10 WAYS TO STOP
OVERTHINKING
When you overthink, your judgments get cloudy and your stress gets
elevated.
You spend too much time in the negative.
AWARENESS IS THE BEGINNING
You need to learn to be aware of when it is
happening. If you find yourself feeling stressed or
anxious, step back and look at the situation.
DON'T THINK OF WHAT CAN GO
WRONG, BUT WHAT CAN GO RIGHT.
When you focus on all the negative things that
might happen, it's easy to become paralyzed. Next
time you sense that you starting to spiral, stop.
Visualize all the things that can go right and keep
those thoughts present and up front.
DISTRACT YOURSELF
It is helpful to distract yourself with happy,
positive, healthy alternatives, such as
mediation, exercise or painting. It can make
you distance yourself from the issue enough
to stop the over analysis.
PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE.
It's always easy to make things bigger and
more negative than they need to be. Next
time you find yourself overthinking, ask
yourself how much it will matter in a few
years. Changing the time frame can help shut
down the thoughts.
STOP WAITING FOR PERFECTION
Being ambitious is great but aiming for
perfection is unrealistic, impractical, and
debilitating. The moment you start thinking
"This needs to be perfect" is the moment you
need to remind yourself, "Waiting for perfect
is never as smart as making progress."
GIVE YOURSELF A BOUNDARY
Set a timer for five minutes and give yourself
that time to think and worry. Once the timer
goes off, spend 10 minutes writing down all
the things that are worrying you, stressing
you, or giving you anxiety. When the 10
minutes have passed, throw the paper out
and move on to something fun.
DON'T PREDICT THE FUTURE
Spending time worrying about the future is
simply not productive. Spend that time
instead on things that give you joy.
ACCEPT YOUR BEST
The fear that grounds overthinking is often based
in feeling that you aren't good enough. Once
you've given an effort your best, accept it as such
and know that while success may depend in part
on some things you can't control, you've done
what you could do.
BE GRATEFUL.
Every morning and every evening, make a list of
what you are grateful for. Get a gratitude buddy
and exchange lists so you have a witness to the
good things that are around you.
CHANGE YOUR VIEW OF FEAR
Whether you're afraid because you've failed in the
past, or you're fearful of trying, 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.
