5 Steps to stop overthinking before taking any actions
Why it happens and How I did it
Why we Overthink
If you would had asked me this question couple of days ago then I would have said “No Idea buddy. I’ve been asking the same question to myself”.
Initially let’s explore Top 5 reasons why we overthink on a specific topic :
- No prior knowledge
- Doubting yourself
- Afraid of messing it up
- Fear of Criticism
- Don’t Resonate
Let’s dig into for a moment,
No prior knowledge
Knowing what to do is not enough sometimes. To take action you need more Intel like what will be the cause and effect of the action? Will it be the way you predicted? or will it differentiate significantly? and more.
Doubting yourself
Meanwhile, many of us have prior knowledge but nervy or frightened to make a move towards it.
Afraid of messing it up
This happens because of PTSD and due to unnecessary unsubstantial prejudice. Another reason could be a false mindset.
Fear of Judgement
You now have gathered that all these reasons are inter-related on different levels which leads to fear of people’s judgement or criticism. Low self-esteem can cause room for other people’s opinions.
Don’t Resonate
This happens due to sometimes you don’t feel motivated or inspired enough to take actions or you are waiting for the your turn.
Here’s how I did it
Note : The points given below are more general and are applicable to most of your Remember that it takes sometime to adapt following points. Just keep an positive attitude and believe in yourself.
Have a Break
Why you should do this?
In current fast life where getting things done is almost everyone’s top priority, there is no room for taking a break and calming your mind. And “No, browsing social media is not the way to do it”.
How you should do this?
Calming your mind is like relaxing your thought process without any resistant and you can do it by taking a quick 10 minutes nap or taking a walk around neighbor hood or listen to your favorite music.
What will it do for you?
It will help you loosen up and de-stress you mind for ideas to flow fluently.
Educate yourself
Why you should do this?
Improving yourself by feeding some information could support you in the decision making process. It also provides perspective to find a solution.
How you should do this?
Do deep surfing about related issue on any search engine. You can use google dorks for deep searching. You can search for online forums, chat rooms, articles, related videos where people share their experience.
What will this do for you?
It will be your kick-starter.
Consult
Why you should do this?
Consulting or asking someone’s experience who have recently overcome challenge like yours successfully might lead you to your solution.
How you should do this?
You can ask someone of your friends and family or from your work group for this who has experienced this state and successfully overcome it. Another way you can do it by joining some online clubs and forums for more knowledge.
What will this do for you?
It will increase you chances of getting more accurate and reliable solution for you.
Find out alternatives
Why you should do this?
lets assume for a moment that the first option somehow didn’t worked . So for case like this wont affect your situation you need a backup plan.
How you should do this?
First you need to gather the alternatives.Your next step is to eliminate the alternatives which don’t work for your current situation. After elimination you will have remaining points for evaluation. You can evaluate by Do’s and Don’ts.
What will this do for you?
This will give you plan B and plan C if your plan A didn’t work.
Compare alternatives than the experience
Why you should do this?
The main benefit you will get by comparing alternatives is it will give you clear understanding of which steps to skip and which to consider. Another advantage of equating options is that it gives you ability to create a new customize solution for your situation.
Reason why we should not compare experience is that everyone has different experience because of variation in situation. The experience you will have could be different than the experience of a person you came around — the reason could be at that moment your situation and action will be more reliable than the other person.
How you should do this?
We will apply the same strategy as we applied in finding alternatives.
What will this do for you?
This final approach will provide you clarity of alternatives and ability to apply acquired or customized solutions for your obstacle.
That’s how I overcome overthinking
Now you have to choose whether you should do the same — Because you absolutely can.
If a middle class guy from India with minimal grammar and spelling skills can overcome his fear of writing his first blog, then you can too.
Remember we humans have consciousness and intelligence not to do the same work like animals. Challenge yourself everyday while being thankful for what you have.
