Standalone work
Hey, Mr. Buddha, Help Me Stop Overthinking
21 Buddhist practices to calm anxiety, break the loop, and get on with your life.
About the book
You replay a conversation from three years ago. You rehearse a message you will never send. And people still tell you to "just stop thinking".
Researching a decision for weeks and ending up knowing less than when you started. Reopening at two in the morning a case that was already closed. Rewriting in your head a sentence nobody will read. The popular name for it is overthinking; the practical effect is an entire life spent in rehearsal.
This book starts from a different premise than the usual one: thinking is not the problem — being unable to leave the thought is. Where the standard advice says empty your mind, which almost nobody manages, the work here is different: notice the loop, interrupt it, and return to action.
There are 21 practices drawn from various Buddhist discourses and translated into ordinary life, each written for a specific kind of loop: rumination about the past, worry about the future, guilt, resentment, the decision that never closes, the imaginary conversation on repeat. There is no required sequence — go to the one that describes your case.
The tone is direct, funny, and unceremonious. This is not a book about becoming permanently calm, escaping reality, or reaching some special state. It is practical Buddhism for traffic, for work, for two in the morning, and for every case your mind insists on reopening.
Who this book is for
- Readers who replay old conversations and rehearse future ones
- Anyone losing sleep to a mind that reopens closed cases
- Readers who tried meditating and quit believing they 'can't stop thinking'
- Anyone who wants practice rather than theory, and humor rather than solemnity
- Readers who want a book they can open at any page in the middle of the loop
What you will find inside
- 21 standalone practices, each for a specific kind of loop
- Why 'stop thinking' is the wrong instruction — and what works instead
- What to do with rumination about the past and worry about the future
- How to close decisions that never close
- Short tools for the middle of the night, of traffic, and of a meeting
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to meditate to use the practices?
No. Several practices work standing up, in traffic, or in the middle of a meeting. Formal meditation is an option, not a prerequisite.
Is this book part of The Technologies of the Awakened Mind?
No. It is a standalone work, more direct and funnier, though it shares the same approach: method before doctrine.
Can I read it out of order?
Yes, and that is how it was written. Each of the 21 practices is self-contained; go straight to the one that matches your kind of loop.
Does it replace therapy?
No. The book offers contemplative practices for everyday life and is not a substitute for mental health treatment.
Start reading today
Available in English and Portuguese, on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
