From Thinking to Feeling: Finding Peace in the Present
Having an active, thinking brain that races ahead at every opportunity can be exhausting and draining.
It’s also incredibly hard to stay present and connected to the real world when your thoughts keep tempting you away — off to the land of ifs and buts.
For someone who grew up with an “always-on” brain (hi — that’s me at ten, all that rumination, projection, social-analysis…), I really struggled to find a way to quieten my mind.
It’s still very much a work in progress, but practising the art of bringing my attention back to the present — using my own body as an anchor — has made a big difference.
My story
From about the age of ten, I remember becoming aware of a constant stream of thoughts — running through every possible outcome of every situation, replaying conversations, and cringing at things I’d said hours earlier.
For a long time, it was kind of okay; my brain was busy but manageable.
Then life got more complicated — building a family of my own, and facing the deep grief of losing my mum — and my thinking brain cranked up to full volume. Panic attacks followed, especially while driving (which, as you can imagine, was not ideal).
I realised something had to change; prioritising my head just wasn’t working anymore.
When someone handed me a book on mindfulness, my first reaction was: there’s no way my mind will cope with that!
Focusing on my breathing only made me overthink breathing — and that actually triggered more panic attacks.
But there was a chapter in the book that suggested bringing my focus back to my body — feeling the steering wheel, the seatbelt, my feet in my shoes, the trees passing by.
Each small act of noticing pulled me gently back into the present. Over time, it’s become easier — and now it’s my favourite way to break a thinking spiral and bring myself back into the real world.
What does “being in the body” mean?
Body-sensing: noticing texture, weight, temperature, contact, movement.
Sense-anchoring: “What can I hear? Smell? Feel? See here and now?”
Movement: walking, stretching, feel your feet, notice how they touch the ground.
Interrupting thinking-mode: when your mind runs, your body-senses pull you out of autopilot.
Here’s the key: the more you do this, the easier your brain finds not to hijack the moment. It’s not about suppressing thinking — it’s about offering your brain something else to play with.
The neurobiology (but don’t glaze over!)
Because yes, we can link this to what the brain & body are doing.
“Interoception” is a fancy word for noticing what your body is doing inside — heart, gut, breath, posture. Research suggests stronger interoception links with better self-regulation of emotion.
The thinking brain (often called the default-mode network, DMN) is where rumination and projection hang out. When you activate your sensory-motor network (feeling your feet, moving your body), you shift dominance.
Some studies say focusing on body-sensations can reduce rumination because you give your cortex (“thinking mode”) less space.
Also: brain-body networks are interconnected — how you feel physically influences how you think, vice versa. So anchoring in body = giving your mind a more stable “home base”.
➡️ What it means for you: when your thoughts are racing, returning to body-sensing isn’t just “nice to do”. It’s a brain-friendly strategy.
Practical ideas to try
Here are some mini-tools you can drop in. No big sit-still meditation required (though totally valid if that’s your jam).
Steering-wheel check-in: next time you’re driving (safely!) notice the feel of the wheel through your hands. Temperature, texture, grip. Let your fingers linger a moment.
Feet ground-contact: standing or walking, pause — what are your feet doing? How heavy are they? Where are they pressing into the shoes or the floor?
Five-senses pause: stop for 30 seconds. What can you hear right now? Smell? Feel against your skin? What colours are nearby? Let your brain note the senses and let them be enough.
Nature moment: “Pause and look at the leaf. Notice what draws your attention and what your body feels as you see it.” If your thoughts start sprinting off — What tree is that? Maybe I should Google it? — just gently return to: Leaf. Red. Tree. Here.
Movement option: yoga pose, stretch, walk, stomp if needed. As you move, bring attention to what the body parts feel like. This is excellent for neurodivergent brains that like doing.
Skip forcing the breath: especially if breath-focus triggers you. Let your breath sit in the background. Your attention can ride along it rather than trying to fix it.
Why this especially helps neurodivergent brains
High-speed thinking, looping thoughts, hyper-analysis — many ND brains know this well. Anchoring in the body gives the brain “other work” to do.
Sensory-rich, body-based approaches often feel more intuitive than abstract “quiet the mind” strategies.
The emphasis shifts: from “You must stop thinking” → “We’ll notice the body so the thinking takes a rest.” More friendly. Less ‘you should’.
Validates that neurodivergence isn’t a barrier: it makes this strategy potentially more helpful (because the thinking-brain may run faster, so the body-anchor is even more needed).
Your invitation
So… what’s one small body-sense check you might do in the next 24 hours?
What will you choose? The seat-belt, your shoes, the sound outside your window?
When did you last feel what your body was doing instead of what your brain was thinking?
What might stop you doing this? (Time, self-judgement, “It won’t work”…). How can you gently remove that block?
Remember: this isn’t about perfect. It’s about returning, again and again. You’re offering your brain a gentler companion. You’re doing more than “survive the thoughts” — you’re helping yourself to live in your body too. And that matters.
✨ You’re doing alright — this very noticing means it’s already working!
Ready to tackle those thought spirals?
Book a free 30-minute chat with me at Choose Your Way. No pressure, no obligation — just a space to check in, see if it feels right, and figure out your next step.
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