Stopping Overthinking Is The Way to Success
Overthinking is repetitional, unproductive thought that is unnecessary. Thinking is a gift from God. However, thinking that can not solve any problem is just a waste of time and energy. Overthinking harms our lives very badly. It is human nature that when we do overthink, it takes us to negativity.
Example: If we are in a beautiful garden with fresh greeneries and flowers, but on one side, there is also some garbage. Then, we’ll ignore the beauty of this place, and our whole focus will be on the trash. When we overthink, it sends a negative signal into our brain, and the brain starts to release hormones that show a negative response in our body. Do you know? For patients who are suffering from an anxiety disorder or depression, one thing common in them is overthinking.
Healthy thinking vs. unhealthy thinking:
Sometimes, we cannot differentiate between healthy and unhealthy thinking. When you are thinking about solving problems, this is healthy thinking. But repeatedly thinking about only the problem and its harms and being anxious about your strengths and frailties are unhealthy thinking.
Example: A country is at risk of an earthquake. Some people will get anxious. They start overthinking that if this happens, our house will break, and we will die, which is an unhealthy thought. Because of their thinking, they may get panic attacks. But some people think about precaution, like if an earthquake happens, we will calmly evacuate our house along with our family and our expensive things, which are healthy thoughts.
Types of overthinking:
Worries about the future:
Some people always worry about the future. What if this will happen or not happen, whether I get success or not? They always emerge themselves with future anxiety that has not happened yet, also not in their hand.
Rumination about the past:
Some people have experienced trauma or big mistakes in the past. They are always stuck in that particular incident and live in the past, not the present.
Mind reading assumption:
They are the people when someone talks to them, always make assumptions. For example, they think the way she spoke was not good, what was her intention? or she was thinking this or that about me. Also, when two people are talking, he assumes that these people may be saying something worse about him.
Indecisiveness:
These are people who can never make a small decision in life. What to wear or not to wear should I start the business? What if I failed? Because of overthinking, they cannot conclude.
Hopeless or worthless:
Usually, people with low self-esteem suffer from this type of overthinking. Hope is the light or motivation of life. But because of a lack of confidence, they become hopeless and start taking themselves as worthless, though they have abilities. This type of overthinking is dangerous. It can lead to self-harm.
How to stop overthinking:
- Live in the present
- Practice self-control
- Distract your mind
- Breathing exercise
- Challenge your thought
- Rubberband technique
- PMR Exercise
Live in the present:
Always remember the past is past, and the future has not come yet. Now the real is your present. So focus on it. Do one thing at a time. Live every moment of your life. Learn from a child how to live in the present.
Practice self-control:
Learn to control your emotions, reactions, and thinking. As a human by birth, we can balance. We just need to practice this.
Distract your mind:
If a thought is coming repeatedly, keep yourself busy, so that you don’t have the time for overthinking. You can do exercise. It releases good hormones that relax your body and mind. Also, you can use some coloring books for relaxation or grow something in your garden. Gardening is a helpful way to relax your mind. Nature heals us. Until overthinking has started, no negativity reaches into our brains.
Breathing exercise:
Breathing exercises immediately calm your nerves. But it is Crucial to do it correctly. Take a deep breath through your nose and puff up your chest. Hold this for 3 to 5 Seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth. During inhalation, think in your mind that you’re receiving all the positivity from the outside, and while exhaling, imagine that all your negativity is leaving your body through your breath.
Challenge your thoughts:
You can challenge your thoughts. When the negative Thinking is coming, you consciously stop them, tell them no, not now, I will think about them at night or after two hours, and take a deep breath. In this way, your thoughts shift in a limited time. When all overthinking has come at night, you sit. Write your thoughts Into a page so that your negative thoughts can come out positively, and take a deep breath to relax your mind. Do this before you go to bed. After going to bed, if overthinking has come, then tell yourself no, this is sleeping time, and you will think about them in the morning.
Rubber band technique:
Always wear a rubber band in your hand. Whenever overthinking comes into your mind, pull the rubber band and release it. You will get a little bit of pain. This pain will divert your mind from overthinking instantly.
PMR(Progressive muscle relaxation training)exercise:
This type of exercise relaxes your muscles. Until your muscles get relaxed, how can your mind get relaxed? Do some PMR(progressive muscle relaxation training) exercise once or twice a day.
Note:
Those who overthink always think it is impossible to stop their thoughts. But trust me, you have full power over your thoughts. It’s in your hand which signals you want to send in your brain, negative or positive.
So please identify your thoughts and work on them.
Practicing self-control is crucial in every step of your life.
