Overthinking can be mentally exhausting.
As you overthink regular instances in life, your thoughts start running circles over your head and lead to a mess. Eventually, you reach bizarre conclusions and come up with weird ideas that do not make any sense to you in the long run.
The “I am excited for this job prospect” transforms into “I wonder if they even liked me” and then eventually morphs into “I’m so stupid, I shouldn’t have done this!”
Overthinking makes you worry about things that may or may not happen. You find yourself in a dungeon of your creation, with no way out. Overthinking is draining and can significantly reduce your creativity.
In this article, we look at some practical ways to stop you from overthinking everything. Follow these tips and implement them in your daily life for the right results.
Change Your Story
The very first step to stop overthinking is to change the story you tell yourself. As humans, we tend to imagine several things daily. “I can never be up on time. I can’t commit to anything. I’m not a morning person.” These are just some of the narratives we build.
However, what we repeatedly think of ourselves and how we often define ourselves eventually describes our perception of the self. The story you tell yourself should empower you forward and not hold you back.
Thoughts like “I always worry because there is a lot on my mind” and “I am an over-thinker” tend to do you more harm than good. Rather than acting like a victim, you should try to identify and work on these traits whenever you see them. Identify the beliefs that limit you and make a conscious effort to stop yourself from voicing them.
Let Go Off Your Past
Overthinkers are often guilty of fixating on the past. Most of their thoughts and ideas are focused on what-ifs. The past can not be changed, but we do control the energy we recollect from our history within our present.
When you accept the past, you eventually relieve yourself from the weight it carries. The deadweight does press down on your shoulders and makes you weak. Learning to let go of the past and focusing on the present is a constant effort. Rumination is something that we can quickly go back to. So, make a conscious decision to let the past be where it is – in the past.
Stop Negative Thoughts in the Moment
Most people give in to overthinking. Many derive pleasure from the negativity of the activity and rue the missed opportunities later when they act upon their thoughts during this period.
Instead of falling into the trap of overthinking, remind yourself that you don’t have to give in. Bring your attention back to where you are and what you’re doing. Breathe in and focus on what you’re doing. Let whatever is troubling you slip by, rather than think a lot about it and take action on these thoughts.
The goal is to stop yourself from reaching absurd conclusions in the moment, which can be done through proper steps and mindful techniques.
Focus on What You Can Control
Famous author and speaker Amy Morin believes that humans should always take the time out to consider their circle of control whenever they think about something that is worrying them.
Acknowledge what is going on in your mind, take a step back and then ask yourself exactly what you can control concerning the given situation.
If you’re going through a financial struggle and overthinking about paying your bills, it will better study your accounts and find areas that you can address or improve right now. Don’t stress over what is not in your control. Instead, think about things you can control.
Identify Your Fears
Many irrational fears and assumptions lead to overthinking in humans. We fear what others think about us. We fear not being good enough in life. And, as part of this fear, we tangle ourselves in a web.
Roman Stoic and Philosopher Seneca said:
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
You can win more battles by addressing your fears than letting the proverbial elephant in the room be, without taking any steps forward.
Write Down and Think of Solutions
As many people prone to overthinking will angry, the situation arises from our ability to focus on problems and inability to think of solutions. We fall deep down into the pits of depression when we keep aggravating the problem in our thoughts but do not know how to go about finding a solution to it.
Is your work putting you under stress? Now, what can you do to reduce this stress and make a conscious decision towards improvement? Are you troubled by the stagnation in your life? How can you move forward to break the monotony? Think of solutions to problems.
Be a Person of Action
There are two kinds of people in life; those who decide and others that take action on that decision. Perhaps the biggest challenge of overthinking is that you’re lost in the circle within your head and eventually fuel your indecisiveness.
What you should do is actively take decisions and stick to them. Point the arrow in the direction you want and pull your trigger. Do this for all decisions. Chocolate or vanilla? Get your bow out!
Overthinking is usually a sign of stress and anxiety. Learn to find ways to reduce and manage your stress to stop overthinking with time eventually.
