Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen Book Review

1. Your thoughts are not facts.

You think, They didn’t text me back. They must be upset with me. Then your mind builds a case, rewinding past convos, scanning for mistakes, imagining worst-case scenarios. But what actually happened? Nothing. Just silence. Maybe they’re driving, maybe they forgot. The thought isn’t the truth. It’s a guess. And most guesses are wrong. This helped me stop spinning stories and start asking, What do I actually know for sure?

2. Suffering is optional.

You get a flat tire, miss an appointment, or spill coffee on your laptop. It sucks. But what really gets you worked up is not the event, it’s the mental commentary. This always happens to me. I’m so stupid. Now the whole day is ruined. That’s suffering. That’s optional. Now, when something goes wrong, I try to breathe and say, This is just a moment. I don’t have to make it a meltdown.

3. You are not your mind.

Ever catch yourself spiraling, then suddenly think, Why am I like this? You feel like your thoughts define you. But they don’t. You are the awareness that hears the thoughts, not the thoughts themselves. This helped me stop identifying with every anxious story in my head. Now I remind myself, I’m not my mind. I’m the one witnessing it.

4. Positive thinking is still thinking.

I used to slap affirmations on top of fear. “I am confident. I am safe. I can do this.” But inside, I was still scared and overthinking. That’s the trap, trying to outthink the overthinking. Now I let go. I stop talking to myself and just breathe. Peace comes faster when I stop trying to think my way there.

5. Let go of control to find peace.

When I feel anxious, my first instinct is to fix it. Think harder. Plan more. Figure it out. But the more I try to control the noise, the louder it gets. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to do something that I found relief. Now I remind myself, Let go. Stop managing every thought. Let it be.

6. You do not need to heal everything to feel better.

There were times I thought I had to dig up every old wound before I could be okay. I kept searching for the “root issue” and made feeling better into a full-time job. But sometimes, you’re just caught in a rough thought pattern. That doesn’t mean you’re broken. Now I ask myself, Is this a healing moment or just a messy mental loop? That question saved me a lot of unnecessary work.

7. Inner peace is your default, not a reward.

I used to think peace was something I had to earn. Like, once I journal enough or meditate long enough, I’ll finally get there. But this book reminded me, peace isn’t a reward. It’s already in you. You just can’t hear it over the noise. Now, when life feels loud, I don’t try to achieve peace. I just clear space for it.

8. Trying to “figure it out” keeps you stuck.

When something feels off, my brain wants to solve it immediately. Why do I feel this way? What triggered this? What’s the lesson here? But all that thinking usually keeps me in the fog. I’ve learned that clarity doesn’t come from obsessing. It comes from space. So now, when I catch myself overanalyzing, I say, Pause. Get quiet. Let the answer find you.

9. Thought is the root of most emotional pain.

You get feedback on something you worked hard on. It wasn’t glowing. Immediately, your mind goes to, I’m not good enough. I shouldn’t even be doing this. But that’s not the feedback, that’s your interpretation of it. The words themselves didn’t hurt. Your thoughts about them did. That awareness helped me take things less personally and stop turning discomfort into a crisis.

10. You always have a choice, to believe or to observe.

A thought shows up. They don’t really like me. I’m behind. I’ll never catch up. You can grab onto it and spiral, or you can step back and watch it float by. This one practice changed everything. Now I ask myself, Do I want to follow this thought or just notice it and move on? Most days, I choose peace.