Overcoming overthinking is a never-ending battle. It has plagued me for many years and I really believe it is one of the reasons I have procrastinated so much. I have to say, overthinking is almost as big a cause of failure as procrastination itself!
So, I want to take this time to talk about how to stop overthinking.
What does overthinking do to you?
It pushes all your ideas into overdrive. It creates doubt and fear about your goals. This will drain all energy from you. You will feel over-stimulated and lose focus. Overworking your brain with negative thoughts and rumination can drain your energy, leaving you tired, sluggish, and overwhelmed.
You might notice I wrote, “allowing yourself to think”, not “letting go”. Overworking yourself triggers all sorts of thoughts that make you feel bad. So, instead of doing what I just mentioned, start allowing yourself to let go. Doing this will help you eliminate overthinking.
Why you should stop overthinking
Many individuals who overthink, worry and procrastinate find that they have severe depression as well. Even if a person has managed to deal with their problem, they find themselves dealing with bouts of clinical psychologists overthinking.
It may be hard to understand why overthinking is so damaging to your mental health, but overthinking is actually a major contributor to most forms of depression. People with overthinking problems often have a poor view of themselves and often choose to focus on the negative, which only exacerbates their depression. Therefore, if you are suffering from depression, you may want to try overthinking techniques like metacognitive therapy instead of simply turning to the medication that is available.
When you are faced with a stressful situation, your first impulse will be to solve the problem quickly. However, this only fuels your overthinking process, making it easier to focus on what is wrong with your life rather than fixing it.
You need to develop self-control in order to overcome your anxiety disorders. By using metacognitive therapy, you can learn how to recognize the overthinking process before you engage in it. This will allow you to focus on the task at hand instead of focusing on the problem you are faced with, which will allow you to solve your problems much more effectively.
How to stop overthinking?
Use a diary
One way to get rid of overthinking is to set up a diary or planner. Record your activities on paper or your organizer. You can then take one day out of each week to do a thorough self-evaluation of yourself. This will help you avoid overworking yourself, dwelling on past failures, and ruminating about future problems.
Imagine
Another way to get rid of overthinking is to use your imagination. Pretend for a minute that you are solving a particular problem by putting in various changes into your life. Then ask yourself how you can deal with a new situation, using these new ideas. When you stop thinking about your negative thoughts, you will stop overworking yourself.
Don’t overwork
Another way to deal with overthinking is to not indulge in overworking yourself. Try not to worry about what other people may think of you. Do your best to please yourself by working hard on your own projects. If you have a family member who nags you about a particular thing, turn that into something positive. Tell him/her to give it some time and that you will deal with it later.
Breathing exercises
One very good way to stop overthinking is to do some deep breathing exercises. Start by taking several deep breaths before each worrying thought enters your mind. The goal here is to relax your body from the tension that is caused by overworking yourself.
After you have finished a few deep breaths, you can then begin to worry about your problems. This will be a vicious cycle because as soon as you relax and enjoy your first few breaths, you immediately begin to worry about your overworking thoughts again.
You do have control over the way you think and overwork yourself, but you also have control over how you feel. The point of this metacognitive therapy is to teach you how to relax and let go of your worries so you can better take care of yourself.
This therapy is not an instant fix to overthinking or worry. It does require patience and time, but the effects are great. When overworking thoughts go clinical psychologist, you can finally relax and start enjoying your life again.
If you have trouble thinking and reasoning, overthinking will often times have the same results. This happens because psychologists believe overthinking has the same effect on all people, regardless of their age, intelligence, and gender.
A person who feels stressed out usually overcomes this state through engaging in activities that will help them relax, such as exercising, taking a vacation, or eating properly. Overcoming the anxiety disorders that overthinking leads to is much more difficult for some people than others.
