariably colored by past impressions, you’re spinning in the past, reproducing an outdated self-perception that keeps you trapped in the wounded child archetype, thus preventing you from being who you truly are right here, right now. When you believe the negative thoughts churning in your mind, you follow the negative tendencies that disconnect you from Divine Consciousness.
Negative thinking is the natural direction of your ego; that’s how it pulls you away from Consciousness to maintain the illusion of separation and duality. This is why your overthinking is always in relation to others—as a reflection of your own sense of otherness, the inner bully that blocks your self-awareness (see Is Your Ego-Mind Gaslighting You? and Are You Aware of the Inner Bully Squelching Your True Voice?).
You Are Not the Fluctuations of Your Ego-Mind
The ego-mind doesn’t want to look within and resolve whatever is creating stress or pain; so it keeps revolving in place by focusing on what’s external. But if you make the effort to turn your attention from otherness to self, you gain access to the pure Awareness that is your true nature, where your ego and your suffering dissolve. You are not the mind or its fluctuations, you are the one who can observe and question them.
Whether it’s because you’re a perfectionist, too self-conscious to express freely how you feel, or used to rationalizing your emotions to avoid looking at yourself, breaking the habit of overthinking requires detachment. You develop detachment by questioning the nature of the mind and the purpose of your thoughts. As soon as you do this, you establish the distance needed to see them more clearly.
Ask yourself: are these thoughts helping me find a solution or do they just keep me in a negative state while sabotaging my experience of the present? Which past experiences or fears do they reflect (from childhood)? Is this the only possibility of viewing or experiencing this moment? And what is the hidden motivation to keep spinning here? In other words, how does overthinking benefit my ego-mind?
As I mentioned earlier, it may temporarily give you the illusion of control because it is familiar, but in reality you’re just giving your power to the ego that prevents you from growing emotionally and spiritually. Perhaps you’re holding on to the unconscious belief of being a victim or not deserving to enjoy your life? You must quiet the mind to become aware of the real cause of this defense mechanism (see 3 Reasons Why Daily Meditation Is Essential).
Only when you take full spiritual responsibility for your life can you break free from the ego-mind that reflects the past, to reclaim your true nature, which is happiness and peace. So contact me today to start letting go of a distorted self-perception that keeps you confused, resentful, and small so you may develop emotional and spiritual freedom!
© 2021 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
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