When Thinking is Overrated and What to Do Instead
Ever feel like your mind is working against you, or you’re stuck in overthinking? Learn how to use your mind as the tool that it is, and start feeling more ease, confidence, and clarity.
This may come as a surprise to you, but thinking is overrated.
Some of the greatest minds or "thinkers" have impacted and shaped the world, and influenced the way we see things. Einstein for example. I could list a page full of quotes from this great mind, that reach my soul and resonate with what is true to me. We absolutely need these minds for our evolution, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.
But hear me out: Most of us use our big beautiful brains, and the minds within them, in ways that hurt us rather than help us.
Our mind is simply a tool, and unless you know how to use it properly, it won’t necessarily work for you.
Instead, far too often, it works against you. Can you relate to that?
Imagine the mess if you were trying to use a jackhammer but didn’t know how to use it properly. Or think about driving a car without having ever learned how. Both tools that, when used properly, can create the results you want! And when used improperly, could cause serious damage. A lot of the time, that’s what we’re doing. We’ve got an amazing tool but we’re using it improperly.
Yes, thinking is useful and needed for academics. Our mind has the ability to analyze and reason, as well as memorize, find common patterns, hypothesize…. All really useful when it comes to math, science, languages, and history. It can be useful for problem-solving too. Sometimes we need to think through a situation to come up with possible solutions.
But where it gets tricky is when we operate under the misunderstanding that thinking through something enough can keep us safe - When we play something out over and over to try to make sure or be certain. Or when we try to go through all the possible scenarios to make the “best” decision. Or when we try to figure out what the other person is thinking...
Thinking can get tricky too when we use our mind to affirm what we do not want. We do this so innocently and so often, but the thing is, we’re always affirming something, consciously and unconsciously. So you might be affirming, “There’s not enough time.” or “I don’t have enough money.” Or maybe, “I can’t do that.” or “I’m not good enough.”
A lot of the time, our monkey mind runs us, and we identify with these thoughts and hold them as truth, rather than being the observer and director of our mind, and taking dominion over it. Two completely different orientations. Can you see the difference?
Our minds are SO powerful. SUCH a powerful tool. Yet for most of us, we never take the time to read the owner’s manual, and learn how to use this massive tool that we carry around everyday.
You can literally create ANYTHING, and it all starts in your mind. Everyday, YOU are creating your own reality, by what you think and believe, and the actions you take that follow.
How powerful is that?!
This can be both daunting and empowering at the same time. Yet, especially in our culture, not only are we not taught about what this tool is, how to relate to it, and what we can do with it. We’re also, in many ways, told to hush hush about so many matters of the mind. And if there’s some struggle there, to just pretend that everything is fine.
So it’s up to you to take responsibility of your life, and begin to learn. To become self-aware, and to understand the difference between who YOU are, and your thoughts and emotions.
Did you know that we don’t just have one mind? We actually have several.
We have our mental mind (in our brain), we have our emotional mind (in our heart), and we have our intuitive mind (in our gut).
We also carry within us wisdom that transcends the capacity of the mind itself. That inner knowing, or inner wisdom. This is the place that can understand the infinite nature of our value, worth, and potential.
Unfortunately, for the most part, we’re trained up to use just the one - the mental one. The most limited one, in fact. We’re taught to be “logical”, and that it’s very important for things to “make sense”.
So we’re taught to not trust our intuition, our emotions, and that inner wisdom that just knows. And we begin to believe that "uncertainty = unsafe", and that in one way or another, it’s not safe to trust ourselves. And unfortunately, this leads us to overusing and misusing our big, beautiful brain.
But what if it was ok for you to trust yourself? What if you didn’t have to have a reason anymore than your intuition or gut instinct? What if there was a simpler, more effective way to navigate life that not only was way more FUN but also created fricken’ POWERFUL results!!?
What if you could begin to retrain your mind to calm down and listen to the truth - that inner knowing that:
You ARE good enough.
You ARE worthy of love.
You ARE perfect, just as you are.
It IS ok to make mistakes.You CAN do it.
You ARE safe, and taken care of, and loved.
The Universe IS conspiring in your favor.
Your life IS unfolding in total perfection…
That anything you truly desire to do, be, or have IS possible. And not only possible, but MEANT for YOU!
This is exactly what you can do when you begin to take back dominion over your mind, understand how to use this powerful tool, and do the work to replace unhelpful beliefs for ones that work for you.
In order to do so, we first have to pause. We cannot feel into the expansiveness of who we truly are until we stop to listen, to just be.
This can be through meditation and mindfulness, or through stepping into the flow and being present in the activities where you feel you “lose yourself”. (All that really means is you let go of identifying with your ego in those moments, and connect to your true and authentic self.)
Your mind is built to think - it’s a thinking machine! So in order to go beyond thinking, we have to find a way to calm down the mind and the body. We have to stop. We have to slow down. We have to pause. There is so much power in the pause. Until we can understand and experience this consciousness, it’s far too easy to stay identified with the limited part of us, just in our head.
So that’s step one. Find a way to step back and be the observer rather than in the river or onslaught of the thoughts themselves.
There can be so much peace in the midst of chaos when we’re able to do so.
And once you tap into that, you can access YOU!
You - who has infinite potential, and is made of pure love. Who has dreams and goals and desires, and truly unique gifts and purpose in this world! Getting out of your mind and into your body, and reconnecting back to your true self - that changes everything!!
From there, the answers become simpler. The need to overanalyze seems to dissipate. And the desire to “figure out” wanes to a whisper, or something you’re altogether uninterested in.
From this place, of more being and doing, rather than just thinking, life becomes an ADVENTURE, unfolding before your very eyes.
I encourage you to begin to notice the ways you’re using thinking to try to figure out, get it right, or be certain. Just notice that, and then notice the results. Is it effective? How does it feel to operate this way?
What might feel better? What are you willing to try out, even if just for 24 hours?
If you’d like some support in navigating a life without the need to over-think, I’d encourage you to explore meditation, and reach out to me so we can talk one-to-one. I’d love to connect with you, and support you in having the tools you need to not only feel really really good, but live a life that you’re in love with :) That is not only possible, but if it’s in your heart, it is meant for you.
Sending you love!