Stop Overthinking

Overthinkers often turn even meditation into something to get right or wrong. Repeating this line removes that test. Your mind can wander, your breathing can be imperfect, and the instruction is simply to accept it and come back to his voice.

You walk barefoot along a shoreline on a summer evening, feeling wet sand between your toes while the low sun turns everything orange. Then you step back from the water and sit on drier, comfortable sand. From there you watch seagulls, waves and the orange-glowing sky. He invites you to imagine it in your own way, as your safe haven.

Late in the session he asks you to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, at your own pace, without forcing it. He says there is no right way to do it and that doing it imperfectly is fine. You keep the ocean in your mind's eye while you breathe.

At the end, Nathan suggests simply saying to yourself "that's okay" when you notice it. Try a mild "Hmm, I was just overthinking" instead of getting frustrated, then refocus. It doesn't matter how many times you repeat this.

He explains that desperately trying to stop it leads to frustration and self-criticism, which feeds more overthinking and creates a vicious cycle. His alternative is gentleness: notice it, say it's okay, and move your attention elsewhere.

No. He describes self-reflection as a good thing; the problem is the rabbit holes of comparison and self-punishment. The aim is to ease that harshness, not to silence your mind.