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Unlocking Calmness: Explore The Official Stop Overthinking Activity Book
00:04:24 Triangle Breathing Exercise.
00:07:28 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique.
00:11:23 Body Scan Coloring.
00:14:53 Takeaways
The Official Stop Overthinking Activity Book (The Path to Calm 21)
By Nick Trenton
Hear it Here - https://adbl.co/44g4c55
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DS6BBV6W
Are you tired of letting overthinking control your life? It's time to break free and embrace a calm, worry-free existence with the help of renowned author Nick Trenton.
In this insightful video, we delve into Section 1 of his groundbreaking book, "The Official Stop Overthinking Activity Book." Discover powerful mindfulness practices like Triangle Breathing, which will ground you in the present moment and silence your mind's never-ending chatter. Master the art of focusing on yourself with our Body Scan Coloring technique, ensuring that you never get stuck in a mental rut again!
With these proven methods, you'll be able to tackle negative thought patterns head-on and reduce stress significantly. Say goodbye to self-imposed prisons and hello to a life of freedom and clarity. Join us as we explore this life-changing book and its practical activities designed to rewire your brain for happiness and tranquility.
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Get ready to take control of your thoughts, embrace peace, and say yes to a brighter future! Click the link in our description to purchase the book and start your journey towards overcoming overthinking today!
Transcript
Hello, listeners.
Speaker:Today is Monday, June 9, 2025.
Speaker:Welcome to The Path to Calm.
Speaker:Stop overthinking.
Speaker:Become present.
Speaker:Find peace.
Speaker:Join us on this journey towards inner tranquility as we explore the arts of living in the moment and embracing calmness.
Speaker:His featured book is The Official Stop Overthinking Activity Book by Nick Trenton.
Speaker:This activity book is a companion piece to Nick Trenton's bestseller Stop Overthinking.
Speaker:In this workbook, Nick Trenton gives us detailed and proven techniques to help rewire our brains, control our thoughts, and change our mental habits.
Speaker:In this particular introductory episode, we're going to discover the Triangle Breathing Exercise, an innovative technique that calms your mind and regulates your breath.
Speaker:We'll also explore the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, a practical approach to reconnect with the present moment.
Speaker:And finally, we'll talk about body-scanned coloring, an activity often underestimated, yet immensely beneficial for relaxation and focus.
Speaker:Join us as we guide you through these simple yet effective practices, providing you with a toolkit for improved mental well-being and stress relief.
Speaker:If you’re someone who has battled anxiety, worry, and overthinking in your life, then you’ll know that sometimes, you just need a quick fix!
Speaker:Of course, there really are no “quick fixes” in life, but let’s be honest–when you’re in the middle of an anxiety spiral or trapped in a distressing situation, the last thing you want to do is sit down and focus on reading a complicated book for 45 minutes.
Speaker:And while therapy is undoubtedly effective when it comes to treating anxiety, progress made during a weekly session with a therapist doesn’t always carry over into the everyday stresses of life.
Speaker:So, what can we do?
Speaker:This is a book designed to cut to the chase.
Speaker:Anxiety can be tricky to deal with, but thankfully there’s a lot that you can do, to start cultivating the resilience, self-awareness, and self-love needed to get on top of your worry and overthinking.
Speaker:That’s what this book is all about.
Speaker:Each section has a different focus, but contains 15 complete, standalone exercises that you can quickly use to boost your mental wellbeing and to find a little bit of peace and calm.
Speaker:We’ll explore mindfulness techniques, ways to use art to explore our feelings, pragmatic approaches to solving life’s problems, self-care tips, and using the power of language to reshape our thoughts and feelings.
Speaker:Feel free to read the book from start to finish, or to dip in and out as necessary.
Speaker:Some exercises will feel especially relevant, whereas others will need a little tweaking to bring benefits into your unique life.
Speaker:That’s OK!
Speaker:What matters the most is that you are consistently taking some time out to focus on your mental and emotional wellbeing, shifting your perspective, building self-awareness, and pulling your attention to real, practical strategies that will quickly get you feeling better.
Speaker:Luckily for us, we can start accessing some of these benefits in as little as ten minutes a day.
Speaker:Commit to a daily practice (say, in the morning), or try out one of the exercises or prompts any time you feel anxiety rearing its head.
One caveat:the exercises in this book are for everyone, and can be adapted as necessary.
One caveat:That said, they are not intended to replace any professional mental health treatment you may require, so use your discretion.
One caveat:To get started, all you will need is a few quiet minutes to spend with yourself, a journal and pen, and a heaping dose of open-mindedness to try a little something new.
One caveat:Let’s dive in.
One caveat:Triangle Breathing Exercise.
One caveat:It all starts with a breath.
One caveat:Have you ever noticed how when you’re anxious and your mind is going a million miles an hour, your breathing starts to become really difficult?
One caveat:We can imagine that the breath is a reflection of our state of mind–the way we breathe is the bodily manifestation of our emotional and cognitive reality.
One caveat:If we are tense, our breath is tense.
One caveat:If we are relaxed and loose, then so is our breathing.
One caveat:Now, when we are stressed out and anxious, our breathing shows it.
One caveat:The relationship, however, goes the other direction, too: if we can mindfully bring our breathing back under calm, conscious control, then we can affect our emotions and state of mind.
One caveat:Calm, ordered breathing can lead to calm, ordered thinking and feeling.
One caveat:Even when life feels like it’s spiraling and stealing every bit of calm you had, you can still find peace within the storm.
One caveat:The triangle breathing exercise, so simple and yet so powerful, invites you back to yourself.
One caveat:It’s more than breathing; it’s an anchor.
One caveat:This is your moment of stillness, a grounding pause when everything feels like it’s rushing past.
One caveat:The technique is simple: Link your breathing to a triangle shape.
One caveat:Let it create a rhythm that quiets your mind, releasing tension and bringing you home to yourself, slowly and surely.
One caveat:Visualize a triangle in front of you.
One caveat:If it helps, draw one and trace it with your finger.
One caveat:Start at the bottom left corner.
One caveat:As you trace up the first side, count to six, breathing in deeply through your nose.
One caveat:Feel your chest lift; your lungs fill.
One caveat:Once you reach the peak, hold your breath for three seconds as you follow the right side down, enjoying a quiet moment suspended in time.
One caveat:Let this stillness calm you.
One caveat:Moving across the bottom, exhale slowly, once again counting out six seconds.
One caveat:Let go of stress, anxiety, pressure.
One caveat:Let it all just drift away.
One caveat:As you return to the bottom left corner, repeat the cycle, inhaling, holding, and exhaling with each traced triangle.
One caveat:Each breath softens your body, quiets your mind, and settles your spirit, creating an inner refuge.
One caveat:This pattern becomes a gentle wave, pulling you back to center, giving you peace and strength.
One caveat:Triangle breathing isn’t just a technique.
One caveat:It’s a tool to help you breathe, relax, and find balance when life feels like too much to carry.
One caveat:Just one triangle at a time.
One caveat:5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique.
One caveat:When life feels chaotic and anxiety starts to creep in, it’s easy to feel swept away as worries pile up, each one like a wave crashing, one after another, until you're left scrambling to stay afloat.
One caveat:The feeling is pretty familiar, isn’t it?
One caveat:But there’s a way to find your footing: the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.
One caveat:This simple exercise can draw you out of anxious thoughts and back into the present, rooting you firmly in the here and now.
One caveat:By tuning into your five senses, you begin to let go of the swirling worries, finding instead what’s real and immediate around you.
One caveat:There’s a reason that this exercise works so well.
One caveat:When we are anxious, our minds are flitting all over the place: to the past to worry about what’s already happened, and to the future, to worry about what might happen.
One caveat:One place the anxious mind usually isn’t, however, is the present.
One caveat:The mind is a powerful thing, and there is arguably no end to what it can imagine.
One caveat:This is why anxiety can sometimes feel infinite!
One caveat:Endless thoughts can project limitlessly into the past, the future, or some abstract hypotheticals.
One caveat:Untethered to anything, your mind shoots off–and your anxiety shoots off with it.
One caveat:In the present, however, we are limited.
One caveat:The present is smaller.
One caveat:More manageable.
One caveat:It comes at us much more slowly and steadily.
One caveat:It’s real.
One caveat:If we get stuck in our heads, our minds can take us anywhere.
One caveat:If we stay grounded in the present, however, we slow down and calm down.
One caveat:We can imagine that the ropes that allow us to tie ourselves more firmly to the present are our bodily senses–sight, sound, etc.
One caveat:As long as we are engaged in the present via our senses, we are not getting carried away by our anxious thoughts.
One caveat:Here’s how to put this idea into practice:
One caveat:Begin with a deep belly breath.
One caveat:Feel the air filling your lungs, grounding you.
One caveat:Then, start the process.
One caveat:Five.
One caveat:Look around and find five things you can see.
One caveat:Say each one out loud.
One caveat:“I see my phone, a picture frame, the clock, the window, and my shoes.” Notice the details.
One caveat:Let them anchor your mind in the present.
One caveat:Four.
One caveat:Now, identify four physical sensations.
One caveat:It could be the warmth of your socks, the texture of your clothes, or the coolness of a nearby surface.
One caveat:Say each one aloud.
One caveat:Feel your connection to this moment.
One caveat:Three.
One caveat:Listen for three sounds.
One caveat:Perhaps the hum of a fan, the ticking clock, or your own breath.
One caveat:Hearing these sounds, you reconnect with what surrounds you, quieting the noise within.
One caveat:Two.
One caveat:Notice two scents around you.
One caveat:If none stand out, think of a favorite smell: fresh coffee, lavender, or rain.
One caveat:One.
One caveat:Find one taste.
One caveat:It might be water, or perhaps the memory of your favorite flavor.
One caveat:Finish with a deep, grounding breath.
One caveat:Feel yourself centered and rooted in the present.
One caveat:Feels good, doesn’t it?
One caveat:Body Scan Coloring.
One caveat:Our bodies and our minds are connected.
One caveat:The thing that connects them?
One caveat:Breath, and awareness.
One caveat:It’s common to think of anxiety as “all in your head”, but it’s in your body, too.
One caveat:Become aware of this tension and use your breath to accept and then release it.
One caveat:Our bodies hold stories—silent, unseen tales woven into muscles, nerves, and breath.
One caveat:Often, we carry tension or emotion without realizing it, feeling the effects yet unable to fully express them.
One caveat:Body scan coloring offers a way to bring these sensations to light, blending mindfulness with creative expression in a calming, active meditation.
One caveat:To begin, find a comfortable space to sit or lie down and gather paper and your favorite art materials.
One caveat:Start with a gentle body scan to connect inward.
One caveat:Close your eyes and focus on the points where your body meets the ground.
One caveat:Notice the rhythm of your breath, the weight of your feet, and the feeling of being supported.
One caveat:Slowly guide your awareness from your heels, up through your legs, belly, chest, arms, and to your forehead, noting sensations like warmth, tingling, or tension.
One caveat:As these feelings emerge, imagine colors, textures, or shapes that represent them.
One caveat:When ready, open your eyes, take a deep breath, and let your hand move freely on the paper.
One caveat:Use colors, lines, and forms to express areas of tension or comfort, each mark a quiet conversation between mind and body.
One caveat:You might, for example, find yourself automatically gravitating towards warm colors like red and orange, or find that your experience is best reflected in jagged lines and sharp angles.
One caveat:What shapes, symbols, or even words express your body’s experience right now?
One caveat:Your own creativity is really the limit.
One caveat:When finished, take a moment to reflect.
One caveat:What did the colors and shapes reveal about your inner landscape?
One caveat:If it feels right, journal about your experience, allowing this creative reflection to deepen your awareness.
One caveat:If this exercise is repeated, you may also get a fascinating longitudinal view on your state of mind and body over time.
One caveat:Notice how certain themes, colors, and ideas repeat–can you detect any larger patterns?
One caveat:Body scan coloring invites you to listen to your body, nurturing a sense of calm and connection that stays long after the colors fade.
One caveat:If you practice this technique often enough, you may find that you are gradually developing a kind of heightened emotional literacy, and a new fluency in understanding your feelings and the way you articulate your experiences.
One caveat:And with that, we've reached the end of another episode exploring various mindfulness practices to enhance our well-being.
One caveat:Those included the Triangle Breathing Exercise, where we link our breathing to a triangle shape.
One caveat:It creates a real mind, releasing tension, and bringing you home to yourself, slowly and shortly.
One caveat:Second, we had the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, where we linked our five senses to concrete items within our environment to help bring us back to the present.
One caveat:And lastly, body scan coloring, where we use our favorite art materials to do a body scan and then use different colors, textures, and shapes to represent the feelings that we realized during that body scan.
One caveat:Incorporating these three simple yet powerful techniques into your daily routine can work wonders for your mental health and overall resilience.
One caveat:And today we leave you with a quote from Maya Angelou.
One caveat:If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have sufficiently useful energy to mind about yourself too.
