Thoughts are compelling, and your thoughts lead you the way to make it a reality. Every human being can think, but sometimes overthinking can exhaust you completely. When people start overthinking, they find themselves stuck and are unable to move forward. At that time, people mostly come up with bizarre ideas that completely contradict each other. Once you start overthinking about certain things, you start worrying about different scenarios that may not exist in reality.
Overthinking can be energy-draining. As overthinking is simply the act of “thinking about something for a long time”. Studies have found that overthinking increases your stress level and reduces your mind’s creativity and ideas to make decisions.
This post will discuss several strategies that can help you avoid overthinking and being stressed up.
Stop setting up your day for stress and overthinking
You can’t avoid every stressful and overwhelming day. But what you can do is minimize them in your month and year by getting an excellent start to your day and not setting yourself up for unnecessary overthinking, stress, and suffering.
Three things that can help you with that are:
Get a good start
For example, doing some exercise, reading something uplifting over breakfast, and getting started with the most important tasks can set a good tone for the day and help you stay positive.
Do the single task and take breaks regularly
It is essential to know that a stressed morning ultimately leads to a stressed day. Consuming negative thoughts and information as you ride the bus to your job will lead to more pessimistic thoughts during the rest of the day.
This can help you get what’s most important done while also allowing you to take a rest. So, you do not start to run on fumes.
Minimize your daily input
Too much information, too many times of taking a few minutes to check your inbox, Twitter or Facebook account leads to more input and clutter in your mind as your day progresses.
Let go of the past
Overthinkers often focus on the past, expending their energy on “what ifs” and “should haves.” People who understand how to not overthink know that the past is just that. One cannot change it. The only thing you can do is to change the meaning you give to it.
There are two ways that you can use to reconnect with the present moment are:
Slow down
Slow down whatever you’re doing right now. Talk slower, move slower, and ride your bicycle slower.
Disrupt and reconnect
If you’re getting lost in overthinking, then disrupt that thought by shouting (in your mind) to yourself: Stop!
Take 1-2 minutes to focus entirely on what’s going on around you and then reconnect with the present moment. Take in each and everything happening around you. Feel it, hear it, see it, smell it and sense it in your skin.
Do not get lost in vague fears.
Another trap you must have fallen many times that have spurred on overthinking because you have gotten lost in vague fears about a situation in your life.
And so, your mind creates disaster scenarios about what can happen if you do something.
So, you will have to learn to ask yourself: honestly, what is the worst that can happen?
And once you figure out what the worst can happen, you can also spend a little time thinking about what you can do if that thing happens.
You will find that the worst that can happen is usually something that is not scary as what your mind with vague fears can produce. This process of finding clarity usually only takes a few minutes and a bit of energy and can save a lot of your time and suffering.
Get good quality sleep
It is one of the most commonly neglected factors in keeping a positive mindset and avoiding overthinking. You become more vulnerable when you have not slept enough.
Vulnerable to getting lost in thoughts going around in your mind as you overthink. So, we’re going to share a couple of tips that can help you sleep better.
Keep your bedroom cool
We know it can feel like ice to get into a warm bedroom. But have you ever experienced sleeping in a cool bedroom? Studies found that one can sleep better with fewer negative and scary dreams if they keep the bedroom cool.
Don’t force yourself to go to sleep
Avoid forcing yourself to go to sleep if you don’t feel sleepy. That will only lead to tossing and turning in your bed for an hour or more.
If you’re facing the same problem, try to wind down for an extra 20-30 minutes on the couch with, for example, some reading. This can help you to go to sleep faster and, in the end, get more sleep.
Keep the earplugs with yourself
If the noise quickly awakes you, then a pair of simple earplugs can be a lifesaver for you.
These inexpensive items can help you get a good night’s sleep and sleep through snorers, noisy cats and other disturbances.
Spend time with the people who don’t overthink things
In avoiding overthinking, your social environment plays a big part. Not just the people close to you in real life. But also, what you listen to, watch, and read.
So, think about any sources in your life that tend to create more overthinking in your mind. And think about what sources have the opposite effect on you.
Find ways to spend most of your time with the people who positively affect your thinking and less on those sources that tend to strengthen your overthinking habit.
Conclusion
Overthinking is natural. It’s not genetic. Many people have developed the skills over time to control their emotions and avoid getting stuck in a spiral of overthinking. To avoid overthinking, one needs determination and the right set of tools with a strong mind.
You should stop thinking about the things that can backfire. The more you avoid the thoughts from entering your brain, the more they will keep popping up. The strategies mentioned above can help you avoid overthinking and being stressed up.
