OVERTHINKERS ANONYMOUS
This podcast is for any and everyone who struggles with overthinking or “getting out of their own head” . It is a no judgement, anonymous, and open platform that we can collectively discuss what is causing us inner turmoil. It will also be a space of encouragement and positive affirmation that you can use to propel your life forward.
OVERTHINKERS ANONYMOUS
Overcoming Overthinking: The Path to Emotional Healing and Wholeness
Have you ever felt trapped in the endless loop of overthinking, wondering if peace is even within reach? I’ve been there, and in this episode of Overthinkers Anonymous, I share my personal journey toward breaking free from the mental rollercoaster and finding true healing. We dig deep into the necessity of rest and why addressing past traumas is vital for our mental and emotional health. Physical exhaustion plays a sneaky role in fueling our overthinking habits, leading to an unfulfilled life. Recognizing and confronting these past hurts is the first step toward creating a balanced and wholesome existence.
Imagine the relief of finally acknowledging your pain without letting pride and denial get in the way. It’s not a sign of weakness, but a testament to your strength. This episode walks through the essential steps of acknowledging and feeling emotional pain as a critical part of the healing process. I talk about how important it is to embrace our pain head-on, likening it to the temporary sting of ripping off a band-aid. We can't heal what we don’t face, and through this discomfort, we find the path to becoming whole again.
Crying isn't just a release; it’s a powerful tool for emotional healing. I open up about my own experiences with overthinking and anxiety, emphasizing the importance of creating a non-judgmental space for your emotions. By allowing ourselves to feel and express our pain, whether through a cathartic cry or sharing with a supportive friend, we pave the way for genuine healing. This episode is a heartfelt invitation to face your pain and subscribe to our journey towards joy, healing, and wholeness. Join me, and don’t forget to share this with anyone else who might need a gentle nudge toward their own path to peace.
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If you need a Life Coach or Mentor to support you on your journey to freedom reach out to me @pamelagonsoulin@att.net
I've been up and down for so long. Crazy how right can become so wrong. The thoughts in my head Keep me on a constant rollercoaster and I just want some peace. Tonight Feels like my heart done, left me stranded, just floating away on a melody, leaving me to all my tears. I just hope somebody here Slendercise to come and rescue me, cause I've been through some pain and the only way to get past the pain are the prayers that pray to keep my sanity. Tell me, have you ever been caught up in your mind, so unaware of time, cause you can't stop thinking, oh, and it feels like You're breaking down inside. You wanna let it ride, ride, but you can't, cause you're overthinking it all. Am I really as good as I think I am, or am I stunting in my mind like they stunting on the ground? Father, please tell me again. Tell me again, cause your voice is so comforting on the days when I'm thinking with it, even after you said that I win. Told me walk bold, cause you're queen and I'm loving how you dream in your representation. No, you ain't perfect, but baby, you gon' make it. Yeah, yeah, baby girl, you gon' make it. So stop overthinking.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Overthinkers Anonymous podcast and I am your host, pam Gonsolin. I'm so glad that you are here today. We took a break last week for Memorial Day weekend and I was able to get away for a vacation at the beach and spend time with family. I enjoyed it immensely and I am well rested. I hope that you got a chance to enjoy the holiday also and to rest. Speaking of rest, rest is very important for your overall well-being. When you are tired, when you're worn, when you're overloaded, when you're burnt out, it all contributes to your overthinking. So not only are you overthinking, but you're also overdone physically, and so this leads now to a very unhappy and unfulfilled life. I'd like to come back at a later date and do a podcast where we can discuss resting much more thoroughly, because I think that it's a very important topic that needs to be discussed, especially in relation to overthinking.
Speaker 1:But today I want to move on to our next step in our healing process. Remember, your healing and health is very important. Sometimes we take care of ourselves physically, but we neglect our mental and emotional health. It's time that we take care of both so that we can be made whole. It's time to do both. We can't neglect one or the other. We've got to take care of both so that we can be whole. We have to take care of the whole man so that we can be made whole.
Speaker 1:And so our first step in our healing journey was coming to the resolve that healing was needed. It was coming to a place that we understood that, in order for me to continue to grow, in order to continue to advance in life, that I must be healed from my past hurts. I must be healed from my past traumas that are still affecting or still have an effect on my life still till today. So are there things that you have gone through in your past that are still having an effect on your life today? If that's the case, there needs to be a healing. There needs to be a healing, there needs to be a remedy so that you can begin to move forward and move past those hurts. So our first step was coming to the resolve that healing was needed.
Speaker 1:Our next step was acknowledging that we had been hurt. Acknowledging that we had been violated, disappointed. What have you? Acknowledging that we had been stabbed in the back, betrayed, let down? Acknowledging that it's very important to acknowledge that. Acknowledging that a wrong has been done to you.
Speaker 1:Sometimes that in itself can be a difficult step. Acknowledging it can be difficult because of pride. Sometimes we're too prideful to admit that we've been hurt. Sometimes pride will get in the way and make us think that we've got to be strong all the time and make us think that it shows weakness to say that we've been hurt. That's not weakness. You're not weak because you're saying that you are hurt. You are simply hurt. If anything, I think it shows strength to be able to face it and admit it, that you've been hurt. It takes strength to be able to do that. It takes fortitude to be able to admit to yourself and to others that you've been hurt. And so sometimes we've got to put our pride to the side. We've got to put pride to the side. Sometimes we can't be macho men. Sometimes we can't be wonder women. Sometimes we've been hurt, sometimes we're hurting, and we have to acknowledge that. We have to acknowledge that.
Speaker 1:Another thing that will keep us from acknowledging is not only pride but denial, denial. Sometimes we'll be in denial about what we're going through and what we're facing because we just don't want to admit it. We just don't want to have it said that that's us, that we're hurting. What will people think? How will people look at me if I said I'm hurting, or this hurt me or that hurt me? It doesn't really matter what people think. What matters is what you think. What matters is your well-being. That's what matters. What matters is you being whole and healed. That's what matters.
Speaker 1:So sometimes we can be in denial, scared to admit that we've been hurt. We don't want to admit that we've been hurting, even though those around us can clearly see they can clearly see that there's something that's not quite right with you. They can clearly see that there's something that's not quite right with you. They can clearly see that we're hurting. Have you ever been around somebody like that, or is that you? You ever been around somebody that? Clearly you can see that they're going through something. Clearly you can sense that they're hurting, but they're acting like there's nothing wrong. They're acting like everything is good, like they're okay. When you know and you can sense that they're not Because they're in denial, because their pride won't allow them to admit that they are hurting.
Speaker 1:And so acknowledging was an important step, acknowledging that we've been hurt. I hope that you were able to do that on last week. As a matter of fact, you had two weeks To get that together. You had two weeks to acknowledge, acknowledging, coming to terms with it, being honest with yourself and stating of assurity that you've been hurt, you've been wounded, you've been disappointed, you've been let down, you've been betrayed. Acknowledge, acknowledge, acknowledge. So on the last podcast, we admitted that we were hurt and we acknowledged what has happened to us. We acknowledged what happened.
Speaker 1:So our next step, our third step in this healing journey, it's going to be a little painful, it's going to hurt, but I know that you can do it. At this step, I'm going to ask you to feel the pain, to feel the pain, to feel the pain Now. I know it's one thing to acknowledge that you're hurting, but it's a whole other thing to actually allow yourself to feel the pain of that hurt, allowing yourself To be able to feel the pain, because sometimes we know that we've been hurt, we acknowledge that we've been hurt, but we refuse to feel the pain. We try and block it out in any way possible. But I'm going to ask you to feel the pain this week. I'm going to ask you to just rip the band-aid off. Rip the band-aid off and feel the pain. You know how when you rip the Band-Aid off. It stings but it feels better after a while. Rip the Band-Aid off this week and feel the pain. I know, I know ripping the Band-Aid off hurts but, like I said, the pain doesn't last forever.
Speaker 1:You know, it's like when you go to take an injection or a shot, and when you go in there and they're getting you ready to take the injection, they tell you to breathe, they tell you to relax and then they stick you right before they stick you with this great big needle. And when the needle goes in, sure it hurts. It hurts, it burns, it stings. It's quite painful, it can be quite painful. It's quite painful, it can be quite painful.
Speaker 1:And depending on what kind of shot you take, what kind of injection you take, you may experience a little swelling in that area, some redness, some tenderness In that area of the shot. And you keep checking it Because you can see exactly what that puncture wound was. You can see exactly what that shot went in, if it hurt you enough. You're checking it, you're looking at it. It's puffy, it's red, it's irritated, it's hurting. But once it's all healed up, you forget that you ever even had a shot. Once it's all healed up, sometimes you, sure, when you got the shot, it was painful, the pain might have lasted a couple of days, but once it healed, once that arm healed, where you got that shot, your arm felt brand new. Where you got that shot, your arm felt brand new.
Speaker 1:And that's where I'm trying to get you, that's the place that we're trying to get, and so that's why it's necessary at this stage to just pull the band-aid off and feel the pain. You know it's like. It's like a woman. Some of you men might not understand this, but it's like when a woman gives birth. If any of you women listening, you know the pain of childbirth. It hurts, it hurts a whole lot. It hurts a great deal. It hurts a great deal. There's a lot of suffering, unless you got some epidural or something like that to help you and assist you. But it hurts. But then, once the baby is delivered, you're so excited, so happy, you forget all about that pain, you can't even remember it, because you're so happy that the baby is delivered.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to get you to deliver a new baby. I'm bringing you through these birth pains in order to deliver you into a new season, oh my, in order to usher you into a new place, a new place in your mental and emotional intelligence. In that new place, you're going to feel so much better. You're going to forget all about all of that pain. Why? Because it's healed and it's no longer hurting. Once you heal from the pain, it can no longer hurt you. That's where we're trying to get to. We're trying to get to healing. In order to get there, in order to get past the pain, we have to first feel the pain In order to get past it. You got to first feel it so that you can move past it. If you keep putting off Feeling that pain, if you keep putting off feeling that pain, if you keep numbing yourself so that you won't feel the pain, if you keep denying that you're in pain, if you keep doing all kinds of things so that you won't have to face that pain, all you're simply doing is delaying your healing process. You're delaying your healing process and we don't want to be delayed any longer. I don't want you to be delayed any longer. I want you to be able to move forward and move past your pain.
Speaker 1:Pain is not pleasant. Nobody wants to feel pain, but sometimes it's necessary. Sometimes it's necessary, sometimes you need to just have a good cry and let it all out. Just have a good cry, let it all out. You holding on to it and holding back the tears, that only makes it worse. It makes it worse because now anxiety is building up and so sometimes you just need to have a good cry. Sometimes you just need to scream and let it out, whatever it is that you've got to do, and just allow yourself to feel the pain.
Speaker 1:You know, as an overthinker, sometimes we go through a lot of different things in our mind. We replay all kinds, we have all kinds of thoughts going on in our mind that we never tell anybody about, and those things have an effect on us. Just last week I don't mind sharing this with you all Just last week I had a good cry, and after I had a good cry and after I had a good cry, I felt so much better. I was able to have the listening ear of my husband To listen to me. But listen, even if you don't have a listening ear, you can still do it on your own. Sometimes it may be some things that you don't want to share with others and you just want to. You know, have a good cry to yourself. Nothing wrong with that, but he just so happened to be there. We were facing some things with, you know, someone that was close to us and they were going through some things and I began to share with him how I could see the person going through things and how it hurt me because it seemed like I was unable to help them, because it seemed like I was unable to help them. And then from that I was able to share that. You know, I could understand what they were going through Because I had similar feelings.
Speaker 1:Begin to explain how my overthinking caused me now to have all kinds of thoughts about, you know, being sick, being unable to function, being unable to take care of myself. I don't know if I've ever shared with you all, but I've had two strokes, but I've been fortunate enough, blessed enough, to where the strokes have not affected my life, that I was able to walk in total healing because of God. And so if I were to tell you that I had the strokes, you would never know, because, to look at me, you would never know. But that doesn't stop me from overthinking the matter of Well, what if I have another one? And what if next time I'm not so fortunate? Next time, you know, I end up and I can't, you know, do all that I want to do. I can't speak, well, I can't move my limbs like I want to do.
Speaker 1:Overthinking it instead of just living right for right now, overthinking about what, what could happen. It hasn't happened yet, so why would I think it? It could happen. If you know, I was able to come through and God brought me through two other times. Why couldn't he bring me through again? But just the overthinking. And so I was able to just share and get all of that out and just have a good cry, share my fears and my worries, and I felt so much better. I felt so much better after that, being able to share and just have a good cry.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we need to have just a good cry, even if it's by ourselves, in our quiet time. Just let the tears out. When the tears begin to flow, it begins to release all of that hurt, all of that pain. It's a form of release and you've been holding yourself back from that release, but it's time now to let it go. If you keep shoving it down and shoving it down, there's going to be a breaking point. You're going to be a breaking point. You're going to have a breaking point, and that breaking point might be at an inopportune time for you. It might come at an inopportune time for you. That breaking point might come while you're in the front of everyone, while you're up for a big new job, a promotion, while you're in the company of you know some people that you may feel to be very important. So it's much better now for you to do the work at your own pace Instead of being forced to do it, because when that breaking point hits, then you're going to be forced to deal with it, you're going to be forced to feel that pain. So it's much better to do the work at your own pace, at your own leisure, than much better to do the work at your own pace, at your own leisure, than being forced to do it. So this week we're taking the band-aid off of the wound and we're allowing ourselves to feel the pain of the hurt that we have suffered, so that we can move on to healing.
Speaker 1:It will be important now to place yourself in a non-judgment zone during this process. No judgment, no judgment. Your feelings are your feelings and you have every right to feel them, and nobody can tell you otherwise. Nobody can tell you otherwise, even though they might try, but they can't tell you otherwise because they're your feelings. You have a right to feel. However, it is that you feel, and so it's going to be important for you to not judge yourself, also, to not be hard on yourself, to cut yourself some slack. Give yourself a break. It's going to be important for you to do that. Give yourself a break. It's going to be important for you to do that. Give yourself a break.
Speaker 1:Don't be so hard on yourself and say, well, I shouldn't be crying. You know well that shouldn't have hurt me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did. And who says you can't cry? It's okay to cry, it's okay to break down, it's okay. Listen, as humans, we can't have it all together all the time. Sometimes we fall apart. As humans, we can't have it all together all the time. Sometimes we fall apart, sometimes we fall down, sometimes we break down, and all of it is okay. It's all a natural part of life. It's okay. You have days that are sunny, but you also have days that are rainy, and guess what? It's okay. It's okay to have both. That gives us balance, it gives us equality, keeps us grounded, so it's okay. So don't judge yourself.
Speaker 1:When you begin to feel the pain, don't judge yourself. Don't be so hard on yourself, but give yourself a break. If you prefer and you're able to do so, you can seek out a therapist to help you walk through it. You can seek out a therapist, someone that's trained to help you walk through it. You know, depending upon how deep your pain goes, because some of us have some deep-seated pain, because we have some deep-seated issues, and if that's what you're dealing with, those deep issues Need to be seen and walked through with a therapist. Sure, you can do work on your own that's what we've been doing here. Sure, but sometimes you need to rely on a therapist if you can, if you can, a therapist if you can, if you can. And so this week it will not be pleasant to begin with, but by the end of it it will be much better.
Speaker 1:In order to move forward, sometimes we have to confront our past. We have to make the corrections so that we can move into a better day, we can move into a better perspective, we can move into a better attitude, a better mental and emotional state, and in order to do that, we've got to confront our past and make some corrections. I told you at the beginning that it was going to take some work. Some of the work is not easy. It's not easy, but it's going to be very beneficial to you.
Speaker 1:So get started on your work. Get started on your work. Peel off the band-aid, feel all the pain so that you can move past it, the pain, and move on to joy, move on to healing and wholeness. Get started on your work. I want you to not forget to subscribe to this podcast. Share this podcast, share it with somebody that you know that needs healing. Share it with someone you know that needs help with overthinking. Recommend it to them, and I want you to catch me again here next week in this same spot. I'm Pam and you have been listening to the Overthinkers Anonymous podcast. Bye-bye, see you next week.