When Thinking Hurts: The Hidden Pain of Overthinking
Resilience Across Borders Podcast
Release Date: 06/18/2025
Resilience Across Borders Podcast
(and replace it with what helps you forward) In this episode, we explore how beliefs shape the way we see ourselves, interpret the world, and decide what’s possible in our lives. Beliefs act like invisible lenses; some empower us to grow and take action, while others quietly limit our potential and keep us stuck in familiar patterns. You’ll learn how to evaluate your beliefs by asking whether they make you feel stronger or smaller, and whether they encourage action or avoidance. Through practical examples, we discuss how to replace limiting beliefs with growth-aligned ones that feel...
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You’ll Be Forgotten — And That’s Exactly Why You Should Live Boldly How embracing impermanence frees you to live boldly, love deeply, and create without fear of judgment. In this episode of Resilience Across Borders, host Rachid Zahidi explores a powerful and liberating truth: we will all eventually be forgotten—and that reality can free us to live more authentically, courageously, and meaningfully. Rather than viewing impermanence as discouraging, Rachid reframes it as an invitation to release fear, comparison, and the pressure to be remembered. When we stop chasing...
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Every January, millions of people set New Year’s resolutions only to abandon them weeks later. In this episode of Resilience Across Borders, host Rachid Zahidi, author of the EMO Gym Journal, explains why resolutions fail and shares a proven, psychology-based approach to building lasting habits and real personal change. Instead of relying on motivation and willpower, this episode focuses on identity-based change, emotional regulation, and small, consistent systems that support long-term growth. If you want sustainable self-improvement that lasts beyond January, this episode will change how...
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How to Train Your Mind to Notice Goodness as Easily as Imperfection In this episode of Resilience Across Borders, host Rachid Zahidi explores why we tend to focus on flaws and how to retrain our perception to see the full picture instead of just what’s wrong. Our minds are wired with a negativity bias designed for survival, but in modern life, this habit often leads to stress, strained relationships, and dissatisfaction. Learning to stop looking for flaws doesn’t mean ignoring reality; it means developing balanced awareness and emotional resilience. What You’ll Learn...
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Learn to spot what fills your tank—and what empties it. In this episode of the 'Resilience Across Borders' podcast, host Rachid Zahidi discusses the critical impact of actions on personal energy levels. Key strategies highlighted include monitoring physical inputs, noticing emotional investments, guarding mental focus, honoring rest, and aligning actions with personal values. By making conscious choices, listeners can maintain a full energy tank, move through their days with vitality, focus, and peace of mind. The episode also encourages listeners to be mindful of their...
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Compassionate strategies to support others through grief, stress, and struggle. In this episode of Resilience Across Borders, host Rachid Zahidi, author of EmoGym Journal, a practical guide and workbook for building emotional clarity, discipline, and healthier habits, talks about how we can truly support someone who’s going through a difficult season. Life brings challenges: grief, financial struggles, burnout, illness, and emotional pain. And often, the hardest part is not knowing what to say or how to help. This episode breaks down simple but powerful ways to...
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In today’s episode of Resilience Across Borders, host Rachid Zahidi, author of The Emo Gym Journal, breaks down a topic many people quietly struggle with: Should I work with a coach or a therapist? With personal development and mental-health awareness on the rise, the line between the two can feel blurry. Rachid clarifies the key differences, shares real-life examples, and gives you a simple framework to help you decide the right support for your current season of life. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The core difference between coaching and therapy Why coaches are future-focused...
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Spotting the difference between useful thinking and misery-making loops In this episode of Resilience Across Borders, host Rachid dives into the powerful difference between productive thinking, the kind that leads to clarity, solutions, and peace, and misery thinking, which traps us in cycles of worry and self-criticism. Rachid shares practical tools and real-life examples to help you notice when your thoughts stop serving you and how to redirect them toward purpose and calm. You’ll also learn grounding techniques and reflection questions that can immediately shift your mental state...
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5 practical strategies to reset your mind and body anytime, anywhere In this episode, Rachid explores what it truly means to relax like a pro and why relaxation is a powerful skill anyone can learn. In a fast-paced world where stress and busyness are worn like badges of honor, Rachid shares science-backed methods and simple daily habits that help calm the mind, ease the body, and recharge your inner battery. You’ll learn how to use your breath, body, and attention to shift from tension to tranquility, without needing a fancy spa. Relaxation as a Skill. Rashid opens with...
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In this episode of the Resilience Across Borders podcast, Rachid discusses the principle of pain and pleasure, a concept popularized by thinkers like Aristotle and modern psychologists. The episode focuses on how we can use this principle to break bad habits and form better ones by consciously linking pain to harmful behaviors and pleasure to beneficial ones. Rachid offers practical strategies, including visualization exercises and immediate rewards, and emphasizes the importance of reframing discomfort as a sign of progress. The episode encourages listeners to make...
info_outlineAncient Wisdom and Modern Tools to Free Yourself from Mental Spirals
Escaping the Thought Trap: Understanding and Overcoming Overthinking
In today's episode of the Resilience Across Borders podcast, host Rachid discusses the 'thought trap' and how overthinking can lead to unnecessary suffering.
The episode explores how thoughts themselves are neutral, but the narrative we build around them can create emotional distress. Drawing from the teachings of monks, meditation practices, and Buddhist fables, the episode provides actionable strategies for mitigating the impact of overthinking.
These include labeling thoughts, understanding the concept of the 'two arrows' of suffering, recognizing the imagination spiral, and practicing the space between stimulus and response.
Listeners are encouraged to practice mindfulness and adopt non-reactivity to lead a more peaceful and powerful life.
More About Topics Covered:
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00:00 Introduction to the Thought Trap
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01:22 Understanding Thoughts vs. Thinking About Thoughts
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02:26 The Two Arrows: Pain and Suffering
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03:37 The Monkey and the Storm: Observing Thoughts
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04:43 The Imagination Spiral: Fiction vs. Reality
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06:28 Viktor Frankl's Gap: Choosing Your Response
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07:34 Practical Tips for Managing Thoughts
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Exciting news! The Emogym Journal is now available on Amazon. Don't miss out – grab a copy for yourself, your friends, and your loved ones today. This journal is packed with insights and practices that have made a difference in my life and the lives of other joyful, grateful, and successful individuals.
Start your journey to greater happiness and success now with the Emogym Journal.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rachid-Zahidi/author/B00UZEVPAK