When we are faced with a crisis, or if we have an important decision to make, many of us fall into the trap of overthinking. You get stuck on a thought wheel that goes over and over again with no break and no insight whatsoever. It’s the kind of thinking that does nothing but perpetuate its own existence.
We get this guilt-induced feeling that if we keep thinking on something long enough (usually constantly), then we will eventually come up with the right answer. All we have to do is think long enough, and BOOM!
If the current situation or the person in front of you is making you overthink about something then avoid that person or the situation. Do something else engage yourself with something interesting like movies, writing or making something.
Talk to Yourself:
If something is bothering you a lot which is making you overthink, then talk to yourself about the problem. If you don't want your family members to listen to that then close the door of your room then play a song and start talking to yourself loudly. Or you can go to a park and find an empty place where nobody can hear you, then start talking to yourself. This helps a lot to get over overthinking.
Commit To A Project That Maps To Your Goals:
Start setting your goals. Think about your goals thoroughly then start a project that maps to your goals. For example, when I had a problem with overthinking I started writing, 'cause I want to be a good writer. That helped me out a lot and now I am absolutely fine. Nothing bothers me.
Distract Yourself:
When you are dealing with overthinking distract yourself with something interesting, something that needs so much attention that your brain will be forced to distract from the current situation and get to working. You can do that by watching a suspenseful movie. Studies have shown that when someone views something suspenseful, the brain is forced to stuck to the present. Start working with your hands like cooking, writing, knitting etc. Working with you hands is especially good, because it engages your motor skills as well as your thinking process. Your brain simply doesn’t have the resources to split itself into a third activity, that of overthinking.
Enforce A Time Limit To Your Thinking and Document Your Thoughts:
If you’re going to overthink, just commit to it for a short amount of time. Give yourself permission to overthink, but only for 15 minutes. Set a timer, grab a pen and paper, and for the entire 15 minutes, write down everything that comes to your mind. Don’t stop to correct yourself (pretend there’s no eraser or backspace key), it doesn’t matter what you’re writing. You’re just letting yourself get it all out. When the 15 minutes are up, crumple up the paper and throw it out (or safely burn it) and move onto something else. Something fun. This will give you a lot of relief.
Turn Overthinking Into A Next Action Project in a Project Plan:
One big reason of overthinking is not knowing what will happen next. Overthinking thinking is usually unstructured thinking on something. Turn that energy into structured thinking. Determine what your next action will be. This will stop you from overthinking about everything at once. Crystallize your thoughts into a list of next actions and take the first step. Add the next to your calendar or to-do list, and know that you’re making progress.
Realize That Being Perfect Is Not Possible:
Nobody is perfect. Neither am I. Striving for perfection is the recipe of disaster. The sooner you give up those perfectionist tendencies, the sooner you will past the thing that occupies all your thoughts. Remember perfectionism is highly overrated. So always avoid being a perfectionist.
Stop Projecting The Worse:
Stop projecting the worse of what could possibly happen. Ask yourself what's the absolute worst that could happen and then be Ok with that outcome, coming with the appropriate response if necessary. This is an amazingly freeing step as almost immediately a light bulb in your head goes off. If the worst case scenario is not actually that bad, and of you know how you would deal with it if it comes, anxiety about that thing may disappear completely.
Think About The Big Picture:
This is the one that has worked the best for me over the past few years. It takes a little experience but if you ask yourself, “Will this matter in a month/6 months/1 year?” and the answer is “No” or “Not really”, then what’s the point in thinking it to death? If you do, in fact, determine that it will matter in a year, you can use this opportunity to leverage post-traumatic growth.
We get this guilt-induced feeling that if we keep thinking on something long enough (usually constantly), then we will eventually come up with the right answer. All we have to do is think long enough, and BOOM!
Avoid Situations and People That Can Lead to Overthinking:
Talk to Yourself:
If something is bothering you a lot which is making you overthink, then talk to yourself about the problem. If you don't want your family members to listen to that then close the door of your room then play a song and start talking to yourself loudly. Or you can go to a park and find an empty place where nobody can hear you, then start talking to yourself. This helps a lot to get over overthinking.
Commit To A Project That Maps To Your Goals:
Start setting your goals. Think about your goals thoroughly then start a project that maps to your goals. For example, when I had a problem with overthinking I started writing, 'cause I want to be a good writer. That helped me out a lot and now I am absolutely fine. Nothing bothers me.
Distract Yourself:
When you are dealing with overthinking distract yourself with something interesting, something that needs so much attention that your brain will be forced to distract from the current situation and get to working. You can do that by watching a suspenseful movie. Studies have shown that when someone views something suspenseful, the brain is forced to stuck to the present. Start working with your hands like cooking, writing, knitting etc. Working with you hands is especially good, because it engages your motor skills as well as your thinking process. Your brain simply doesn’t have the resources to split itself into a third activity, that of overthinking.
Enforce A Time Limit To Your Thinking and Document Your Thoughts:
If you’re going to overthink, just commit to it for a short amount of time. Give yourself permission to overthink, but only for 15 minutes. Set a timer, grab a pen and paper, and for the entire 15 minutes, write down everything that comes to your mind. Don’t stop to correct yourself (pretend there’s no eraser or backspace key), it doesn’t matter what you’re writing. You’re just letting yourself get it all out. When the 15 minutes are up, crumple up the paper and throw it out (or safely burn it) and move onto something else. Something fun. This will give you a lot of relief.
Turn Overthinking Into A Next Action Project in a Project Plan:
One big reason of overthinking is not knowing what will happen next. Overthinking thinking is usually unstructured thinking on something. Turn that energy into structured thinking. Determine what your next action will be. This will stop you from overthinking about everything at once. Crystallize your thoughts into a list of next actions and take the first step. Add the next to your calendar or to-do list, and know that you’re making progress.
Realize That Being Perfect Is Not Possible:
Nobody is perfect. Neither am I. Striving for perfection is the recipe of disaster. The sooner you give up those perfectionist tendencies, the sooner you will past the thing that occupies all your thoughts. Remember perfectionism is highly overrated. So always avoid being a perfectionist.
Stop Projecting The Worse:
Stop projecting the worse of what could possibly happen. Ask yourself what's the absolute worst that could happen and then be Ok with that outcome, coming with the appropriate response if necessary. This is an amazingly freeing step as almost immediately a light bulb in your head goes off. If the worst case scenario is not actually that bad, and of you know how you would deal with it if it comes, anxiety about that thing may disappear completely.
Think About The Big Picture:
This is the one that has worked the best for me over the past few years. It takes a little experience but if you ask yourself, “Will this matter in a month/6 months/1 year?” and the answer is “No” or “Not really”, then what’s the point in thinking it to death? If you do, in fact, determine that it will matter in a year, you can use this opportunity to leverage post-traumatic growth.
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