Can't Stop Thinking: How to Let Go of Anxiety and Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination

by Nancy Colier, Stephan Bodian (Foreword by)

Overview

How do you break the cycle of negative thinking? This book offers much-needed relief to “chronic overthinkers” using a powerful combination of mindfulness, acceptance, and awareness. With this unique guide, readers will discover the key to breaking free from the negative thinking that keeps them stressed out, anxious, worried, and generally unhappy. Using the powerful, evidence-based tools in this book, readers will find a way out of their own head and into a world of freedom and the possibility of lasting happiness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684036790
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	05/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	907 KB

About the Author

Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist, author, interfaith minister, and public speaker. A longtime student of Eastern spirituality, she is a thought leader on mindfulness, well-being, and digital life. Featured on Good Morning America, in The New York Times, USA Today, and other media, Colier is also a regular blogger for Psychology Today and HuffPost. She is author of Can’t Stop Thinking, The Power of Off, Inviting a Monkey to Tea, and Getting Out of Your Own Way.


Stephan Bodian is a teacher in the non-dual wisdom tradition of Zen and Advaita, a pioneer in the integration of Eastern wisdom and Western psychology, and an internationally recognized expert on meditation and mindfulness. You can learn more about him at https://www.stephanbodian.org.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Introduction: Addicted to Thinking 1

1 Awareness: Changing Our Relationship with Thought 15

Part I Styles of Suffering

2 "I Obsess About What Hurts the Most" Thought Loops and Rumination 29

3 "What's Wrong with Me?" Self-Criticism and Negativity 39

4 "What's Wrong with Everyone Else?" Grievance, Resentment, and Blame 51

5 "What If Things Go Wrong?" Fear, Worry, and Catastrophizing 63

Part II Tools for Relief

6 Unstick from Sticky Thoughts 75

7 Discover the You That's Bigger Than Thought 89

8 Come Back to the Life You're Missing 103

Part III Living the Inner Freedom

9 The Wisdom of Not Knowing 117

10 Beyond a Self That Thinks 127

11 A Good Life, the Afterthought 135

Acknowledgments 143

Endnotes 145

Interviews

Colier resides in New York City, NY.

Editorial Reviews

I, too, can’t stop thinking, and I’m a meditation teacher who’s been meditating daily for over forty-five years! But not to worry. In Can’t Stop Thinking, Nancy Colier helps us clearly understand how to loosen the tight grip of mental grasping and fixation which brings so much stress. She shares the secret of inner freedom and self-mastery to be able to do what’s good for us without self-imposed limitations.”
—Lama Surya Das, the American Lama, author of Awakening the Buddha Within

Lama Surya Das

What would life be like if we could recover from our addiction to thinking? We’ve reached the limit of stress and confusion by believing ‘I think, therefore I am.’ Nancy Colier helps us take one of the most important steps in life, to realize ‘I am not my thoughts.’ This is not ‘stop thinking,’ but ways to break the addictive habit of ‘picking up the first think.’ What a gift!”
—Loch Kelly, author The Way of Effortless Mindfulness and Shift Into Freedom

Loch Kelly

Nancy Colier asks the question, ‘What do you miss, and miss out on, because you are consumed by thinking?’ With practical exercises and insightful stories, Can’t Stop Thinking leads us through an exploration of our minds and ultimately to awareness and understanding.”
—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change

Sharon Salzberg

A warm, insightful, and precise guide to making sense of the trickier parts of the human mind.”
—Ethan Nichtern, author of The Road Home

Ethan Nichtern

One of the most liberating blessings we can receive is the realization that we are not our thoughts! Can’t Stop Thinking reminds us that, as we learn to meet our mental stories with a patient, forgiving, and wakeful presence, we awaken to the mysterious and loving awareness that is our true home.”
—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

Tara Brach

In this delightful book, Nancy Colier shows very clearly how addiction to thought is responsible for most human suffering. Clearly our fundamental nature as awareness is intrinsically free of thought. Read this book and experience the freedom to create your reality.”
—Deepak Chopra, MD, author of Total Meditation

Deepak Chopra

Rather than fighting with our thoughts, Nancy Colier teaches us to step back from them into a more calm, aware, and nonjudgmental witness space. From this space the thoughts lose some of their hold on us, and we can discover who we really are. Colier’s methods are a stand-alone approach to thinking, but also a wonderful complement to other psychological and spiritual practices, including meditation and mindfulness.”
—William L. Mikulas, PhD, professor emeritus in psychology at the University of West Florida, and author of Taming the Drunken Monkey

William L. Mikulas

06/01/2021

According to psychotherapist Colier (The Power of Off), rumination, or obsessional thinking, is at the root of many people's problems. It causes problems in life and overall well-being because it's not productive and increases stress and anxiety. This guide describes types of rumination, including self-criticism, negativity, fear, and worry. Colier offers substitute behaviors to counteract negative thoughts, such as replacement, redirecting attention, and facing the fear of letting go. She concludes with a vision of a free inner life, and advocates "surrender" as an opportunity to experience life fully. VERDICT While there is more verbiage than necessary, this book offers solid relief and a way forward from obsessional thinking.

Library Journal