7 Ways to deal with overthinking

Spending a lot of time thinking over things, especially when all you want to do is to just stop thinking about it, can be quite frustrating. The feeling of being helpless to your own thoughts is tough. Here are 7 ways to help you take control and deal with overthinking.

Be Aware You’re Overthinking

None of the ways to deal with overthinking will be useful to you, if you are not aware of when you are overthinking. You need to first be aware of it and accept that you are overthinking before you can move forward and deal with it. Don’t make excuses for it; just accept that you are overthinking and deal with it.

Pay Attention to Your Thoughts

Overthinking is usually associated with negative thoughts, so you need to actually talk to yourself and admit the obvious fact that overthinking isn’t fixing the issue. Decide instead to think of the solution rather than dwelling endlessly on the issue. You can also think of and vocalize positive affirmations and beliefs about the issue, alongside talking to someone who can listen and give useful advice.

Distract Yourself

It’s not enough to pay attention to your thoughts and try to talk yourself out of overthinking, you also need to get out and do something to get your mind off the situation. Once you have decided to think of a solution rather than dwell on the issue, so you don’t start overthinking about the solution again, you can distract yourself with something you love to do or people you love to be around. You only need to accept beforehand that overthinking will not solve the problem, so you might as well be happy anyway. You don’t have to feel guilty or bad about it.

Put Things in Perspective

Over-thinkers tend to make mountains out of mole hills. So you need to stop and ask yourself, “Is it really that deep?” “Is it really this serious?” “Am I making a mountain out of molehill?” Learn to put things in perspective.

Let Not Yourself Be Afraid

It seems biblical, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, it is important not to let fear rule you. Over-thinkers tend to over think things out of fear – fear of the future, fear of not getting it right, fear of making the same mistakes, fear of not doing what they should etc. You should calm down and stop thinking about the worst that can happen. Just focus on doing the best you can, hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. In the end, regardless of what you do, you can’t control or predict the future not matter how hard you overthink.

Limit Your Thinking

Know when you have thought long enough about the issue, and when it’s time to move on.

Avoid People and Situations That Lead to Overthinking

This can be done based on an understanding of yourself and lessons learnt from past experiences. You should be able to identify the situations and people that can potentially give you unrest and cause your mind to think endlessly.