Episode 15: How To Stop Overthinking in 60 Seconds a Day

My name is Sharon and I am an overthinker. I literally overthink all the things – our summer schedule, our meals for the week, whether that girl in middle school really was mad at me that one time. All. The. Things. And usually, this overthinking happens at night, when I’m busy not sleeping. So when I heard about a book that shows you how to stop overthinking, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. 

How to Stop Overthinking in 60 Seconds a Day

This book is called Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking, written by Jon Acuff. I had read Acuff’s work in the past and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I wasn’t surprised when this book knocked it out the park. The tagline made a pretty big promise. But honestly, I was game to try anything that would teach me how to stop overthinking. 

In the book, Acuff explains that our overthinking is really negative self-talk that is stuck on a loop in our brains. We need to rewrite the soundtrack with positive self-talk in order to overcome our overthinking. It made sense, but how the heck was I going to overwrite three decades of negative self-talk and still maintain employment? 

Enter, The New Anthem. Acuff shares the script that he wrote, called “The New Anthem” that he used for 30 days to change his self-talk. To see his script, you can check out this link or get your hands on the book. It’s about 7 paragraphs long and takes about 60 seconds to read aloud. The author suggested reading it aloud to yourself in the mirror, twice a day. 

Now, I’m a pretty big skeptic when it comes to ideas like this. I believe in the idea of mantras, but I only write them, I don’t usually speak them. It generally makes me feel like a huge dork and then I’m all embarrassed if my husband walks in the room. But I figured if this was how to stop overthinking, I was game to try it. 

How to Stop Overthinking: Implementing the New Anthem as a Busy Mom

So in January of 2022, I committed to the New Anthem for 30 days. I rewrote it in my MAP Book since I had to return Soundtracks to the library and flagged the page with a sticky note so that it was easy to flip to. 

Ready to set-up your own notebook system? Click here to download your free notebook system set-up guide, in 60 minutes or less.

On my daily task list, I wrote “AM Anthem” and “PM Anthem” each day and it was so easy to do and check off that it became a quick habit to install. I was also super curious if I would notice a difference after 30 days.

And guess what? I did. I noticed such a huge shift that I was actually afraid to stop. So I stuck with The New Anthem until April (four months!) when I decided that I wanted to customize the anthem even more to match the new soundtrack that I wanted to have. 

How to Stop Overthinking: My Current Anthem

One of the areas that I am currently working on in my own personal growth journey is fostering an abundance mindset. I find myself falling into a lack mindset, more often than not. A lot of times it has to do with business and finances and those thoughts would keep me up at night.

So I decided to rewrite my anthem in my MAP Book so that I would be reminding myself twice a day about my growth mindset and the opportunities and money that were flowing to me. I would read the anthem aloud right before I went downstairs in the morning and right before I went to bed at night. I try to meditate 5 minutes each night before bed, so I would do the anthem first, then go into meditation mode. It was an easy transition and if my mind was wandering while I meditated, I noticed it was wandering towards the abundance mindset I was fostering. 

My Current Anthem

If you’re curious, here is an excerpt of my current anthem. This is what is working for me right now. I strongly suggest starting with Acuff’s The New Anthem, and then using that as a launching point to create your own.

As I take on this new day, I want to keep in mind that momentum is messy and that everything is always working out for me. It always has, it always will.

It is safe for me to be rich. Money is constantly flowing to me and giving me the power to change my family’s future. 

I do work that I love and I am paid well for it. I have created a life that I am obsessed with, where my calendar is fully booked with clients that I am excited to serve. Moms are eager and excited to book with me. 

There are a few more paragraphs that I left out here for privacy reasons, but as you can see, you’re rewiring your brain to be more positive and open to what comes next. This has made a huge difference for me in terms of confidence and feeling less anxious. 

The Biggest Benefit 

Probably the biggest benefit that came from this exercise for me was when I went into my daughter’s room and she was writing in a notebook on her bed. She’s seven and I’m only just getting used to the fact that my baby can read and write.

I asked her what she was writing and she told me that she was writing her own anthem. While she read the words to me about how strong and smart and beautiful she was, I couldn’t help but tear up. This. This is the mom I want to be for my kiddos. 

Let’s Make a Plan!

There aren’t a lot of books that I say you really should get your hands on, but this book is one of them. Add it to your “Must Read” list, order a copy or put it on hold at your library. You can download the New Anthem here, along with a cool tracking sheet to give it a try on your own. Again, I do recommend that you follow his, at least for the first 30 days before you decide what you want to include in your own. 

And Don’t Forget…

Have you set up your MAP Book yet? If you haven’t, be sure to check out your free notebook system set-up guide here.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Spotify or YouTube so you don’t miss next week’s episode: Episode 16: Rocking the Last 90 Days of 2022 . Believe it or not, we’re going to start wrapping up the year and I can’t wait to share my favorite way to end the year on a high note. 

Next, if you want to connect between episodes, be sure to give me a follow over on Instagram – @sharonlegercoaching. On my stories this week, I am going to be sharing with you an excerpt of my anthem and talk about how I use it to overcome my poverty mindset.

Finally, be sure to subscribe to my email list to get weekly personal growth delivered right to your inbox – and because I know you’re busy mama, I promise it will include a meaningful action step that will take you 2 minutes or less to implement! 

Thank you so much for being here, mama! Get back to doing your thing, rocking your world and remember – keep growing! Little eyes are watching. 

Did You Love This Episode?

If so, be sure to share it with a friend – this helps busy moms like you to find me!

And finally, you can also check out these related episodes that I think you’ll be obsessed with:

How to Get Your Mom Mindset Right

Why You Need a Joy List

How to Priority Plan When You Feel Overwhelmed

How a 99¢ Notebook Saved My Life