If you are ever wondering how to stop over analyzing, then you are in the right place. Do you find that, from time to time, you have a problem with overthinking? That your thoughts are constantly racing? That you find it difficult to take action or to take a step back and catch your breath? Let’s be honest, everything has become so fast-paced that overthinking has become habitual, causing a lot of stress and frustration.
When you’re caught up overthinking, there is a chance that you will find yourself falling into spirals of rumination. You end up repeating the same negative thought patterns over and over, experiencing heightened anxiety and self-scrutiny as a result. Overthinking can also distract you from the present moment and can reduce your ability to be insightful and intuitive; not to mention confident and positive. It can also, of course, make it more difficult for you to make decisions and to take action on things. Here are a handful of tips that might help you to reduce overthinking in your own life.
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Consider taking up mindfulness and meditation practices
Mindfulness and meditation practices have become very popular in recent years. Many people now using meditation apps and signing up for programs and courses that help to promote a heightened degree of mindfulness and presence in everyday life. Essentially, mindfulness – and many meditation practices as well – strive to emphasise the importance of the present moment. This helps people to bring their attention back to the present moment when it wanders.
Mindfulness meditation exercises might not be for everyone, but there are likely to be various mindfulness practices that feel right for you. You can integrate into your daily life in order to help you reduce the tendency to overthink and to become more present and more directly engaged with your everyday experience of life.
For example, you can make a point of consciously savouring your morning coffee and noticing and appreciating the flavour. Or, going for a stroll and paying particular attention to the way your surroundings look, and the sounds, you can hear. You can also engage in particular hobbies and pastimes that help to put you in a “flow state.”This is where you are so engaged in the activity and are not caught up in your thoughts.
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Get started and take action on things, without letting your mental chatter have too much of a say
Excessive overthinking and mental chatter can really get in the way of you taking action in your life. This can therefore lead to a very high degree of procrastination. It is very easy to talk yourself into things, and equally, talk yourself out of them. A lot of the concerns and thoughts that are causing you to procrastinate, are ultimately going to be misleading, shortsighted, or wrong. We, as humans, have a tendency to make a situation worse in our thoughts. Instead, thinking of negative alternatives and situations where it can all go wrong.
Many people find, for example, that starting work on a given project is actually a lot less frustrating in reality than it is in theory, and that procrastination is often driven by excessive thinking that makes things seem more daunting than they really are. For this reason, one of the best ways of escaping from the cycle of overthinking is often just to get started taking action on some task you should be dealing with, or that you want to deal with, without letting your mental chatter have too much of a say. Once you are “in motion” you will likely find that a lot of your own internal mental resistance ends up reducing significantly. Getting in the habit of taking action this way can also help to reduce the tendency to procrastinate another thing, over time.
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Get out and about, and experience a change of scenery
When I think about how to stop over analyzing, I try to physically escape from the situation, which in this case is my mind. Think of it like being stuck in a rut – the longer you are there, the worse the situation will evolve itself. Sometimes, overthinking can be exacerbated by remaining cooped up in the same place for a prolonged period of time, without a change of scenery or a significant change to your everyday routine. In particular, being stuck indoors can really exacerbate the tendency to overthink, and can make it more difficult to enjoy a better sense of perspective, and to direct your attention differently.
Go Travelling
So, that might be the excuse you were looking for to apply for an ESTA and to begin arranging your next travel outing. Getting out and about, and experiencing a change of scenery, can give you all sorts of new and interesting things to focus your attention on, and can in turn help to significantly reduce your tendency to overthink and ruminate. Many people find that when they travel and go on vacation, they experience a lot more inspiration and insight than they typically would at home – even if they’re simultaneously thinking and reflecting on different issues a lot less while on vacation than they would at home. Ultimately, the “mental space” that comes with travel might help to give the intuitive mind a chance to speak, as the normal chatter of the thinking mind takes a bit more of a back seat.
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Focus more on immediate habits and tasks than on long-term goals and plans
Often, if not always, overthinking is intimately connected to thoughts of the future and reflections of the past.
We all need to have some general sense of the direction we want things to head in. The ability to plan for things like a vacation or a home purchase, getting too invested in long term goals and plans will naturally tend to promote overthinking and heighten your stress levels simultaneously.
Focusing more on your immediate habits and the tasks that are right before you, than on long-term goals can move attention back to the present moment. It can also help you to overthink less – not to mention to experience less “analysis paralysis.”
It’s important to point out that by doing your best each day with whatever is right in front of you. Being mindful of your daily habits, while keeping a general sense of the direction you want to head in. You may be just as likely to experience overall success as you would if you were fixated on specific goals.
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Set yourself a time to switch off – and stick to it!
Likewise, you should set yourself a time to switch off from everything. So you should say to yourself I’ll be done with work, chores, blogging, working out by x time. And try your best to stick to it! Even if you don’t quite get that blog post finished.
Take some time for self-care
In addition, make sure you’re taking time to pamper and look after yourself. Whether that’s by having a bubble bath, doing a face mask, painting your nails or doing some hair care!
Tidy your room
I know this sounds like a bit of a weird one! But honestly, I think it’s so much easier to relax if the space around you is clean and tidy. Plus tidying and organising space can actually be quite therapeutic if done in the right way. Put on some music and take your time!
Journaling
Sometimes the best way to clear your head and how to stop analyzing is by writing everything down! Get yourself a journal! Make a priority to spend 5-10 minutes a day writing down what’s preoccupying your mind or causing you stress. Getting everything that’s in your head out on paper will help you to put things into perspective as well.
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Concluding Thoughts
When trying to understand how to stop over analyzing and stop overthinking, it is a gradual life change. If we stop thinking and transition to spending time trying new routes or even trying to distract ourselves; you are onto a winner. For the sake of your mental health and well-being, try to acknowledge when a situation is being overexaggerated. Chances are, the problem can be nipped in the bud and solved earlier and easier than expected. Don’t worry, be happy!
Hope this has helped in your venture of how to stop over analyzing – I wish you all the best!
