The Energy of Allowing

Making Room for What Unfolds......

Someone recently told me I overthink.

My first response was, “Huh. I have to sit with that.”

There was a time when I might have become defensive. This time, I felt curious. I’ve always been someone who thinks things through. Why do I overthink? Is it necessarily a bad thing? And if I recognize it, can I use that part of myself for my own good?

In my corporate life, staying a step ahead was part of the job. Anticipating challenges, considering possibilities, and being prepared served me well. Those habits helped me lead, navigate conversations, and make decisions. They still have value today.

Thinking ahead became so familiar that I didn’t always notice I was doing it. I could be handling one thing while mentally preparing for three others. There was always another possibility to consider, another question to answer, another outcome to anticipate.

As I sat with my friend's observation, I began noticing how my thinking feels. Sometimes it brings clarity and helps me move forward. Other times, I keep turning something over, looking for an answer that isn’t becoming any clearer.

That distinction is giving me something to work with. I don’t need to judge this part of myself. I can become more aware of when it serves me—and when I’m ready to approach something differently.

Knowing When to Allow

I can be working on something I love while my mind is already on next week or the next project. Yet when I bring my attention back to what’s in front of me, I often feel calmer, more creative, and more attuned.

There is room to follow an idea without immediately deciding where it needs to lead. I can let something take shape before organizing every detail. Sometimes a few quiet moments bring an insight that another hour of thinking would never have given me.

I’m learning to ask myself: Is this thought bringing me new understanding, or am I asking the same question again?

Sometimes there is more to consider. I need information, a conversation, or time to make a thoughtful decision. Other times, I’ve considered what I can, and the next step is simply to begin.

Allowing means leaving room for what I cannot know yet. I can prepare and still be open to a different outcome. I can make a plan and adjust as I learn. I can create something without knowing exactly how it will be received.

That feels especially meaningful in this chapter of my life. Building my practice calls on the skills I developed throughout my career, while also inviting me to listen, create, and respond in new ways.

Recognizing my tendency to overthink gives me a choice about how I use it.

Making Room for What We Feel

I’ve been noticing a similar invitation in my work with clients.

During our ongoing sessions, we sometimes explore the energy they carry around an experience—the feelings that arise, the tension they notice, or a familiar response that shows up today.

I’m finding that when we give attention to what they feel in the moment, some clients can approach it from a more neutral place. We don’t always need to revisit every detail. There can be room to acknowledge what is here with curiosity and compassion.

The story matters, but we can also notice how it lives within us now. What do we feel as we speak about it? What are we holding? What needs our attention today?

Sometimes we don’t have an immediate answer. We can allow a feeling to be acknowledged without rushing to explain it or decide what should happen next.

I see a connection to my own experience. When I become curious about my overthinking, I have more room to understand it. I can appreciate what it has done for me while exploring how I want to use that strength today.

That shift from defensiveness to curiosity feels significant. Instead of immediately explaining why I am the way I am, I can pause and consider what an observation might help me see.

Weekly Practice: Notice, Then Choose

This week, when you catch yourself turning something over repeatedly, pause and take a few comfortable breaths. Give yourself a moment to notice what is happening without making it wrong.

Ask yourself:

• What am I hoping another round of thinking will give me?

• Is there new information I need, or have I considered what I can for now?

• What is one small step I can take—or what can I leave open today?

  
  

You might write down a useful thought, ask a question, take one practical action, or give yourself permission to return to the matter later.

Notice how you feel afterward. Is there a little more clarity? More space? A sense that you can move forward even with something still undecided?

Let this be a practice in understanding yourself. Your thinking has something to offer, and you can choose how much attention a question needs today.

An Invitation to Allow

I still value the part of me that thinks ahead. I’m also discovering how much becomes available when I leave room for creativity, intuition, and life to unfold.

Being told I overthink gave me an opportunity to look at a familiar habit with fresh eyes. I didn’t have to defend it or immediately change it. I could sit with it, learn from it, and decide how I wanted to respond.

Perhaps that is an invitation for you this week, too. Meet a familiar part of yourself with curiosity. Appreciate how it has served you. Then see whether there is room for something new.

With love, Laura