Have you ever felt like your mind just ran a 100-kilometer marathon and nothing really came out of it, not even a participation certificate? ‘Overthinking: the art of creating new problems out of ones that never existed in the first place’, an anonymous quote famous on the internet, says it all. Energy-sucking, mentally disturbing, and time-taking, overthinking can happen anytime, anywhere, especially if you just went through a difficult time or are going through one.
Wise ones of every time period have recognized the weight of mental anguish. Their quotes can give lasting solutions and help you stop overthinking.
1) "Run or listen to loud music & get out of the mind." - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Jogging, running or any physical activity can help you get out of your mind and redirect your energy. When you are tired and exhausted, overthinking stops. Similarly, when you listen to loud music or the trumpets and bells in a temple, your mind comes to the present.
2) “Last month you were worried, but you are still surviving now” - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Simple and backed with evidence, you can’t go wrong with this one. This gives you instant confidence that no problem is too big and the mind relaxes.
3)“It is all in the mind.” - Anonymous
Our minds are complex with cognitive biases and irrational fears that we project onto situations. It is natural that the things you are overthinking about don’t really hold weight. Maybe you will realize it after a few years or if you can see it from a larger perspective now.
4)“For one who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best friend. For one who has not, the mind is the worst enemy.” - Bhagavad Gita
You can train your mind to be your best friend. Clues in the next quotes on how to do it.
5)“The modulations of the mind can be restrained by practice.” - Patanjali Yogasutras
If you notice, overthinking is always about the past or the future. Remembering the past and worrying about the future are the two modulations described by Rishi Patanjali in the Yogasutras. When you are in the present, you will not reel under any modulation; you can’t overthink. Practice is the art of bringing your mind to the present moment again and again.
6) “Practice Sudarshan Kriya.” - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Mental well-being is necessary to prevent overthinking episodes. The Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique has been proven to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. It is a breathing technique that requires just 30 minutes to practice and can be your daily go-to mental health ritual to stop overthinking and come to the present moment.
7) “The world is like a dream.” - Yogavasistha
The fight you had in kindergarten is of little significance to you now. You probably don’t even remember it. Similarly, whatever you are going through right now will not hold weight on your mind after a few years. Life is just moving like a dream.
8) “Recognize that everything is going to come to an end one day.” - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Visit a cremation ground one day and recognize the temporary nature of life. The curtain will fall. Every story will end. There is nothing to worry about.
9) “Whatever happened, happened for good. Whatever is happening is happening for good. Whatever will happen will happen for good.” - Bhagavad Gita
Have faith in life. It will take its own course. Your overthinking will not make it change its direction.
10) “If you want to make sense, it has to come from silence.” - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
At first, it seems that overthinking will give a solution, but it doesn’t. Solutions come from a space of calmness and clarity. When you are overthinking, you are certainly not calm and composed. So anything that comes out of it will not make sense in the long term. Tell yourself, let me meditate, and then see the situation in a fresh light.
