October 14, 2025 • 9 mins
Day 4: Stop Overthinking Meditation | Cognitive Defusion for Worry, Anxiety & Acceptance
Welcome to Day 4: Stop Overthinking Meditation, a deeply transformative session in your 5 Days to a Calmer You journey. This episode focuses on Cognitive Defusion/Emotional Regulation, providing you with powerful tools to interrupt the endless loop of worry and self-criticism.
If you struggle with a racing mind, this guided meditation will teach you the fundamental truth: you are not your thoughts. We use a guided meditation on acceptance to create distance from anxious thoughts, allowing them to pass without taking root. This practice is rooted in Mindfulness and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) Coping Skills, offering effective techniques to improve your emotional regulation.
Learn to step out of the cycle of rumination and embrace the present moment, increasing your peace and resilience.What you will gain from this Guided Session:
Support the Show:Ad-Free Listening: Enjoy Calming Anxiety without ads at https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety--4110266/support
Buy Me a Coffee: Support hosting costs at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/calminganxiety
Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!
Resources & Courses:Book Hypnotherapy: Schedule a one-on-one session with Martin at https://calendar.app.google/rXHMt8sRYft5iWma8 Pain & Anxiety Course:
Manage negative thoughts and pain with The Physio Crew’s course at https://offers.thephysiocrew.co.uk/home-pain
Breathing Challenge: Try our relaxing breathing challenge at https://www.martinhewlett.co.uk/breathing-challenge/
Gift a Subscription: Share Calming Anxiety with loved ones at https://www.martinhewlett.co.uk/shop/calming-anxiety-gift-subscription/
Get the App:iOS: Download Calming Anxiety at https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/calming-anxiety/id1576159331 Android:
Get it on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=digital.waterfront.calming.anxiety&hl=en-GB
Connect With Us:Email: Share feedback or requests at calminganxiety@martinhewlett.co.uk
YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1
Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/
Backing Music: Chris Collins
===================
Affiliate links to the gear I use the items that give me a more tranquil life.
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Welcome to Day 4: Stop Overthinking Meditation, a deeply transformative session in your 5 Days to a Calmer You journey. This episode focuses on Cognitive Defusion/Emotional Regulation, providing you with powerful tools to interrupt the endless loop of worry and self-criticism.
If you struggle with a racing mind, this guided meditation will teach you the fundamental truth: you are not your thoughts. We use a guided meditation on acceptance to create distance from anxious thoughts, allowing them to pass without taking root. This practice is rooted in Mindfulness and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) Coping Skills, offering effective techniques to improve your emotional regulation.
Learn to step out of the cycle of rumination and embrace the present moment, increasing your peace and resilience.What you will gain from this Guided Session:
- A practical guide to working with anxiety by realizing you are not your thoughts.
- A powerful meditation to help you learn to let go with a meditation for worry.
- Master the concept of Cognitive Defusion—a key CBT skill for unhooking from distressing mental chatter.
- A deeper understanding of acceptance as a functional coping skill for anxiety.
- Guided meditation for worry and overthinking
- Anxiety you are not your thoughts meditation
- Learn to let go with meditation on acceptance
- CBT meditation coping skills
- Cognitive Defusion techniques for anxiety
- Emotional regulation for worry
Support the Show:Ad-Free Listening: Enjoy Calming Anxiety without ads at https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety--4110266/support
Buy Me a Coffee: Support hosting costs at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/calminganxiety
Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!
Resources & Courses:Book Hypnotherapy: Schedule a one-on-one session with Martin at https://calendar.app.google/rXHMt8sRYft5iWma8 Pain & Anxiety Course:
Manage negative thoughts and pain with The Physio Crew’s course at https://offers.thephysiocrew.co.uk/home-pain
Breathing Challenge: Try our relaxing breathing challenge at https://www.martinhewlett.co.uk/breathing-challenge/
Gift a Subscription: Share Calming Anxiety with loved ones at https://www.martinhewlett.co.uk/shop/calming-anxiety-gift-subscription/
Get the App:iOS: Download Calming Anxiety at https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/calming-anxiety/id1576159331 Android:
Get it on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=digital.waterfront.calming.anxiety&hl=en-GB
Connect With Us:Email: Share feedback or requests at calminganxiety@martinhewlett.co.uk
YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1
Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/
Backing Music: Chris Collins
===================
Affiliate links to the gear I use the items that give me a more tranquil life.
Rode Podmic - https://amzn.to/3LN1JEd
Zoom Livetrak L8 - https://amzn.to/36UCIby
Sony ZV 1 - https://amzn.to/3JvDUPT
GoPro Hero 8 Black - https://amzn.to/372rzFl
DJI Mini 2 - https://amzn.to/3NQfM
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to day for of a calmer you, unhooking from overthinking,
defining the overthinking trap, and focusing on the not your
thoughts concept to day, we address the relentless dream of
(00:23):
what if, the habit of overthinking. Many of us mistakingly
believe that if we worry hard enough, we can control
an outcome. This session is about learning a new skill
(00:45):
working with anxiety. You are not your thoughts. You are
the awareness behind the thoughts. So settle in, find a
comfortable position, and let's create some space between you and
(01:07):
your mind. Phase one cognitive diffusion, creating distance. We begin
by using a meditation to learn to let go with
a meditation for worry. First, gently bring a current worry
(01:33):
or anxious thought to mind. Don't engage with it, just
notice its presence. Now I want you to try labeling it.
Instead of saying I'm going to fail, try adding the
phrase I am noticing the thought that I am going
(01:56):
to fail. By adding those few words, you instantly create distance.
You are not the thought, You are the one observing
the thought. Now take that labeled thought and imagine it
(02:20):
on a billboard that slowly drives past you. It moves
from one side of your view across the center and
fades away on the other side. You watch it go.
It disappears. If it comes back, that's okay. Thoughts are
(02:48):
just suggestions the mind offers. We are simply practicing the
choice not to accept every suggestion. This is a fundamental
CBT coping skill, recognizing the thought without being consumed by it.
(03:14):
Try it again, maybe with a different thought, a different worry.
Simply observe it. Practice this throughout the day. Phase two
Radical acceptance, moving from fighting to allowing. Our next step
(03:43):
is the practice of acceptance. We're transitioning into a guided
meditation on acceptance. Now, acceptance doesn't mean you like the
worry or that you're giving up on solving a problem.
It means accepting the present reality that you feel anxious
(04:09):
and that you have worries. Resistance only makes the worry stronger,
like trying to push a heavy door shut. Instead, imagine
holding your anxiety gently, like a small struggling bird. You
(04:32):
don't squeeze it. You hold it with an open palm,
and repeat these phrases silently to yourself. I accept that
I feel anxious right now. I accept that my mind
(04:58):
is offering me these thoughts. I will not fight this feeling.
I will allow it to be here. By softening your resistance,
you activate your capacity for emotional regulation. When you stop
(05:22):
fighting the worry, its power over you naturally diminishes. True
freedom comes not from controlling your thoughts, but from choosing
how you respond to them. So imagine seeing an old worry,
(05:49):
a moment of rising anxiety from your part. Examine it
as if it was in your hand, Move it from
one hand to another with almost childlike curiosity. You feel
no emotion. It is no different from a fallen leaf.
(06:16):
It merely tweaks at your curiosity. When you can view
your warriors with impartiality, you truly master your own thoughts.
So relax now. Maybe you rummage through the memories you
(06:40):
have of past warriors and examine them with an abstract
feeling of curiosity. You've practiced the vital skill of unhooking
from the narrative. Remember, you are not your thoughts. You
(07:06):
are the vast open sky, and your worries are just
the passing weather. You can choose to step out of
the storm and observe it from the stillness within. Carry
this sense of grounded observation into the rest of your day.
(07:29):
Making peace with the present moment. Well done. Now wherever
you are, whether you're sitting, standing, or lying, just connect.
Whether you're breathing today, right now, in this moment of time,
(07:54):
breathe in positivity, happiness, and hope. Hold your breath at
the top, acknowledging the miracle of another day of awareness.
And then as you breathe out, relax, unwine and be
(08:16):
thankful of opening your mind to your true potential. Relax now,
open your eyes, embrace the day. Thank you for being
part of calming anxiety. Bookmark for tomorrow for day five
(08:43):
of a calmer you feel free. Please to share this
with friends, family, and colleagues to spread a little bit
more calm around our beautiful world. And then, in everything
you do, it's simple, be kind.
Welcome to day for of a calmer you, unhooking from overthinking,
defining the overthinking trap, and focusing on the not your
thoughts concept to day, we address the relentless dream of
(00:23):
what if, the habit of overthinking. Many of us mistakingly
believe that if we worry hard enough, we can control
an outcome. This session is about learning a new skill
(00:45):
working with anxiety. You are not your thoughts. You are
the awareness behind the thoughts. So settle in, find a
comfortable position, and let's create some space between you and
(01:07):
your mind. Phase one cognitive diffusion, creating distance. We begin
by using a meditation to learn to let go with
a meditation for worry. First, gently bring a current worry
(01:33):
or anxious thought to mind. Don't engage with it, just
notice its presence. Now I want you to try labeling it.
Instead of saying I'm going to fail, try adding the
phrase I am noticing the thought that I am going
(01:56):
to fail. By adding those few words, you instantly create distance.
You are not the thought, You are the one observing
the thought. Now take that labeled thought and imagine it
(02:20):
on a billboard that slowly drives past you. It moves
from one side of your view across the center and
fades away on the other side. You watch it go.
It disappears. If it comes back, that's okay. Thoughts are
(02:48):
just suggestions the mind offers. We are simply practicing the
choice not to accept every suggestion. This is a fundamental
CBT coping skill, recognizing the thought without being consumed by it.
(03:14):
Try it again, maybe with a different thought, a different worry.
Simply observe it. Practice this throughout the day. Phase two
Radical acceptance, moving from fighting to allowing. Our next step
(03:43):
is the practice of acceptance. We're transitioning into a guided
meditation on acceptance. Now, acceptance doesn't mean you like the
worry or that you're giving up on solving a problem.
It means accepting the present reality that you feel anxious
(04:09):
and that you have worries. Resistance only makes the worry stronger,
like trying to push a heavy door shut. Instead, imagine
holding your anxiety gently, like a small struggling bird. You
(04:32):
don't squeeze it. You hold it with an open palm,
and repeat these phrases silently to yourself. I accept that
I feel anxious right now. I accept that my mind
(04:58):
is offering me these thoughts. I will not fight this feeling.
I will allow it to be here. By softening your resistance,
you activate your capacity for emotional regulation. When you stop
(05:22):
fighting the worry, its power over you naturally diminishes. True
freedom comes not from controlling your thoughts, but from choosing
how you respond to them. So imagine seeing an old worry,
(05:49):
a moment of rising anxiety from your part. Examine it
as if it was in your hand, Move it from
one hand to another with almost childlike curiosity. You feel
no emotion. It is no different from a fallen leaf.
(06:16):
It merely tweaks at your curiosity. When you can view
your warriors with impartiality, you truly master your own thoughts.
So relax now. Maybe you rummage through the memories you
(06:40):
have of past warriors and examine them with an abstract
feeling of curiosity. You've practiced the vital skill of unhooking
from the narrative. Remember, you are not your thoughts. You
(07:06):
are the vast open sky, and your worries are just
the passing weather. You can choose to step out of
the storm and observe it from the stillness within. Carry
this sense of grounded observation into the rest of your day.
(07:29):
Making peace with the present moment. Well done. Now wherever
you are, whether you're sitting, standing, or lying, just connect.
Whether you're breathing today, right now, in this moment of time,
(07:54):
breathe in positivity, happiness, and hope. Hold your breath at
the top, acknowledging the miracle of another day of awareness.
And then as you breathe out, relax, unwine and be
(08:16):
thankful of opening your mind to your true potential. Relax now,
open your eyes, embrace the day. Thank you for being
part of calming anxiety. Bookmark for tomorrow for day five
(08:43):
of a calmer you feel free. Please to share this
with friends, family, and colleagues to spread a little bit
more calm around our beautiful world. And then, in everything
you do, it's simple, be kind.
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