Yesterday, I opened a newsletter from the writing coach I’ve been working with for 6 months. Within seconds, I felt like shit. I hired him to help me fine tune my writing and the systems I use to create content and newsletters. But this issue was about his clients who’ve scored financially. One landed a big coaching contract from a single comment on someone’s social media post. I immediately felt like a failure because I haven't done that. I spiraled for an hour before I real

On Sunday morning, I sat down in my comfy office chair to meditate. I noticed I felt alone, so I stopped meditating and concentrated on the physical sensations in my chest and throat. So far, so good. But then I remembered feeling alone as a kid. I wondered what was underneath it. Tried to figure out what it meant. Within minutes, everything in my office felt like it was behind glass. My partner walked by and seemed like a complete stranger. That's dissociation. It’s zero fun

I was wrong. All 4672 times I said we overthink because we’re smart. The truth is: We overthink because we’re not smart enough. Let me explain. We're born with the potential to be smart in two ways: Analytic, logical intelligence Emotional intelligence and intuitive insight But we only use the first kind. We develop it in school, where right answers are the key to gold stars. Every question in school has a right answer. We keep doubling down on analysis and logic all the way

Let me introduce you to neurons. Your brain cells. Your thoughts activate groups of neurons. Different thoughts activate different neurons. Repeating the same thoughts makes the groups of neurons activate faster and form stronger connections. They form neural pathways. Imagine your brain is a forest. Neural pathways are trails. The more you follow them, the deeper they get. Overthinking comes from deep neural pathways in your brain forest. You overthink as long as they're act

In 2 years, her smarts, skills, confidence, and creativity took her from staff nurse to managing 60 nurses on two units. But her ex got under her skin, big time. She spiraled with every gaslighting gut-punch message about their kids. Her anxiety skyrocketed. Then she found “f*cking freedom”. Like most smart, successful women, her intelligence was her superpower at work. She solved every problem. If a solution wasn’t obvious, she’d double down on analyzing and imagine 5 or 6 s

I don't usually tell stories about people I work with. But I have her permission to share it with you because she's pretty excited about it. Let's call her Sara. She has a really full life, like most of us. Two kids, a husband, an ex (her kids' dad), starting a new business. Three cats and a new house. We've talked a few times when she was deep in very active overthinking. It happens when her husband gets angry or frustrated. As people do. It's regular relationship stuff, but

I failed to protect my younger daughter. It's that simple. And that devastating. Starting when she was 5, she was abused at her dad's house. I trusted him completely, so I overlooked the signs. Her childhood trauma surfaced in her early 20s. Her entire life imploded. When I found out why, I was shocked to my core, completely numb for a few days. Then regret, guilt, and shame hit me like a tidal wave. I replayed everything I missed. I told no one except my partner. I mentally

I've been creating two things for you. The first is an online quiz that helps you identify your specific overthinking pattern. If you've been following me on IG or Threads, or if you've been reading my newsletter for a while, you probably already have a sense of how your mind gets stuck. The quiz offers deeper insight into your particular pattern. It provides you with a concrete first step to take in the moment. This goes beyond just trying to "stop thinking." You can take it

I had no clue how to get out of my head and into my heart. So I tried everything—for 20 years. Egyptian etheric healing. Crystals. Buddhism. New Age church-ism. Dozens of books. Meditation. Therapy. Reiki. Yoga. I always hoped the next thing would be The One. ​ I didn’t know how to get from where I was -- endless internal churning -- to where I wanted to be. I didn't have a map. So I wandered—chasing promises, turning back, starting over. ​ None of us have a map when we start

Last week, someone asked me what I do if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. Overthinking in the middle of the night This is my go-to. It works every time. (Except for tonight, when I was apparently supposed to tell you about it instead of going back to sleep.) A 20-minute body scan, breathing into the area I'm focusing on. Feel into each part of your body as best you can and give it some breath love. Aim to fully experience each spot--rather than

The author reflects on their struggle with overthinking, emphasizing the importance of metacognition—thinking about one’s own thoughts. They highlight common misconceptions that fuel overthinking and propose five beliefs that promote peace of mind. By challenging unhelpful beliefs, individuals can break free from cycles of overthinking and achieve mental clarity.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a clock watcher—obsessively setting deadlines for everything. I’d barely start a task before checking the time and calculating how fast I needed to finish. The kicker? My deadlines were completely arbitrary. For instance, I’m four sentences into this issue. A month ago, I would have already checked the time twice and be doing mental math about how to finish the whole thing by 4 PM tomorrow. Why 4 PM tomorrow? No reason. A few weeks ago