how to overcome overthinking
What Is Overthinking?
Overthinking means to think about something too often or for too long.
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This usually occurs more often for those that have low self-esteem, doubt themselves, and stress a lot.
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That’s why there’s a tendency to question self’s behaviour, relationships, past and the future.
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It also happens if you are fearful of certain situations that may come to see the light of day or suffer from anxiety.
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It comes with feelings of being stuck and out of control.
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It’s this life sucking, dwelling on every worst possible scenario energy source.
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If you’re reading this, you’re probably far too familiar with this concept so I won’t take too long explaining it.
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How To Identify It
Identifying when you are overthinking or situations that trigger overthinking will lead to healthier choices, behaviours, and you will ultimately overcome overthinking.
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If you are someone that overthinks absolutely everything – starting from what other people say, to something that happened in the past, and what could happen - and have been doing so for a long time, you’ve most likely developed a habit for it.
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Breaking thought patterns require the same consistency and effort that you would put into making or breaking any other habit.
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But for this you need a bit more awareness.
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To increase your awareness, you can start meditating and writing in a journal every day.
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These are crucial and the most effective tools to raise awareness.
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On one hand you are sitting alone with your thoughts, recognising what comes into your mind, and practising to let it go.
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On the other hand, you are reflecting on your day and jotting down your thoughts and feelings as well as what situations occurred during the day that made you feel some type of way.
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Look back at your journal at the end of every week and highlight the most common thoughts and feelings.
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This will help you gain clarity about your habitual thinking patterns and get you thinking about what you can do differently.
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Using CBT techniques is also a powerful way to make healthier thought patterns.
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For my particular “overthinking chaos” I came to a realisation that there are two particular keywords that trigger my overthinking patterns; what if and imagine.
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“What if we stop being friends? Imagine I never become independent.”
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You get the gist.
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Knowing that these keywords trigger overthinking, I have become more conscious of them and can stop myself from self-sabotage.
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What are your triggers?
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Apart from wasting energy and time because of overthinking, the worst thing that can happen is actually believing the negative thoughts and getting stuck in that cycle.
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Believing that the worst thing will happen, and that people think bad of you, or no one likes you – whatever you struggle with or are insecure about can lead to feeling depressed.
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If you can acknowledge the “bad” feelings and you know how to get over them, then that’s great!
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But if you don’t, it can lead to mental health issues and an overall pessimistic view.
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Please learn about your thought and behaviour patterns.
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I have written some detailed blogs to help you, now it’s up to you to help yourself.
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Okay, back to this blog.
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How To Overcome Overthinking
There are several ways to overcome overthinking.
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Once you’ve identified your triggers and when you are overthinking, you can start putting that energy and focus for something else.
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1). Use that energy for other activities, particularly a physical activity
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Go for a run, work out or play some sports.
Anything.
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Overthinking uses a lot of mental energy and it’s draining.
So, use that energy for something more productive.
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2). See the situation as it is right now
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To combat overthinking in a more practical way, you could write down about every possible scenario that you’re imagining.
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But instead of staying stagnant on “oh my god this is the worst thing that can happen, I can’t handle it”, shift your focus on to problem solving.
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How can I navigate this problem? What can I do about it? How can I prevent it?
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You will be able to prepare yourself.
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If you can’t do anything about it because it is out of your control, then let it go.
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There’s a greater good in every situation but we can’t always see it right away.
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That friendship/relationship you’re holding on to is a dead end.
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Maybe it’s time to let it go.
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That promotion you did everything for but still didn’t get could be rerouting you to get on with what you really want to do.
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This is not easy; most of the things I write about are also things that I need to hear.
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We are all in this together.
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3). Practice altruism
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People don’t think about something you said or did for as long as you do.
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There are those rare occasions where people remember, but that’s probably because they also hold on to things that they say or do and seek comfort in other people’s mistakes.
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Take nothing personally.
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Shifting your focus from yourself to meeting other peoples’ needs will help you immensely.
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It will boost your self-esteem and you will feel of value and worthy (if you didn’t before) and you will come to see that the things you overthink about are not as significant as you thought they were.
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I believe that we are here to create and serve other people.
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Find your purpose and act on it.
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4). Get a different perspective
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Talk to someone about what you’re worried about and get their advice on what they would do.
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How would they react to the same situation? What’s their method of handling this situation? What’s their thought process?
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Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, think about how things could go right.
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What if I do get the job? What if we communicate openly and we understand each other?
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5). Use affirmations
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You might have heard this cliché line before but I’m going to repeat it because its so true, “no amount of worrying will fix or change anything”.
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Acknowledge when you’re upset or worried and identify what triggered these feelings and work on resolving it.
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What’s the point of dwelling and holding on to anything?
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Life is short and everything is temporary. The universe is so vast that your problems are nothing compared to it.
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Affirm with me, “it is what it is, this too shall pass, I am worthy, I am enough, I am likeable, I am open and receptive to all the goodness and abundance the universe has to offer.”
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Use affirmations that mean something to you.
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I hope these tips come useful to you and share your own stories about combatting overthinking.
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What are your triggers? What do you do to stop overthinking?
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Read, share, comment, and let me know what you think!
