Can't stop thinking about your sleep?
Wondering how to get back to clarity?
Feel like you're just spinning your wheels?
Sounds pretty normal to me.
In fact, confusion is often a sign that something deeper is happening beneath the surface.
In this episode, I talk about what overthinking really is, why it shows up during recovery, and how to relate to it in a way that helps you move through it so clarity returns on its own.
This one’s for my fellow overthinkers. ❤
Connect with Beth:
👉 Instagram
Work with Beth:
👉 Learn About the Mind. Body. Sleep. Mentorship
👉 Start the Free Insomnia Course Here
Full Show Notes & Transcription HERE.
About Beth Kendall MA, FNTP:
For decades, Beth struggled with the relentless grip of insomnia. After finally understanding insomnia from a mind-body perspective, she changed her relationship with sleep, and completely recovered. Liberated from the constant worry of not sleeping, she’s on a mission to help others recover as well. Her transformative program Mind. Body. Sleep.® has been a beacon of light for hundreds of others seeking solace from sleepless nights.
© 2023 - 2025 Beth Kendall
DISCLAIMER: The podcasts available on this website have been produced for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. The contents of this podcast do not constitute medical or professional advice. No person listening to and/or viewing any podcast from this website should act or refrain from acting on the basis of the content of a podcast without first seeking appropriate professional advice and/or counseling, nor shall the information be used as a substitute for professional advice and/or counseling. The Mind. Body. Sleep. Podcast expressly disclaims any and all liability relating to any actions taken or not taken based on any or all contents of this site as there are no assurances as to any particular outcome.
Mind. Body. Sleep.® with Beth Kendall is your trusted source for holistic insomnia recovery, blending neuroplasticity, nervous system health, and mind-body coaching to help you finally sleep again.
Episode Transcript
Hello and welcome to Mind Body Sleep, the podcast for
anyone out there who wants tounderstand and recover from
insomnia using a holisticperspective.
I'm Beth Kendall, your host.
Let's get started.
Hello everyone, and welcome backto the Mind Body Sleep Podcast.
My name is Beth.
(00:26):
I'm a sleep coach for peoplewith insomnia.
And today's episode is foranyone who feels like they've
hit a wall in the recoveryprocess.
Maybe things were starting toclick and make a lot of sense.
You were learning a lot andmaking some good progress, but
then suddenly nothing makessense anymore.
(00:49):
So maybe you're feelingconfused, overwhelmed, or like
you don't know which end is upor what to think or believe.
And if that's where you areright now, please know it is
100% normal.
You're not doing anything wrong.
In fact, this state of confusionis often the signal that
(01:13):
something new is beingreorganized beneath the surface.
I have been there many, manytimes myself because I can
definitely be a championoverthinker.
There is no question about it.
And honestly, I don't mind thatpart of myself.
(01:35):
But how I relate to that stateor what I make it mean,
especially through my experiencewith insomnia, has completely
shifted.
And that's what I want to talkmore about with you today.
So let's dive in.
Sometimes I'll hop on a coachingcall with the client and they'll
say something like, Beth, I amso confused right now that I
(02:00):
don't even know what to think.
I don't know if there'ssomething I should be doing or
not doing.
And I just feel like I don'tknow which end is up or down or
what is going on.
And I don't understand it, Beth,because things were making so
much sense.
But now I just feel moreconfused than ever.
(02:21):
And that's when I know thatthey're in the snow globe.
So what do I mean by that?
Well, picture your mind as oneof those beautiful snow globes
you see around the holidays.
And inside is that peacefullittle scene.
And when the globe is sittingstill, the water is clear and
(02:45):
you can see everything easily.
And that's how I think about ournatural state of well-being.
It's always there beneath thesurface.
There's nothing you need to doto make it clear, it's just
inherently clear on its own.
But then something happens andthe snow globe gets shaken up.
(03:07):
Thoughts start swirlingeverywhere, and the water turns
cloudy, and suddenly you can'tsee things as clearly anymore.
And this is what it feels likewhen we fall into a state of
overthinking.
And when you're in the snowglobe with the snow flying all
over the place, it can feel likeeverything you once understood
(03:32):
is now completely out of reach,right?
Confusion just sort of takesover.
And of course, that creates itsown sense of urgency.
So what do we do?
Well, we shake the snow globeeven harder, of course.
We start overthinking our ownthinking, we seek out more and
(03:54):
more information, we try tothink our way out of the
confusion.
And without even realizing it,we stir up the snow globe even
more.
Because, like I said, whenyou're in that state, it doesn't
feel remotely possible that thesnow globe could settle all on
(04:15):
its own, right?
If anything, it feels like ifyou stop thinking, it'll only
get worse.
And it's for sure hard tobelieve that anything good could
possibly come from suchconfusion and overwhelm.
But here's what I tell myclients.
(04:37):
First, what they're goingthrough is normal.
Overthinking is a natural humaninstinct.
So no big deal.
And second, the storm alwayspasses.
The mind is a self-correctingsystem, and just like the snow
globe, it will settle all on itsown.
(05:00):
And personally, I used to thinkthat overwhelm came from doing
too much, but really it comesfrom overthinking whatever I'm
doing.
So it wasn't the tasks or theactions so much as all the
overthinking I was putting intowhatever I was doing that was
(05:23):
wearing out my battery.
And the most powerful thing youcan do when you're in this state
is to just put down the snowglobe and let your thinking
settle on its own because that'sexactly what it's designed to
do.
(05:43):
But there are also some smallsupportive things you can do to
ground yourself during thesenoisy periods of life.
So sometimes that looks likestepping away from all the
researching and learning.
And I actually talked more aboutthat in my last podcast.
(06:04):
And sometimes the best thing youcan do is just get back into the
flow of your life and let thethinking fall away on its own.
Getting around real peopleinstead of internet people
engages your senses and remindsyou that life is happening all
around.
(06:25):
And sometimes it's reconnectingwith nature that helps bring you
back into the present moment.
And you know, here's what I'velearned from working with so
many people is the snow globeisn't the enemy, right?
It's just a natural part of theprocess.
Because once the snow settles,my clients will often say to me,
(06:48):
you know, I see things sodifferently now.
Or they'll realize somethingthat wasn't available to them
before.
And maybe that's the point,right?
Even in the fog of overthinking,something deeper is coming to
the surface.
Some kind of wisdom is trying tomake its way through.
(07:09):
As you might know, I love a goodtheory, and chaos theory
embodies this conceptbeautifully.
In chaos theory, systems canappear wildly disorganized, just
like the snow globe, yet beneaththat disorder lies an underlying
intelligence.
(07:30):
The exact same is true ofnature.
Nature can look messy andunorganized on the surface, but
underneath it's always movingtowards balance.
You could also apply the conceptof polarity to the situation,
because clarity is oftenpreceded by confusion.
(07:54):
Stillness is born from movement,insight from disorientation.
These opposites aren't mistakes,they're a part of the same wave.
So if you're in a space wherenothing makes sense, or you're
experiencing some bad sleepafter having some good sleep, it
(08:16):
doesn't mean that anything hasgone wrong.
It just means you're passingthrough a necessary phase of
unlearning fear-based patterns.
And when the snow settles, as italways does, clarity will
return.
So the next time you findyourself in a state of
(08:37):
overthinking, remember you don'tneed to fix the snow globe.
You just need to set it down andlet time pass.
Until next time, I'm BethKendall and you've been
listening to the Mind Body SleepPodcast.
Bye for now.
Thanks for being here today.
(08:57):
If you love what you heard ontoday's episode, don't forget to
hit the like button andsubscribe to the podcast.
And if you need more supportwith your sleep, join me in the
Mind Body Sleep Mentorship.
This three month one on oneprogram will transform your
relationship with sleep so youcan get back to living the life
that you love free from the fearof not sleeping.
Head on over to bethkendle.comfor more details.
(09:20):
I'll see you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.