How To Stop Overthinking
Do Not Tire Yourself Out
Thinking is a crucial part of our lives. It helps us publish great articles, accomplish extraordinary tasks and make progress in everything we do. We already know that thinking is what marks our mental development and establishment. But,
Every good deed comes along with a bad one.
Thinking enhances our creativity, but excessive thinking tires our minds and leads to productivity loss. When we overthink, we can’t bring ourselves to do actual work. Instead, we keep relying on these compulsive and unproductive thoughts, which makes overthinking as dangerous as fire.
Additionally, when you’re constantly thinking about a thing, person, or moment, you might believe your opinions and thoughts are the only correct ones. You start believing you’re the only right person while the rest of the world seems irrational.
Suppose you think about a long-distance friend of yours. You start to wonder if he’s miles away on his own and might be in danger. Various scenarios keep popping into your mind.
Eventually, you call him to ask if he’s doing alright. The moment he hangs up after convincing you that he’s alright, you still wonder if he’s safe despite his assurances.
The person who’s there keeps telling you he’s fine and managing perfectly, but you can’t stop being paranoid and imagining situations that may never happen.
Stop overthinking about why you’re overthinking. All you have to do now is figure out which of the following is the reason for your overthinking and read it to the end.
Overthinking has no limits. During overthinking, everyone imagines different scenarios and experiences various thoughts. So it’s impossible for me to know everybody’s thoughts.
However, if you’re going through a similar situation as the one I’ll describe, explore that reason with me.
Let’s get started:
1- About A Past Memory In Particular:
If you end up finding yourself clinging to a memory that keeps haunting you, possible reasons might include:
- Regret: If your memory is related to doing something wrong or weird that ended in drastic consequences, then it’s the regret that haunts you. You might be considering if you hadn’t done that, the situation might have been different.
- Hope: If that memory is related to somebody else doing something wrong to you, you might overthink it, hoping to find something positive about it. You hope that they may have other intentions rather than hurting you.
- Fear: Fear is the primary reason for overthinking. You often go through such scary moments in life where fear dominates your mind. You are unable to stop yourself from thinking about it and ultimately feel traumatized all the time.
How to overcome it?
Move on.
Yes, move on.
Let me explain how. You are unable to change anything now. Time has passed. What you can do is avoid repeating those mistakes.
Write about all of your haunting memories in a diary. Write as much as you can, making sure not to leave out a single detail. Write about every second in that diary. Then, burn your diary. Burn it until there’s nothing left. Watch it burn until only ashes remain. You will feel most satisfied in your life.
2- About Somebody:
When you’re thinking about someone, there’s only a single reason behind it: ‘care.’ You can’t stop thinking about them or moments connected to them because you care about them.
In most cases, people tend to overthink about their family. Everyone cares about their family the most and worries about them all the time.
As long as you’re overthinking about your family member, a little overthinking is alright. But if that person is not your family, you should gather your thoughts and put your acts together.
Possible Reasons:
- He may have been rude towards you, that bothers you.
- He had been exceptionally kind to you, which left a strong impression.
- Intentionally or unintentionally, you might have done something wrong to him.
- You might be thinking about him because he’s special to you.
There may be various reasons for you to overthink about a person.
How to overcome it?
- If you’re overthinking due to his rude behavior, there’s nothing to worry about. Stop worrying about how other people treat you. If it keeps bothering you, try talking to him and sorting everything out.
- If you think you have done something wrong to him, apologize to him.
- If you have other reasons, talk to him. Having a proper conversation is what helps in such situations.
3- When someone compliments you:
When someone compliments you, you feel a confidence boost in you. But if someone says something negative about you, you might start to overthink, wondering if you are actually what they’re saying.
This situation mostly occurs to people in their workplaces. Your boss or supervisors may confront you, saying,
‘You do this at work, right?’
After you deny it, they mention that they’ve been told by one of your colleagues. This can lead you to become delusional, wondering if you actually did it and somehow forgot about it. You become unsure whether you did it or not.
How to overcome it?
- When you become overconfident after someone compliments you, you think you’re the only competent person. And everyone keeps complimenting you. Consider it a sign that this might be your last compliment.
- If you don’t want it to be your last one, only say a simple ‘thank you’ and let it warm your heart instead of overthinking about it.
If you hear something negative about yourself:
- Take a deep breath.
- Smile.
- Forget about it.
Why dwell on what you hear about yourself?
Their opinion doesn’t matter anyway.
- If you think it’s true, take it as an opportunity to improve yourself. If it’s all lies, just smile and laugh.
Shrug off bad compliments and move on; they don’t define your value.
4- After Shopping:
Sometimes, after purchasing something expensive for themselves, people wonder if they shouldn’t have bought it. They constantly think about it to the extent that they don’t even open or start using the item, considering whether they should return it.
It’s interesting how some people would buy everything for others, but when it comes to buying for themselves, they struggle to use them.
How to overcome it?
If you feel bad every time you purchase something for yourself, start buying more things for yourself than others.
Buy for yourself frequently, even small things. Buy things you would buy for others without hesitation.
Don’t forget to put yourself on your shopping list, you deserve the best of what life has to offer.
The money you’re spending on yourself isn’t wasted. It’s a form of investment to make you feel happy and practice self-love.
5- When Talking To Someone:
If you find yourself overthinking before, during and after talking to someone it may indicate that the person is extremely important or perceived as out of your league. (like a prominent businessman, your boss or sometimes certain relatives.)
At times like this, anxiety and overthinking go hand in hand. You might spend hours thinking about what you should talk about with them. But when times come, you stumble.
How to deal with it?
Trust yourself and stay true to who you are. You don’t have to spend hours wondering what to talk about. All you have to do is:
- Behave well.
- Be polite.
- Engage in respectful conversation.
- Also, give them a chance to speak.
- It’s better not to overdo physical contact.
And you’re good to go.
6- During Decision-Making:
Overthinking at times when making a decision that can affect someone’s entire life is understandable. However, in trivial matters, it must be avoided.
- If you want to go, then go, and don’t go if you don’t want to. Learn how to say NO.
- If you want to do something thinking it will work out for you, go for it, regardless of the consequences. Even if you do something after a year of thinking about it, you still would be alone to face its consequences.
How to deal with it?
For such matters, talk to your family and friends. They are the ones who can provide you with the best advice and guide you towards the best option for you. If it concerns your business or job, consult your advisor and colleagues.
If you try to make a decision yourself while overthinking, there are chances you may overlook the best option, considering it a bad choice due to overthinking.
7- More Reasons
If you tend to overthink when you’re starting a new chapter in your life, such as getting married, beginning university, or launching a new business, your best solution is to:
- Keep calm
- Stick to your routine
- Find ways to change your mindset and improve for the future
- Read books
- If you’re getting married, try a skincare routine
- If you’re overthinking about your business, observe how it progresses
Always try to figure out the best solution according to your problem.
Time To Think Critically
If you tend to overthink everything or have more than three reasons to worry, it’s a sign to consult a therapist or an expert.
Don’t just rely on me or Google. Talk to your family, friends, and your therapist.
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:)
