If you’re struggling with overthinking and excessive worrying, the story I’m about to share could help you overcome these issues once and for all.
Once upon a time, in a Buddhist monastery nestled in the mountains, there lived a Zen master. One day, a young man from the city approached the master with a troubled mind. “Master,” he said, “my mind is constantly restless. Thousands of thoughts swarm my head, and I can’t seem to get anything done because I’m always overthinking. Please give me a permanent solution to this problem.”
The Zen master replied, “My son, begin meditating every day. Gradually, your mind will calm down, and your overthinking will diminish.” But the young man protested, “Master, meditation isn’t something I can do. I’ve spoken to many people in the city, consulted doctors, and they all say the same thing: meditate, and everything will be fine. I’ve tried, but it hasn’t helped with my overthinking. Please give me another solution, perhaps a mantra that will quiet my mind and stop this overthinking.”
The Zen master listened and said, “Alright, don’t worry. I’ll give you a mantra that will stop your overthinking.” He whispered the mantra into the young man’s ear and instructed, “Every day, sit quietly and repeat this mantra. You will feel completely at peace.” The young man was overjoyed, thanked the master, and was about to leave when the master called him back and said, “Just remember one thing: while reciting the mantra, do not think about a monkey, or the mantra won’t work.” The young man was confused. “Master, what do monkeys have to do with anything? Why would I even think about a monkey?” The Zen master smiled and said, “Exactly, you have nothing to do with monkeys, so just don’t think about them.”
The young man returned to his city and began reciting the mantra. But as he did, he couldn’t help but recall the master’s words, “Don’t think about a monkey, or the mantra won’t work.” Soon, images of monkeys began to flood his mind. The more he tried to ignore thoughts of monkeys, the more vivid they became. Eventually, he found himself surrounded by thoughts of monkeys, no matter how hard he tried to push them away.
Frustrated, he returned to the monastery the next day and confronted the master. “Master, what kind of mantra is this? Until yesterday, I had never even thought of monkeys, and now I can’t get them out of my head. What should I do?” The Zen master smiled and said, “This was a lesson for you. You’ve been so troubled by your overthinking that you sought a solution far and wide, but the answer was within your mind all along. Your struggle with overthinking stems from your constant efforts to suppress your thoughts, just as you tried to suppress thoughts of the monkey. But thoughts are like a spring—the more you try to compress them, the higher they’ll bounce back. The next time you find yourself overthinking, don’t try to ignore or avoid those thoughts. The more you resist overthinking, the stronger its grip will become.” Hearing this, the young man gained some clarity. He asked the master, “Alright, I won’t fight my thoughts anymore, but what should I actually do to end my overthinking?”
The Zen master asked, “Tell me exactly what you’re overthinking about.”
The young man explained, “Master, there are many things, but right now, I’m mostly anxious about an important exam coming up in nine months, which will determine my future. I keep worrying about what will happen in the exam, whether I’ll pass or fail, and what will come next. These thoughts never leave my mind.”
The Zen master listened and then pointed to a nearby tree, where a leaf was drifting in the wind. “Watch that leaf carefully,” he said. The young man observed as the leaf floated aimlessly, eventually landing at his feet. The master asked, “Now tell me, where are your thoughts?” The young man realized that while he was watching the leaf, his mind had become completely quiet—no pressure, no stress, just an empty, peaceful mind. “Master, how did this happen? For those few seconds, I felt exactly as I always wanted to—a calm and quiet mind.”
The Zen master replied, “When you overthink, you’re spending all your time inside your head, wrestling with your thoughts. You become so consumed by these thoughts that you forget there’s a whole world outside of your mind—a life that exists beyond the past and future. That life is in the present moment. All your stress, anxiety, and overthinking stem from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. But peace exists only in the present moment. What you just experienced is called mindfulness—bringing your full attention to the present, where you can truly feel peace.” The young man then asked, “Master, I want to be more mindful, but how can I practice mindfulness in my busy daily life?” The Zen master responded, “You don’t need to do anything special or chant mantras. Just keep it simple. When you eat, just eat. When you walk, just walk. When you talk to someone, just talk.” The young man replied, “But Master, I already do these things every day.” The Zen master smiled and said, “No, when you eat, you’re thinking about something else. When you walk, your mind is elsewhere. When you practice being fully present in these small moments of your daily life, mindfulness will become a habit.”
After hearing this, the young man returned to his city. This time, he stopped trying to fight his overthinking and allowed his thoughts to come and go. But whenever he started overthinking, he pushed himself to focus on the present moment—whether it was watching the cars, observing pedestrians, or noticing the surroundings as he walked down the street. Gradually, his problem with overthinking faded, and his mind found peace. One day, he went back to the Zen master and said, “Master, I’m practicing mindfulness in my daily activities, but some thoughts keep coming back, and I can’t seem to ignore them no matter how hard I try.” The Zen master took him to a river and handed him a bucket. “Fill this bucket with water from the river,” the master instructed. The young man did as he was told and asked, “What now, Master?”
The Zen master said, “Now, I want you to study the water in this bucket and try to understand the river from it. When you figure it out, tell me what you learned.” The young man stared at the water, trying to connect it to the river, thinking deeply about what the master wanted him to understand. After a while, he said, “The river is a flowing stream of water that eventually merges somewhere. But the water in this bucket is not part of that stream anymore; it has separated from the river.”
The Zen master laughed and said, “You’ve thought hard, but you’ve missed the point. I wanted to teach you that you can’t understand the entire river by looking at a bucket of water. To understand the river, you must experience it as it flows. Your life is like that river, and your thoughts are like the water in the bucket. You’re trying to understand your entire life by focusing on these thoughts, but life is something you must live and experience. Your thoughts are not your life; your life is shaped by your actions. Each day, what you do defines your life, not what you think about. So stop giving your thoughts so much importance.”
The Zen master continued, “Let me summarize everything I’ve taught you. Whenever you’re overthinking, follow these three steps: First, don’t fight your thoughts—accept them. Don’t try to avoid them; let them come. Second, step out of your mind and immediately focus on the present moment. Look around and see what’s happening. Be mindful. Lastly, sit down in a quiet place, take a pen and paper, and say to yourself, ‘Okay, let’s solve whatever problem is causing this overthinking.’ Write down everything with clarity. Is the problem something you can solve? If yes, what’s the best possible solution? Write it all down. If the problem is beyond your control, stop thinking about it because those thoughts are useless. When you give your mind this kind of clarity, you’ll learn to eliminate overthinking at its root.” if this post helped you in any way, please don’t forget to leave a comment.