Understanding Overthinking

Welcome,

Good evening and again welcome to Soul to Soul.

And so my name is Rose from Brahmachumaris,

Inner Space Glasgow and tonight we're going to talk about understanding overthinking.

And we've been asked particularly to talk about this so I hope you enjoy.

Because it's a really important aspect of ourselves because Raj Yoga is teaching us to be peaceful.

And if we have a habit of overthinking then overthinking makes us very very agitated and disturbed.

So do you feel that you yourself think too much?

I think we all do actually to some extent think too much.

And it's actually knowing the method.

Everything's always about knowing the method.

Because what are the signs of overthinking?

See quite often we think we're very creative and always keep my mind busy etc etc.

But there are ways to keep the mind busy and not actually be overthinking but be thinking in a very constructive way.

So check if you find it easy to enjoy quiet time because our original nature is peaceful and peace is our power.

So if I don't have time for that peacefulness well I'm losing a chance and many opportunities to empower myself for a start.

But not only will I not empower myself but I'll actually traumatise the self by overthinking.

So just to understand the value of silence.

And if I keep looking into the past with regret then I'm overthinking.

Because past is past.

I can't repair that which has already been done,

It's happened.

So what is the best way to learn from the past?

And how do I stop repeating the sadness or the regret?

So I think we all want to know the answer to these aspects.

If I think and wish in an aimless way,

Just thoughts popping in and in and in and in without me checking how sensible they are.

Because aimless wishing is also overthinking.

There's no outcome to it except getting more and more stressed.

I don't have a solution,

I'm just going to keep thinking,

Thinking,

Thinking until my head feels like it's on fire.

And also if I start to think,

Well let me look,

Maybe something really good will happen.

Oh maybe something really good will be just round the corner.

So I'm looking into the future for fulfilment of desires.

And this is in a wrong way.

Because it's today right now I can teach myself to look for a solution.

And one useful tip is to check the speed of my thinking and my words.

So if,

And it's very tricky if I'm already hyped up with all sorts of bizarre ideas which don't ever really come to anything except keep firing us up.

Because there's no shape or form,

There's no coherence.

So I am overthinking.

So the useful tip is to check the speed of my thinking and my words.

Because if my words are really fast and today's fashion is to speak at an incredible fast speed,

It means my thoughts are working at an incredibly fast speed.

And we might think this is quite clever.

It isn't clever.

Because I have no control over my words and I haven't been able to control my thoughts and I can say many wrong things.

Because I'm thinking in a way that I cannot control.

And then I can think,

Which I'd never said that.

Or why did I say that?

Why did I get involved in that?

But I've done it.

There's nothing I can do about it.

I've actually said it and done it because I had no control.

It's just like if my car is going too fast,

Too fast,

Too fast and I crash into something or someone.

I had no control because I was going too fast.

So when I practice meditation,

I can teach myself to slow everything down.

And this isn't to be heavy or dull or anything.

This is to be incredibly clear and super active actually.

Because if I slow it all down and there's a chance for me to remain in a sensible space,

Then there's less likelihood of me making as many mistakes.

Mistakes that I will regret.

And then I'll get hyped up trying to think how to fix the mistakes that I've made at a fast speed and again overthinking without a solution.

So I have to look at the patterns of my own style of life,

Of energy,

Of the way I think and the outcomes and the hazards and how much upset this has caused me.

And I may look out there to blame other people,

Situations,

The people that crashed into me,

The things that happened.

But Raj Yoga says have a look at the self.

What did I do that may have caused upset to other people?

You'll be getting many bad wishes from people who I have said the wrong words to and upset.

So teach myself to take my time.

Because if I think too fast,

My own thinking will lead me astray.

So that is something to really sincerely look at.

And I will begin to project a way into the future and build beautiful big castles in the air.

But nothing based on the foundation of today.

And so I won't be looking at what actually happened to me today because I had quite a few problems and my head felt it was going to explode.

But no,

I just can ignore that.

This is what we've been doing and start to look at something that feels pleasant and bypass that which has been hurting me.

And so if it's not based,

If my castles,

If my beautiful outcomes are not based on because I'm creating a foundation right now today,

Then there's no basis for my castles in the air.

It's just wasting my time.

It's just wishful thinking.

And it's all like empty,

Empty desires.

There's a question online about having trouble getting to sleep due to overthinking.

Is there anything in particular you would advise if people are having trouble getting to sleep because their mind is busy?

I would say trying it.

If it's due to overthinking and the minute you lie down,

You're overthinking,

Overthinking,

Overthinking.

The pattern's been with you all day.

So late at night isn't quite the time to try and stop it.

I think you have to start the practice early,

As early as possible in the day so that you have a reasonably calm backdrop during the day that you can control.

You've been learning to control your thinking and your words.

Words are quite an easy thing to control.

You can start by just speaking far more slowly.

And if you do that,

Actually people could be quite pleased with that because if you pick up the phone nowadays,

People rattle on at such a speed you haven't a clue what they're saying.

And quite often I'll say,

Look,

Unless you stop and speak a bit more slowly,

I'll have to put the phone down.

And I don't know what you're talking about because they have a script in front of them a lot of the time and they're just getting through it as fast as they can.

So if we look at ourselves,

What kind of a script have I given myself for my happiness in the day?

So if I have a look at that and start to slowly calm myself down and have a bit of stillness before going to sleep and do your best to be the boss of your own thoughts,

Just tell your thoughts,

No,

Slow down,

Slow down and keep thinking of peace and calm and peace and calm,

Peace and calm,

Over and over until you do actually fall asleep.

It does work.

It works if you do it.

I've tested it quite a few times myself.

It works if you do it,

But the thing is to do it.

Okay.

So if I can teach myself to think in a slow and steady way about what's happening to me today,

Then I can make decisions.

Actually to make decisions empowers the self.

It can make you feel quite lighthearted.

It's like a wonderful challenge,

A challenge of empowerment because I need a focus and without a cut off where me being able to say,

Right,

That's enough,

My thoughts will just ramble on and I'm the boss of the thoughts that I'm thinking and if I can't control these thoughts and they spill over into words of anxiety and despair and too fast and incoherent and don't make sense anymore,

Then if that's me,

I cannot blame anything on anybody else.

Everything needs a structure and guidelines to be successful.

So if my thoughts are rambling on and I haven't made any decisions,

I just leave it all to fate,

Then it will be very tricky to stop this process that we're calling overthinking.

Thinking energy is a very,

Very precious resource.

You can build your life,

Build a beautiful future on your thoughts and it's almost like we're trashing our own present and thereby our future because we're not able to control.

People talk about not being able to control your dog or not being able to control your child and they don't usually quite like you visiting.

Not that we get a lot of chance just now,

But it's the same with your thoughts.

We have to be able to look at and see what's happening inside our own head.

This is what Ras Yoga is teaching us.

So if I waste this resource,

This beautiful,

Precious resource of our thoughts,

I won't feel good.

Too much thinking actually make us feel physically unwell.

So in the now,

This moment,

Present moment over and over again,

If I can think calmly about what is needed,

Then I'll be learning how precious this energy resource of my thinking actually is.

Okay?

I like the idea that it's not separate departments,

That for example,

My ability to have good sleep is not something separate,

That everything's linked.

So if I want good sleep,

I need to actually basically start from the minute I get up in the morning preparing to have a good sleep by using my thoughts well.

And it's a bit like when we would put good thoughts towards a project or an event,

We would sometimes do that kind of thing in advance,

Like preparing the ground.

To make it work,

Help it to work.

I certainly found that with work,

For example,

Thinking ahead,

Making sure I wasn't having waste thoughts about people or situations.

Yeah.

Because it's what are you prepared to put in?

We can criticise and we can say,

Oh,

I can't understand what they're talking about.

But if you start to think slowly yourself,

You'll understand more of what's happening there.

And you'll understand they're talking too fast,

They're thinking too fast,

But you can't stop someone else.

Could you say something as well,

Just about how you can make a lot of effort,

You can be doing your meditation,

But then you have a mood,

You just suddenly feel really sad and you can't quite pinpoint where it's come from.

Can you help?

How do I move through that?

Well,

Simply I would say you're having a mood.

You can't pinpoint where it's coming from.

But in the present,

You can teach yourself to become calm and not question it too much.

Because when you start to think into why and what's happening and how is this happening,

Then you're back into agitation.

You haven't got a solution to it.

Don't understand.

But you just go into a more calm way of thinking.

You have to teach yourself.

So not to go into the trap of why,

Why,

Why do I feel like this,

Why is this happening?

Just put a cut off and say,

Well,

Today there's something coming from the past or somewhere.

Obviously I've created it,

But right now is not the time to go into it.

Yeah,

Yeah.

Because that's what is quite a foundation for overthinking.

And you could spend all day trying to figure out what was that mood.

And I mean,

The mood could have been gone in a couple of minutes.

It's there the whole day.

My own thinking leads me astray.

It's like an entertainment,

Isn't it?

I don't see the danger in it.

I just sort of,

It's like I get tempted by the entertainment of it all.

And I forget,

Like you're saying,

To teach myself.

I forget it's going to lead me off into a nowhere zone.

So how can I entertain my mind?

What could I entertain my mind with?

So you see,

We think this entertainment side of it.

We think that no one knows what I'm thinking.

So I can be thinking dreadful thoughts and laughing inside my head that they know what I think of them.

But thoughts are an energy.

And actually it would be coming out in your face,

In your voice,

In your vibration.

And you might wonder why someone's quite apprehensive about you,

Because they feel that although you're trying to be friends,

It's not true.

Because we can feel actually what's in someone's head,

Which is why Raj Yoga,

We talk about vibrations and peacefulness and steadiness and love and friendship.

Because people can feel that even if they're in Australia and you were thinking about them,

They would pick up the vibration of friendship,

Concern and love.

But we think we can ramble on in our own head of a whole load of stuff that doesn't make sense or is not very friendly.

And it's in my head and no one will know because I haven't said anything.

But it isn't true.

I think that's such an amazing point.

If I understand that everyone actually does know what I'm thinking in a way,

Then that will really make me monitor my thoughts.

Okay.

So now we're going to have some stillness,

Some silence.

We're just a few words of meditation to lead us there.

So sitting in stillness,

Silence and bring our attention to the centre of our forehead.

This is where we think from.

And keep on practising that I am this truly beautiful energy,

A thinking being.

And I want my thoughts to make my life,

My life,

Very valuable.

And I make my own life valuable by the quality of my thinking.

I'll begin to feel happy with myself.

This can encourage me to make more and more self effort,

That the quality of my thinking can be very beautiful.

Whereas yoga means royal yoga,

That through my thoughts I can feel the qualities of being a very elevated and royal personality.

I'm a soul,

A beautiful being of life energy.

Let the happiness of this touch myself deep into my heart.

I'm a beautiful thinking,

Feeling,

Caring life energy.

I am a soul.

My thoughts are my most valuable treasure.

And I can share that treasure just through thinking.

And those vibrations can go out into the world.

And the energy that thinks I am a soul,

Thoughtful,

Creative,

Caring,

Loving.

Taking care of my treasure of life energy.

Om Shanti.