Do you regularly go over the same thought or situations in your own mind? You are not alone if you do this. You are part of the group of people who go through periods of overthinking. While you should think things through once in a while, doing it regularly can be counterproductive. It could even be harmful to you.
You can stop this practice of overthinking.
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Recognize when you are doing it. You need to identify those thoughts or the situations that are triggering this overthinking. Before you can stop it, you need to know when it is happening.
- For some, overthinking happens in specific situations. This could be being under pressure at work or it could be when dealing with a personal issue.
- For other people it is more general as when they are feeling stressed or anxious
- When you can identify what is causing you to overthink, you become more aware of it occurring and can start to prevent it.
Get your thoughts onto paper. When you are overthinking, writing down your thoughts is helpful. This clears your head and you can see the situation a lot more objectively.
- You can also identify patterns, like negative thinking or self-doubt when you write things down.
- Using a journal may be useful for keeping track of your thoughts and the progress you make if you overthink regularly.
Before addressing an overthinking situation, relax and calm down. When you have identified your overthinking triggers, you needed to take time to relax before you attempt to address them when they occur.
- Thinking clearly allows you to make better decisions. You can use many different methods to relax, take a break and do something you enjoy for instance.
- You can exercise or go for a walk in nature. Taking deep breaths or listening to calming music also works well. You could try aromatherapy or relax in a warm bath. Writing in a journal can also help.
You can see things more clearly by getting another perspective. Talking to someone else can be helpful when you start overthinking. You can gain a different perspective and see things more clearly.
- The person you choose should be someone you trust and is willing to listen without judgment. You may find it helpful to talk to a professional like a therapist or counsellor. You can reduce the frequency of your overthinking by talking about it.
- You can start the conversation just by explaining that you are struggling with overthinking and you want to talk about it. Just be honest about your feelings and what is going on internally.
- Ask for their opinions and you need to listen to their reply without judgment.
Focus on the present not the past or future. You can concentrate on the everyday things which can make you more aware of your thoughts and feelings.
- This can stop you from overthinking and see that your thoughts are just thoughts.
It is possible to break your overthinking habit. You can stop overthinking quickly by recognizing the thoughts and the situations that are the triggers. By talking with someone, writing things down and using the technique of elimination. You can break the overthinking cycle.
It may be helpful to keep a journal of your thoughts and the progress you make in a journal. Give yourself time to calm down after you have identified the ideas or situations that have triggered your overthinking before you address them. You will think a lot more clearly and make better decisions.
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