‘STOP OVERTHINKING AND CALM YOUR MIND’

BHAWANA LAMICHANEY

Thinking about something in endless circles — is exhausting

There’s a saying that “Don’t get too deep, it leads to over thinking, and over thinking leads to problems that don’t even exist in the first place.’’

Overthinking is exactly what it means, thinking too much. When you think too much, instead of acting and doing things, you are overthinking. When you analyse, comment and repeat the same thoughts over and again, instead of acting, you are overthinking. This habit prevents you from taking action. It consumes your energy, disables your ability to make decisions, and puts you on a loop of thinking and thinking over and again. This is a kind of thinking that wastes your time and energy and prevents you from acting, doing new things and making progress in your life. It’s like tying yourself to a rope that is connected to a pole and going in circles again and again.

In this situation, they put more pressure on themselves. They then mistake that pressure to be stress, and there is more likelihood worry, anxiety and lack of inner peace. On the other hand, when you don’t overthink, you become more efficient, more peaceful and happier.

Although there's some evidence that suggests women are more likely to be overthinkers than men and that often causes mental health to decline and as your mental health declines, the more likely you are to overthink. In fact, your brain might try to convince you that worrying and ruminating is somehow helpful.

Signs of overthinking – When you become more aware of your tendency to overthink things, you are overthinker. It comes in two forms; ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. It is linked to psychological problems, like depression and anxiety. It's likely that overthinking causes mental health to decline and leads to many mental health compilations. Here are some important sings which will help you to recognize yourself if you are overthinker or not;

• I can’t stop worrying.

• I often worry about things I have no control over.

• I constantly remind myself of mistakes.

• I relive embarrassing moments in my mind over and over.

• I often ask myself "what if..." questions.

• I have difficulty sleeping because it feels like my brain won't shut off.

• When I recall conversations with people, I can’t help but think about all the things I wish I had or hadn't said.

• I spend a lot of free time thinking about the hidden meaning behind things people say or events that occur.

• When someone says something, or acts in a way I don't like, I dwell on it.

• I spend so much time either dwelling on past events or worrying about the future that I often miss what’s going on in the present.

Causes of Overthinking -

Overthinking is very common and may be caused by self-doubt; self-esteem issues; concern about repeating past patterns in relation to prior bad experiences; traumatic experiences; or anxiety. Overthinking makes it harder to enjoy life and can impact emotional regulation and sleep patterns, too. They don’t sleep well because ruminating and worrying keep them awake at night.

What Happens when You Overthink?

Overthinking is destructive and mentally draining.

·       You just can’t stop thinking about an event, a person, something that happened in the past, or on a problem. Instead of looking for a solution, taking initiative and being active, you just keep thinking and cannot get it out of your mind.

·       At times, when something bad happens, you think about the worst scenarios, with thoughts like “what if?” or “why?”.

·       You slip now and then into negative thinking patterns.

·       You worry about past mistakes or current problems and issues, and how they might lead to negative outcomes.

·       You obsess about or over-analyse your day-to-day experiences and interactions with people. You inflate every word, thought and event beyond really and reasonable proportions, reading into it things that aren’t actually there.

·       If this happens often, you are what psychologists call a ruminator, or over-thinker. Psychologists have found that over-thinking can be detrimental to performance, and lead to anxiety and depression.

In fact, it can make you feel like you’re stuck in one place, and if you don’t act, it can greatly impact on your day-to-day life. It can quickly put your health and total well-being at risk. Overthinking can trap the brain in a worry cycle. When ruminating become as natural as breathing, you need to quickly deal with it and find a solution to it.

How to Overcome Overthinking?

It’s easy for anyone to get caught up in overthinking. Fortunately, there are several mental strength exercises. you can do to change the channel in your brain from overthinking into a healthier mindset. A lot of people ask themselves “Why do I overthink?” and never come up with an answer. But stress and worry are emotions – and you can control your emotions.

As there’s a saying that “Let fear be a counselor and not a jailor.” It’s time to face your fears so that you can overcome them – and try these few ways to stop overthinking;

There are various ways to get rid of this habit, like watching TV, playing video games or listening to music.

·       Walking, swimming or exercising the body can also take your mind off temporarily from the habit overthinking. Anything that keeps your mind occupied with some activity that doesn’t allow you to overthink is okay.

·       Watch yourself when you overthink and see how time and energy consuming it is, how you are behaving passively, instead of actively.

·       Realize that thinking once, or a just a few times is enough. It leads you nowhere thinking over and again the same thoughts. You need to make a decision and act.

·       The matter is that you might revert to overthinking – ruminating over and again. The above tips would help you, but if you want to completely overcome this habit, you will need to go one step further. You will need to learn to focus and calm down your mind, so that you can easily prevent it from revolving around the same thoughts over and again.

·       Practicing concentration exercises enables you to control your thoughts and focus your mind on what you want to think, not on restless thinking and ruminating.

If you recognize that you tend to get caught up in overthinking, don't despair. You can take steps to reclaim your time, energy, and brain power.

So lastly, what I want to suggest to you all is please stop overthinking, once you discover how to stop overthinking and live in the moment, you’ll be happier, more rested and have a positive influence on those around you. Always remember that life happens for you, not to you. Even your negative emotions can lead to positive outcomes, if you treat them as a gift that have been given to help you grow. You will grow higher and shine brighter. Be kind to your mind, love yourself!

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