“Your Daily Dose” is a quick two minute read packed with bite-sized wisdom from all the great teachers. But you could also choose to turn it into something more… a powerful daily practice for personal growth. Give it a try!
A message from today’s meditation:
Do you ever find yourself drowning in a sea of thoughts? Your mind races a mile a minute creating a mental traffic jam where every solution seems obscured. You’re not alone of course, this is one of the classic signs of anxiety and overwhelm. When the mind races, it feels like the harder we try to “figure it out,” the more tangled everything becomes. In truth, when the mind is busy, more thinking is the last thing it needs.
Anxiety and stress are associated with racing thoughts, which is a high and fast brainwave state. If at the same time we’re trying to make serious decisions, then the spinning nature of thousands of thoughts per second makes finding solutions almost impossible.
In our frustration, we often double down though, believing that “just thinking harder” will lead to answers. But can you see how this is pouring fuel on the fire – when we try and “out-think” an already busy mind? When our solution to too many thoughts is to add more thinking?
The brain science on this is clear, every time we do this it drives our brain in only one direction – even higher and faster brain waves. We lose access to the calm, creative brainwaves where real insight lives.
What we need in these moments is to go in the opposite direction, away from the head and into the body.
“To go out of your mind at least once a day is tremendously important. By going out of your mind, you come to your senses.” – Alan Watts
“A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion.” – Alan Watts
When you deliberately re-direct your thinking away from being just in your head, down into what your body is feeling, then your brain waves don’t have much of a choice but to slow down too.
Your brain will naturally want to get right back to busy thoughts, but this is exactly what any mindfulness practice is about, growing an awareness of how or when the mind wanders off, and gently redirecting the mind back to your chosen point of focus.
Taking the literal meaning from Alan Watts’ words – “get out of your mind and into your senses” – continue to explore what each of your physical senses are experiencing and perhaps even cycle through them a few times, until your thoughts become slower, and your brainwaves come down lower.
Taking a break from what you’re dealing with – dropping out of your mind and into your senses – isn’t about avoiding responsibilities or problems. Rather, it’s about taking a strategic break that allows you to return to whatever needs your attention with greater calm and clarity.
To cultivate a calmer mind, consider these practices:
- Mindful Breathing: Take a few deep, slow breaths, focusing on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body.
- Sensory Awareness: Pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures around you.
- Nature Walks: Spend time in nature, immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world.
- Movement. Motion moves emotion. So any time we take ourselves to the gym, or go for a walk, or make time for any kind of movement, we drop from our head into our body.
By engaging your senses, you can anchor yourself in the present moment and interrupt the cycle of racing thoughts. This practice can help you to reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance your overall well-being.
Join us for today’s meditation, and come to your senses.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Come to your senses.
Today’s LIVE meditation
https://youtu.be/aC2c19n5iqw 2025
https://youtu.be/mnItYn6hNt0 2024
https://youtu.be/hrfEyCjDZKA 2023
https://youtu.be/KLz1xkCrzd8 2022
Practice the “Daily Dose”
Let’s put it into practice! Choose what works for you – daily, once a week or whenever inspiration strikes. Putting pen to paper wires the neural pathways that will create your new habits.
1 – Affirmation
Not Affirmations today, but a few practices that cultivate a calmer mind: Write down your favourite one on a sticky note and place it somewhere that you’ll be able to see it the whole day.
- Mindful Breathing: Take a few deep, slow breaths, focusing on the sensation of the breath entering and leaving your body.
- Sensory Awareness: Pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures around you.
- Nature Walks: Spend time in nature, immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world.
- Movement. Motion moves emotion. So any time we take ourselves to the gym, or go for a walk, or make time for any kind of movement, we drop from our head into our body.
2 – A moment of reflection
Use today’s question as a journal prompt. If you don’t have the time to sit down and write, just take a moment to reflect on your response.
Design your personal grounding practice: Which of the suggested practices (mindful breathing, sensory awareness, nature walks, or movement) resonates most with you? Write about why this particular practice appeals to you and create a realistic plan for incorporating it into your daily routine. What obstacles might prevent you from doing this, and how will you overcome them?
3 – Quotes to share
Send a quote to someone who needs it, or share them all on social media to spread the good vibes!
4 – Q&A for deeper learning
Read through the questions and answers and write down at least one “aha moment” that clicked for you.
Q1: Why does thinking harder make my racing thoughts worse instead of better?
A: When your mind is already in a high-speed, high-frequency brainwave state, adding more thinking only accelerates those brainwaves further. It’s like trying to calm turbulent water by stirring it faster. Brain science shows that attempting to out-think an overactive mind drives your neural activity in only one direction: higher and faster. What you actually need is to shift in the opposite direction by moving your awareness out of your head and into your body.
Q2: How does focusing on my body actually slow down my thoughts?
A: When you deliberately redirect your attention from mental activity to physical sensations, your brainwaves don’t have much choice but to decelerate. Your body exists only in the present moment, so when you focus on what you’re physically feeling, you automatically anchor yourself in the here and now. This interrupts the future-oriented or past-focused nature of most racing thoughts, naturally creating a calmer mental state.
Q3: What does Alan Watts mean by “going out of your mind”?
A: Watts isn’t suggesting you lose rationality or control. Rather, he’s pointing to the importance of regularly stepping away from constant mental chatter and reconnecting with direct sensory experience. “Going out of your mind” means temporarily releasing your grip on thoughts and returning to your senses—literally coming to your senses. This practice prevents you from living in the “world of illusion” created by endless thinking and helps you touch reality as it actually is.
Q4: I tried focusing on my senses, but my mind immediately returned to racing thoughts. What am I doing wrong?
A: You’re not doing anything wrong—this is completely normal. Your brain naturally wants to return to busy thoughts because that’s its established pattern. The key is persistence and gentleness. When your mind wanders back to racing thoughts (and it will), simply notice this without judgment and redirect your attention back to your senses. You may need to cycle through your senses multiple times before your thoughts begin to slow. Think of it as training a muscle rather than flipping a switch.
Q5: How long should I spend on sensory awareness practices before returning to my work or problems?
A: There’s no rigid rule, but even a few minutes can make a difference. Start with 3-5 minutes of deliberate sensory focus. You’ll know you’re ready to return when you notice your thoughts have slowed down and you feel even slightly more calm and centered. The goal isn’t to achieve perfect mental silence, but to create just enough space and clarity to approach your tasks or problems with a fresher perspective.
Q6: Can movement really help with overthinking, or is sitting meditation better?
A: Movement can be incredibly effective, sometimes even more so than sitting meditation for certain people. The phrase “motion moves emotion” captures an important truth: physical activity naturally shifts your awareness from head to body. Whether it’s walking, exercise, dancing, or any form of movement, the physical engagement interrupts mental loops. If sitting meditation feels like torture when your mind is racing, movement might be your ideal entry point to a calmer state.
Q7: How is this different from avoiding my problems or procrastinating?
A: This is a crucial distinction. Strategic sensory awareness isn’t about avoidance—it’s about optimization. When your mind is racing at high speed, you’re actually less effective at solving problems, not more. Taking a brief break to calm your nervous system and slow your brainwaves allows you to return to whatever needs attention with genuine clarity and focus. You’re not running from the problem; you’re creating the mental conditions necessary to actually address it effectively. Think of it as sharpening your axe before cutting down the tree.