Circle Insights: Nov '25 - Overthinking, Future Focus and Being Rooted in the Present

4 Takeaways on Thoughts & Power of Mind

1. Worrying Today About Tomorrow's Problems

While working with a client on decluttering her mind and writing her worries down, I noticed how her mind spiral:

"I need flight tickets before the price goes up. I just changed job and earn less now. How will I afford them? I need a better job. Maybe I should search for it instead of the tickets. Why am I so unlucky.."

Within minutes, she'd jumped from booking a trip to job hunting - leaving the present moment entirely.

But, here's the thing: the trip was 7 months away. The real problem wasn't the tickets - it was her mind creating problems that didn't exist yet (and her belief that she never does anything right).

I asked three very simple questions to bring her back to now.

How do you know what will happen in the next few months?

What if a better job appears?

What if prices drop when you're ready?

Truth is: problems we imagine today pretty often don't materialize. Things resolve even without our constant effort. Let the process do its own thing - and if you really have to interfere - do it with the best possible scenario in mind.

2. What Does it Mean to Be Present

Building on the previous point, the easiest way to check if you're worrying about something that might not happen is to ask yourself:

What problem do I have now, in this very moment?

The simple 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Method is a helpful technique for coming back to present moment. The point is: deal with problems when & if they appear. But don't constantly invite them into your presence & reality.

3. Thoughts Are Just Thoughts - They Aren't You

Think of your thoughts as constant traffic on the busiest highway. It's non-stop, it can get loud, stuck, cause overwhelm, anxiety, drain your energy.

But like traffic, thoughts come and go. They only stay if you give them your attention.

Through zazen (foundation of Zen practice), I've had a chance to experience a second of pure peace of mind - bliss, calmness. It was an extremely powerful second that made me realize: my thoughts are happening even without me being involved in them.

So, our thoughts are happening whether or not we engage with them. We "only" get to choose which ones we attach to.

4. Silent Meditation Teaches Non-Attachment to Thoughts

After only 6 days of practicing silent meditation, I was able to observe my thoughts more clearly and say "Let it pass" before attaching to them. That's why silent meditation became my mandatory daily practice. There's an incredible transformation happening when you decide to show up for yourself.

When you're sitting in silence, the amount of thoughts and memories that shows up is unbelievably huge. The more you train to say let them pass, the more your brain starts doing it automatically. Test it!

Simple "Grain of Sand" Method

1. Recognize a Thought as Separate

When a thought arises during meditation - or any moment of your day - imagine it as a grain of sand on the shore, touched by waves. This will help you visualize the thought as an object passing through - not as who you are.

2. Don't Resist or Cling

Don't try to bury it deeper in the sand. Don't try to hold it in your hand. Resisting or clinging gives the power to the thought Instead, let it be without engaging with it. This is the practice of non-attachment.

3. Observe With Curiosity

Simply watch as if you're observing the ocean gently move the sand across the beach. Notice its texture, its color, how the water shapes it. Bring gentle curiosity to the thought rather than judgement. Stay curious, stay separate.

4. Meet Your "Observer" Self

You're not the grain of sand being moved by the waves. You are the shore - witnessing everything that passes through. This shift from "I'm this thought" to "I'm observing this thought" is where your (mental) freedom begins. Rest here. You're the witness, not the thought.

When Overthinking Becomes Self-Sabotage

Many techniques (including the ones above) offer immediate relief. But if you keep:

• Sabotaging your own success

• Struggling with self-criticism

• Reacting too strongly to small situations

• Getting angry over minor criticism

• Feeling abandoned when plans change

You may be encountering your shadow self - parts shaped by childhood wounds and survival mechanism your system learned long ago.

These aren't just your overthinking patterns. They're your inner child protecting you, even when that protection no longer serves you.

If this resonates, the Inner Child Healing offers deeper exploration.

Feeling uncertain where to being or what approach would be right for you?

Let's talk.