The Thought Cloud Exercise: Break out of your harmful overthinking

This week has been tough with the loss of a friend and fighting emotional battles with rumination. This Thought Cloud exercise helps me to clear my mind of unhelpful ( at times destructive thought patterns). I hope it helps others too.

Let me know in the comments if it helps you. You can also subscribe to me, and access the helpful mindfulness exercises that I share here, that allow my mindset to stay healthy.

* All images are my own

The Thought Cloud Exercise:

☁️Find a Quiet Space: First Sit or lie down in a comfortable position in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed and where you are most comfortable.

☁️Focus on Your Breath: Take a few deep breaths to settle yourself and get calm. Then, let your breath return to its natural rhythm. Bring your attention fully to your breath, feeling the sensation of each inhale and exhale. I inhale for around 3 seconds and exhale for the same. Some do it longer – but it’s upto you.

☁️Observe Your Thoughts: As you continue to focus on your breath, you may notice thoughts arising. Instead of getting caught up in them, imagine these thoughts as simple clouds passing by in the sky. Observe them with curiosity but without judgment over yourself.

☁️Labelling : Whenever you notice yourself getting caught up in a thought or a rumination, gently and non-judgmentally label it as “thinking” or “rumination.” For example, if you find yourself thinking about a past event or worrying about the future, simply say in your mind, “this is over thinking” it’s HYPOTHETICAL and hasn’t happened.

☁️Let Go of the thought and Return to Breathing : After labeling the thought, gently let it go and bring your attention back to your breath. The breath serves as an anchor to the present moment and helps you detach from the overthought process .

☁️Repeat as Needed: You may find that your mind continues to generate thoughts. That’s normal. Each time you notice your thoughts drifting away, gently label them and come back to your breath. This is important as your breathing is a bridge to your mind.

Sometimes you might have a thought that is a reminder so I always keep a notebook to record these down. Future events will thank you for this action.

☁️Practice Non-Judgment: Be kind to yourself during this exercise. It’s natural for all sorts of thoughts to arise, especially when you’re trying to let go of the overthoughts. If you find yourself becoming frustrated or critical with your self, simply acknowledge those feelings and return to your breathing.

Duration: Aim to practice this exercise for 5–10 minutes initially. As you become more comfortable with the process, you can extend the duration if you wish. I like to practice it before work and also when I’m feeling the need to switch off.

Why It Works: This exercise helps you to break the cycle of rumination by cultivating non-attachment to thoughts. By visualizing thoughts as passing clouds and using the breath as an anchor, you are able to create distance from over-thinking, reducing its grip on your mind.

I hope it helps you. Thanks for reading today.

Love,

Kitty