How to stop OVERTHINKING

How to stop OVERTHINKING :

          Any thoughts that begin with 'always', 'should', 'every', 'never' are forms of cognitive distortions. If you find yourself overthinking and these types of thoughts are present, it is necessary to identify these as Irrational thoughts.

How to stop OVERTHINKING :

1. Focus on the valued goal

Almost anything worth doing inevitably has some unpalatable qualities and some tedious tasks. Much of the unpleasantness fades when ambitious people remind themselves of the bigger picture repeatedly. They tell themselves "I am digging through these old dusty files in this drab office because they might have the data I need to build the road map I need to start this business". Reframing stressful situations with a more positive  approach can help lessen the impact of unpleasant events and increase emotional resilience. 

2. Get rid of instigators

Instigators are those persons who love talking and discussing about their problems and how they have been wronged or unlucky. There may be some of the persons like instigators in your family or friends circle. I know its hard to completely get rid of them but you can surely divert the conversation when they start about negativity. 

3. Fake your senses

Overthinking and worrying are mental activities, so if they start to take hold, do something physical. You essentially "shock" your senses by taking the power away from one area of your body and giving it to another. For example, if you start to feel fearful about the uncertainty of an upcoming event, splash some cold water on your face, or smell some calming lavender oils, your brain will start to react to the sudden change, and you'll have less of an ability to focus on the worrisome thoughts. Find whatever works for you to shock your senses, and keep it handy whenever possible. 

4. Set a morning ritual

A morning ritual is of utmost importance. How to start your day determines how your day will be. If you wake up after hitting snooze button several times, rushing to get ready for work, then this will show its effect throughout your day. So have a morning ritual of grounding activities like, meditation, jogging etc.

5. Stop waiting 

Overthinking leads to the illusion that there is a perfect time for doing something,  which in turn leads to procrastination. For instance, if you want to start a business, overthinking can create the following scenarios in your mind : What if I don't have enough time? What if capital runs out? What if I do not get enough customers? Am I ready to start a business? 

Eventually, you might just end up not starting your business. However, it is good to note that there is never a perfect time for anything. 

There is never a perfect time to start a business, to get married, to have kids, to start writing a book or to do sanything else. If you start overthinking, you will never get anything done. Therefore, if you find yourself overthinking about all the things that are not in place for you to do whatever you want, remind yourself that there is never a perfect moment and start doing it right now. 

6. Focus on the present 

The other way to stop overthinking is to shift your focus 'here and now'. When you do this all of your overthinking just fades away. Overthinking can be dangerous and unproductive. It can get you off track very long down the road. So focus on the present moment and don't wonder around past or future if it does not help you in any way. 

7. Focus on solutions 

As Tony Robbins says "Identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions". The only way to stop overthinking for good is to take charge of your life. If you overthinking is caused by stress at work, rethink your career path. If you feel you're not where you should be in life, set goals for yourself so that you can get there. If you feel like life is out of your control, make a decision today to get back behind the wheel. These are big moves, and they take guts. Remember : No one controls your life but you - don't you want it to be extraordinary?

8. The power of letting go 

I suggest you that you should let go all of your negative and bad habits, belief and wrong assumptions of the world.  Start by eating healthier and let go of junk food, clean your personal space. When you do these things it creates a positive pattern of thoughts which helps you to reduce overthinking and with enough practice, completely eliminating it.

9. Get friends who are not over thinkers 

Your rational friends are probably the last ones to tell how to stop overthinking but that still doesn't mean they can't help. In fact, their sound reasoning is just what you need for overcoming all those uncertainties you've been obsessing about. 

Since so clear-minded, they can and should become your daily portion of reality. The sooner you let go of insisting that your thoughts are so complicated that nobody can understand you, the sooner, you'll be able to balance them out and see your problems for what they really are. 

Don't discard your friends' opinions, regardless of how harsh or simplified they might seem. Rational people have a whole other perspective on the world; and the truth is always somewhere in between. Listen to what they have to say : in time, their point of view might prove as much needed relief.

10. Filter information

You can cut down your time wasting on social media. It is because it may show you some content which can make you feel agitated, angry or frustrated. Stop watching TV or news especially negative news. You need to relax your mind and filter out unnecessary information from your head.

11. Calm yourself

Meditation and deep breathing are powerful tools in taking a step back from your problem and re-grounding yourself so that you can look at your challenge with fresh eyes. For a quick fix to slow your breathing, inhale to the count of four, hold your breath to the count of four, exhale to the count of four, and pause to the count of four, and pause for the count of four. Then repeat this cycle as many times as you need to feel calmer.

12. Self - Compassion 

Replace your Self criticism with Self Compassion. Practice saying compassionate words to yourself often and especially when you make mistakes. It makes you feel that you deserve compassion even though you are imperfect.

13. Create an 'Achievement File'

You might have many achievements to be proud of, but when you fail at something, you can feel sorry for yourself until you do something to bolster your Self -esteem. Over the years, you put together an 'Achievement File' to use for these times. Its a collection of thank - you cards, appreciative letters. Poring over these things can stop the voice in your head that wants to dwell on your mistakes.

14. Get an accountable person 

Find a person who know you very closely and who can distinct out when you are overthinking and remind you of that. It can be of great help. They can notice the patterns that led you to the enormous depth of overthinking.

15. Challenge your logical mind

A lot of overthinking involves panicked over - questioning. Once you go down the "what if" rabit hole, its easy to get lost envisioning all the terrible things that could happen. The problem with "what if" worry according to Carbonell, is that there is no actual problem! Its all hypothetical stuff that doesn't exist in the present. Rather than be consumed by endless theoretical worry, Marin suggest challenging your Irrational thoughts to test their logic. When "what if" worry nags you, Carbonell recommends asking yourself the following questions. Does the problem exist in the world around me now? If it does, is there something I can do to change that now?

If you answer "yes" to both; you can work on taking concrete action to resolve your issue. If not, you aren't worrying because you have a real problem - your real problem is worrying too much!

16. Be more goal oriented 

When you start overthinking, turn your mind towards your larger goals. You will notice that there is so much work to do rather than wasting time on overthinking. Set tangible goals and start working on them. Be specific and be so busy in your work that you don't have time for overthinking.

17. Be aware of your environment

Your environment stands to reason that if you are constantly subjected to stressful situations and people, it will impact negatively upon your mind. For example, one recent study investigated the impact of nature experience an efffect and cognition, finding that, compared to urban walking, walking in nature resulted in decreased anxiety, rumineration, and negative affect and preservation of positive affect and increased working memory performance.

So, get out of the concrete jungle, take a break from your moody friend for a while and find peace in your surroundings. You'll feel a whole lot better.

18. Hit the gym

Most of us tend to think about tomorrow's work after coming from work. I suggest you that hit the gym in your locality. It will help your blood flow and make your mind fresh. It is an effective way to stop overthinking.

19. Don't fear the fear

Whether you are afraid because you have failed in the past, or you are fearful of trying or overgeneralising some other failure, remember that just because things did not work out before does not mean that has to be the outcome every time. Remember, every opportunity is a new beginning, a place to start again.

20. Try something new 

Be open to new things, maybe travel, you can go for a trip. It helps you to get out of your mundane daily routine and gives you opportunity to explore. Your mind starts to function in a different way. There are so many things you can try out like yoga class, kung fu which you might have never done before.




          I hope you liked this article "How to stop OVERTHINKING". And of course, be kind enough to share it with your friends as well. 




Also read : "12 Simple steps to stop overthinking everything".




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