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Racing Thoughts at Night — How to Quiet an Overthinking Mind | Alternate Nostril Breathing
Racing thoughts at night are exhausting. There's a room in your mind and the light is still on — somebody in there is still talking, turning the same thought over and over, looking for a door in a wall that hasn't got one. Nobody chooses a racing mind. It isn't your fault. It's a nervous system asked to stay alert for too long that has forgotten how to stand down.
In this 10-minute guided meditation we don't argue with the thoughts and we don't try to win — we slow the traffic down until the noise becomes distant. Today's technique is alternate nostril breathing, Nadi Shodhana, which works so well for an overthinking mind because it gives that mind a small job to hold: which hand, which finger, which side, which count. An overthinking mind doesn't stop because you ask it to. It stops when you give it something simple to hold.
Two full rounds, with the exhale always longer than the inhale — the long exhale is the brake pedal of the nervous system. Then gentle affirmations for a racing mind, and three practical caring tips for the nights the thoughts gather speed. Anxiety relief, overthinking, rumination, or simply a quieter mind before sleep — there is nothing you need to fix, solve or decide for the next ten minutes.
⏱️ Time Chapters
* 00:00 – The room in your mind with the light still on
* 00:41 – We're not going to argue with the thoughts
* 00:55 – Today's focus: racing thoughts and an overthinking mind
* 01:04 – Welcome + Anchored: use the time you've actually got
* 02:49 – The hand position: thumb, ring finger, light touch
* 03:25 – Round one: in left, hold, out right
* 04:15 – The long exhale: the brake pedal of the nervous system
* 04:33 – Round two: letting the count carry you
* 05:18 – Thoughts overheard from the next room
* 05:35 – Today's gentle affirmations
* 07:17 – Affirmations, second pass
* 08:11 – Your three daily caring tips
* 09:12 – Coming back into the room
* 09:36 – Outro: Anchored, share, and be kind
🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations
See these words brightly in your mind's eye, then repeat them.
* I am calming my racing thoughts.
* My mind is allowed to be quiet.
* I am not my overthinking — I am the one who notices it.
* I am the sky. My thoughts are only the clouds.
* I do not have to solve anything right now.
* My anxious mind is slowing.
* I am safe. I am here. There is nothing to fear right now.
💡 3 Daily Caring Tips
1. Write the loop down. When a thought loops for the third time, write it on paper. Your mind repeats things mainly because it's afraid you'll forget them.
2. Worry on purpose, earlier. Set aside ten minutes earlier in the day to deliberately worry, so your mind learns the night is not the appointed time.
3. Breathe before the phone. Tonight, when the racing starts, do one round of alternate nostril breathing before you reach for your phone.
📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere
Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett. Come and find all of this in Anchored — the app I built just for these moments. Set it to three minutes or twenty, whatever the day allows. Over 3,000 searchable, offline-ready sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and a soft nightlight for the small hours. 👉 [Download Anchored on the App Store Today](https://apps.apple.com)
If you have a friend, family member or colleague whose mind won't switch off in the night, please share this episode with them. It costs you nothing and it might change their whole night. A 30-second review on Apple Podcasts does the same for someone you'll never meet.
You didn't fight your mind today. You slowed it. And that is a far, far more effective thing. Be gentle with yourself — you are doing so much better than you think. So in everything…
…be kind.
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Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.
