How to Stop Overthinking - Deepstash
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Are you suffering from Overthinking? How can it affect you?

Are you suffering from Overthinking? How can it affect you?

Overthinking can manifest in many different ways, not just mentally, but physically too. People often underestimate the physical toll overthinking can take on one's body.

Overthinking can cause:

  • Insomnia
  • General/Extreme anxiety
  • Overanalyzing the things/people around you
  • Developing a Perfectionism trait
  • Lack of self belief/esteem
  • Headaches, sore muscles and stiff joints
  • Mental fatigue that transfers to physical fatigue
  • Inability to focus

If you notice yourself feeling these things regularly and in the long run, it might be worth exploring the methods to handle your overthinking. Read this book.

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Ways to Cope with Overthinking

Ways to Cope with Overthinking

The two main culprits for overthinking are usually when people second-guess all their decisions or they can't accept that they don't have control and develop a "Perfectionism" as a way to cope.

Here a several ways you can stop the constant worrying:

  • Set a "worry time"
  • Acknowledge the "thought" or "worry" for "worry time"
  • Figure out the things that are in your control and the things that aren't.
  • Develop positive self-talk
  • Meditation
  • Replace worries with truths - you can't control the past but you can control the present
  • Replace "what ifs" with solutions.
  • Accept the unknown. We all face it.

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Methods to Stop Overthinking: 1. Set a "Worry Time"

Methods to Stop Overthinking: 1. Set a "Worry Time"

Setting a "Worry Time"

As silly as it may sound, scheduling a period of time where you give yourself time to worry, trains your mind to address the worries by telling them you don't have time right now, but you will get round to addressing it later. Make sure it is no longer than an hour.

Scheduling this time also allows you to give these worries your full focus and attention. This means you are more likely to be able to come up with effective solutions for these worries, or you may even realise there was nothing to worry about to begin with.

Try to end sessions with meditation or similar.

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Methods to Stop Worrying: 2. Acknowledge the Thought or Worry

Methods to Stop Worrying: 2. Acknowledge the Thought or Worry

Acknowledging your Thoughts

Sometimes it feels impossible to let go of a thought or worry because of how heavy or strongly you feel about it. With thoughts like these, it would be more obstructive if you tried to ignore them or forget about them, as it magnifies the intensity of the thought.

Treat yourself how you would with someone you were tasked to take care of. Acknowledge this thought or issue you are worried about. Write it down and understand that this thought is there rather than obsessing about the details.

Address these thoughts during the "Worry Time" mentioned in method 1.

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Methods to Stop Worrying: 3. Know What is out of Your Control

Methods to Stop Worrying: 3. Know What is out of Your Control

Figuring out what is out of Your Control

This often works best when it is guided by a qualified individual such as a Therapist or Councelor.

However if you want to try this on your own, sit down and write/think about the things you know you have absolute control over. In addition to this, write/think about the things you have no influence over and try to let them go.

An example of this is something like controlling the behaviour of another individual. You can't control someone else but you can control your reaction to their behaviour.

Try to focus on the things you have control over.

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Methods to Stop Worrying: 4. Develop Positive Self-Talk

Methods to Stop Worrying: 4. Develop Positive Self-Talk

Adopt a Positive Thought Process

There is power in the way you phrase your thoughts. When faced with an adverse situation or thought, speak to yourself as you would your friend or family when they need encouragement.

Replacing thoughts like "this is impossible" with "this may be hard but I can get through this" can be very powerful.

This may sound very mundane and silly to begin with, but once you've repeated this process for a long time, you are training yourself to look for solutions rather than giving up right away.

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Accepting the Unknown

Accepting the Unknown

"Do not become stagnant in the present, in preparation for the future."

This may be linked with Perfectionism. People often worry so much about all details about the future and the unknown that they spend all their time "preparing" for problems that they don't even know to exist yet.

There is nothing wrong preparing for problems you may face it the future. however, you need to understand that unexpected things are bound to happen and it is better to hope for the best.

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CURATED BY

saabir

💻 Software Engineering | 🏋🏽‍♂️Fitness | 🧘🏽 Self Improvement These stashes are notes to myself about ideas that come to me relevant to Programming, Game Development, and fitness. Striving to become a better version of myself everyday.

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