![A photo of a river with flowing water, snow, and ice in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A good place where we can stop overthinking.](https://mindfulnaturenut.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMG_1622-1.jpg)
Copyright © 2021 Lee Spirit
Do you ever have days when you’re lost in the thoughts in your head and you can’t stop overthinking things? I suppose that may be happening a little more while we’re all in isolation these days, listening to the voices in our head. I’ve been finding myself in a swirl of thoughts this past week…Not unhappy thoughts – Just contemplating things, thinking about articulating them, but finding too many words, and too much rumination! When we get stuck in our heads like this, there’s a few things we can do to return to a neutral, balanced mind.
What Is A Neutral Mind?
To have a neutral mind means that we have a calm, clear mind, where we stop overthinking. But it also means that we are not stuck in polarities or dualities. Polarities are like opposites – Good and bad, light and dark, up and down, left brain and right brain, negative and positive, yin and yang. It’s easy to get stuck in the extremes of one way of thinking or the other. A good example of that is having an extreme political view, and only seeing things from that point of view. We fail to see things from a bird’s eye view, and miss the bigger picture or perspective that can provide the clarity we need. This is because when we’re stuck in thoughts, we are stuck in the ego.
Balancing the Brain & Heart
Having a neutral mind means we are letting go of the ego. In doing so, we balance the hemispheres of the brain, and balance the heart. When we do this, thoughts can flow through this central channel of neutrality, without judgement, criticism, or emotion. Instead, we move more towards trust, acceptance, and harmony. In this balanced, healthy space, we can make decisions based on our intuition. We are living in our consciousness rather than going about our daily lives with no awareness of the present moment.
Being a Lighthouse
If we can learn how to stop overthinking, we become grounded and peaceful. We vibrate at a higher frequency, which allows the light of the Universe to fill our souls. This allows the light of our being to radiate outwards towards others, and we live from the truth of our soul. We develop a magnetism and subtle radiance that others can see and feel. When we do this, we are serving others by being a lighthouse, shining our light in the world, and allowing them to also be Who they really Are.
Ways To Stop Overthinking and Get To Neutrality
Yoga & Meditative Practices
Neutrality is not the same thing as emptiness. It’s more a state of harmony and rest – in mind, body, and spirit. A few of my favourite ways to get to this space are meditation, kundalini yoga, sound healing, and chanting musical mantras.
These are fantastic ways to stop overthinking and find your neutral, harmonious mind. While it’s great to try new things, it’s best to try them more than just once or twice. To really receive the benefits of these practices, you need to practice regularly. At least once a week for yoga, and preferably every day for meditation. You can start small with 10 minutes and work up as you feel more comfortable in the meditative space. Studies show that it doesn’t take long to receive the healthy brain benefits of meditation with a regular practice.
I’m currently offering free, guided meditations every week on my YouTube channel, MindfulNatureNut Guided Meditations! Be sure to check these out, and subscribe so you don’t miss any! Why not get started for free on a regular weekly practice? Come meditate out in beautiful nature with me!
The reason meditation works so well if you do it consistently and regularly is that it quickly releases anger, negativity, and toxins from the body! By calming the mind through an alert, conscious practice, we become the observers of our own thought patterns. We then train our brains to be able to handle upsets, stress, and shocking situations when they arise.
Gratitude and Appreciation
Gratitude and appreciation are also great ways to stop overthinking and find your neutral mind. This helps us attract more of what we want in our lives rather than what we don’t want because we’re emitting a positive vibe that says “I want more of that!”
When we live in a state of awe and wonder over the beauty that surrounds us, don’t take anything for granted, and savour life’s joys, we build ourselves up. We have higher self-esteem, better relationships with others, and we can cope better with life’s stressors. There are some very real health benefits of practicing gratitude. It makes us feel happier, it gives us hope, resilience, optimism, and we even sleep better.
Having a sense of appreciation for our lives, no matter what is happening, and looking for the good in everything will stop overthinking in its tracks. As a result, we will become less depressed, anxious, angry, neurotic, and physically ill.
Read more on Gratitude For Change: The Shifting Element of Water here.
Creativity Will Stop Overthinking
Whenever we feel this “stuck”, stagnant energy within us, it’s sometimes hard to motivate ourselves to be creative, or to do anything at all. But if we use this time as an opportunity to learn, grow, and be creative in whatever way feels true, we’ll find the gifts in the struggle. For you, this may be doing some art, dancing, singing, writing a poem, or starting a new business.
We want to create a free flow of the creative juices within us. Having a neutral heart and mind will allow us to be a vessel for this free flow of inspirational energy. In turn, we will bring a flow of prosperity and abundance into our lives. Remember that prosperity and abundance doesn’t necessarily mean money. The true coin is in the way you find your own inner light and love, and then share that light and love with others.
I’ve been working on this mindfulness venture during these challenging times, and have to say it has helped keep my mind occupied and learning in a healthy way. Not to mention, I feel I’m serving others in a way that’s true for me, sharing my light through words, photos, and meditations. This is very new and creative for me. The more attention I put into serving creatively through the light of my soul, the easier it is for me to stop overthinking and return to neutrality.
Overthinking Will Not Serve You or Others
As Howard Thurman so eloquently put it, “In the stillness of quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair”…
The first step is recognizing that we are overthinking and ruminating. As I’ve mentioned before, and quoted from Eckhart Tolle, and Michael A. Singer, we are not our thoughts, we are the observer of our thoughts. We are the witness. Once we realize this, we can sit in the seat of our soul as the watcher of our thoughts. This gives us greater control.
The next step is to allow our thoughts. We don’t want to push them down or out, as this will ultimately create a greater resistance within us rather than a state of flow. Allow your thoughts and feelings, and as the witness in the neutral space, watch those thoughts and emotions pass by like clouds in the sky.
Once we’ve allowed our thoughts, we can come to an acceptance of them. They may not be pretty or positive, and that’s okay. Lovingly accept what is in the present moment for you. Accepting what is, and what is here now will allow us then to go deeper into the root of what is causing these thoughts or emotions, and we can then make decisions from our intuitive consciousness in a direction of healthy, positive change.
Lee Spirit is an avid outdoors adventurer with a love for nature, photography, health & fitness, wellness, and spirituality. Her own personal journey has led her to the study and practice of mindfulness, health, wellness, yoga, spirituality, sound healing, meditation, and personal development for over 20 years. Get Lee’s FREE ‘Natural Mind Healing’ Report here, and Stop Overthinking today!