Are you struggling with overthinking? Here are three effective tips to stop it.

What do you think are the reasons behind overthinking? Is it the lazy mind or the laid back us or some uncontrollable factors?

I bet that you are now overthinking just to come up with the correct response. Oh! come on, you cannot deny this truth. This is exactly what I am pointing at.

It will be wise for us to think and not overthink at this juncture. Overthinking will only add on to the stress level and bring unwanted drama to our daily activities. History says loud and clear that overthinking has never helped to resolve issues rather has aggravated them. We must increase the depth of our thoughts and not fill the jar in excess to avoid spill over.

Things which we should have said or should not have. Things which we could have done or should not have. All of them may or may not deserve our focus but we end up spending most of our valuable time focusing on all the stuffs. In addition, we tend to shift our focus from our most crucial agenda to the least. It requires zero efforts to step into a never-ending thought loop but when it comes to exit, we do not seem to find one.

Photo courtesy — Executive Support Magazine

Now, here are 3 time-tested and empirical ways that will help detangle the complications of overthinking-

1. Just Act — It has been rightly said that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. We have to be conscious enough to detect the touch of overthinking. Whenever we find ourselves getting lost in thoughts, just stop them and start getting involved in some work. Here work does not imply scrolling the screen of your mobile. Intentionally, I made this bold as we all tend to turn towards this gadget. Binging in social media eventually gives a boost to unproductive thoughts (come on, you know the reasons pretty well). Instead, getting involved in positive activities like painting, home decor, meditation, cooking something special and uploading the same on YouTube, reading a book, indoor games, listening to your favorite genres, and many more will not only uplift our moods but also keep us away from overthinking. We only have to realize and take action at the right moment.
2. Spend time with nature — Humans are the most precious creations of nature but we always fail to embrace the gift and live life compulsively. Most of us seem to have limited knowledge of the power of human brain. One of the teachings of Buddha that is framed on the wall of my living room is, ' The Mind is Everything. What You Think, You Become '. It can be short and devoid of jargons but it is a strong message carrier on its own. Although being a part of nature, we have totally forgotten to spend some time in her lap. Whenever thoughts start forming a cloud around us, moving out of the current place, going for a stroll in the greens, looking at the trees, the blue sky, listening to the chirping of birds and any sort of connection with nature will help us to smash the unwelcoming thoughts as nature has ineffable healing properties.
3. Consciously say 'Just Stop Right Now' — We do not possess the power to control both the quality and quantity of incoming thoughts but we can definitely prevent ourselves from the damage caused by overthinking. The first step is to utter the words, ‘‘ Stop right now’ loudly, the moment we ascertain the danger of getting drowned in the mud of excessive thoughts. This is a very good practice and it has helped me too. Overthinking occurs irrespective of whether you are surrounded with people or all alone. So, hesitating to command our minds to stop in others’ presence can be debilitating for our physical and mental health as overthinking generates a rush of stress hormones that keeps circulating in the bloodstream. The next step is to carefully study the source of such thoughts and if any action is required, act on them. Overthinking will not help but taking action will.

This was another addition to my ‘Self-help’ collection and we all agree that overthinking is a part of our regular affair. Anyways, if anyone is a victim of overthinking, try these techniques and comment below.

(Appreciation and criticism are welcome).