Before diving into general psychological skills for managing overthinking and the nitty-gritty of taming your busy mind, let’s start with what matters most: your purpose. Nowadays, the pursuit of happiness often overshadows the deeper quest for meaning. But, research suggests that people who focus on finding purpose experience greater well-being and resilience, even when things get tough (Steger et al., 2009). This shift from simply seeking happiness to engaging in meaningful pursuits was the focus of my conversation with Christine Koh, host of the podcast, Edit Your Life.

Ever feel like your mind just won’t quit? You’re definitely not alone. The average person has between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts a day (National Science Foundation, 2005), so it’s no surprise that overthinking, perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, and second-guessing can take over.

Here are the topics we discussed:

• What do you actually want your life to stand for?
  You’ll hear a powerful visualization exercise to answer this question.
• Three Practical Skills to Calm Your Busy Mind
  You’ll learn three specific, research-backed skills to help manage your busy mind.
• The Intersection of Perfectionism and Procrastination Get You Stuck
  You’ll hear what’s really driving perfectionistic and procrastinating behaviors and what you can do about them.
• Getting Comfortable with Uncertainty
  You’ll get ideas for “uncertainty workouts”—creative ways to stretch your comfort zone and build resilience, so you don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.

Ready to Quiet Your Mind and Live with Purpose?

You don’t have to be ruled by overthinking. By tuning into what matters most, learning three practical skills, understanding what lies beneath perfectionistic and procrastinating behaviors, and getting a little more comfortable with uncertainty, you can start living with more meaning.