“So my yoga teacher says I’m not my mind, and that my thoughts aren’t me either. She’s also mentioned that I can choose which of the hundreds of thoughts in my mind I want to attach to. Uh huh. Right. So how am I supposed to do that, exactly?”

It’s no easy thing. When we first start learning how to distance ourselves from our mind-mania, our mind can seem like a superhero–faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And we’re, like, ants.

But even the toughest super-thinking mind is susceptible to compassion. As in, “Thanks for doing such a great job, mind. I really appreciate your attempts to protect me from every single potential (or imagined) threat. That alert about exactly how my entire day would be screwed up if I miss the bus? Genius. And your stamina: very impressive. But I don’t need you to be in control all the time. Actually, a lot of the time, I’ve found I’m better off avoiding getting caught up in worry. So I’m giving you permission to take a break. All those years of hard work! You’ve got to be tired.”

Sound ridiculous? Do you want a break from stress and anxiety? I invite you to give it a go. It’s a powerful first step towards distancing yourself from the Super Thinker–and gaining freedom from freaked-out.