Overthinking is Deleterious

Why does my mind just cannot stop thinking?

I am worried.

I am unable to concentrate.

Did you ever experience the above statements popping up in your mind?

“Thinking too much leads to paralysis by analysis.” – Robert Herjavek

Overthinking is a hazardous habit that mentally drains you. It gives a pause to your life.

Overthinking doesn’t let you live peacefully.

We generally overthink when we are not confident about what we do. Overthinking often leads to poor judgments. You generally think that overthinking is helping you in fixing your problems but the reality is it messes up.

Overthinking will eventually give rise to anxiety, depression, stress, it will affect your sleep and appetite and you will also be prone to many other psychological illnesses. We generally overthink about the mistakes that we have committed in the past.

When you are in a despairing situation you tend to overthink about the consequences which will even more trouble you.

You will be unable to focus on the other work that is more important than the situation that you are overthinking about.

Happiness and overthinking are enemies.

Where there is a place for overthinking, happiness vanishes. If you have committed many mistakes earlier you just need to learn from it but what generally we do is rather than forgetting about it and move on we rethink, we curse ourselves, tend to imagine the reactions of others, and regret for what we have done. When you know what has happened cannot be changed why is it necessary for us to think too much about it?

Overthinking just wastes your precious time.

For instance, when you have given a speech for the first time: You will have these dialogues continuously playing in your mind,

Did they like my speech?
He was laughing
Was I looking funny?
Was my speech boring?
I saw that guy yawning when I rendering my speech, I think it was boring.

We not only overthink about our past but also think too much about our future as we are more concerned about it. Rather than executing your plan of action, you half of the time overthink about it.

For instance, you will have these dialogues continuously popping up in your mind

What if I am unable to succeed?
It’s not that easy task.
There are very few people who could succeed
It’s better if I find another alternative.

Overthinking lowers your self-confidence, you doubt your self, it demotivates you and you start feeling worthless and hopeless.

When you think about a problem you will find a solution but when you think too much about it, it’s like you are inviting those problems that didn’t even exist. When you have accomplished a certain task just stop thinking too much about it instead, just relax.

“When you’ve had a life of overthinking, you have the same reaction time and time again. Shyness becomes habitual. When you’re put in an unfamiliar situation, all you want to do is retreat and hide by default. You watch but don’t participate. You listen but don’t respond. You read but rarely comment. You take a photo, but you rarely post. You write, but you rarely publish. All of this is because your overthinking mind cannot stop thinking about how you will be perceived by the outside world.”– Joel Annesley

HERE ARE SOME FEW TIPS TO GET RID OF OVERTHINKING

Question yourself:

Realize that you are thinking too much and when you realize it, try to question yourself by asking: will it help me if I am thinking too much about it? Is it the right time to think about it?

Be Positive:

Try to be optimistic. Do not try to analyze anything in detail. Be around people who can refresh your mind. Even if you have committed any mistake just try to be positive -learn from your mistakes rather than freaking out. When given a task try to trust yourself and try to tell yourself that “I can do it”, do not let negative thoughts enter your mind.

Engage yourself:

Try to keep your mind busy. Try to be aware of what kind of thoughts constantly runs in your mind and when you are aware of it try to engage yourself in other activities. Do not give a chance to your mind to think too much. Deviate your mind by engaging yourself in exercising, cooking, playing. Try to read inspirational books, watch inspirational videos, entertain yourself by watching comedy shows. listen to cheerful music which will lighten up your mood. Stop listening to emotional songs if you are feeling depressed.

Consult a psychologist:

Share your thought process with them. Sometimes when you are unable to handle it anymore it’s important to consult a psychologist as they can help you and suggest some pertinent ways to get rid of overthinking.

Enjoy your present:

Stop thinking too much about your past and future instead live in the present. Try to be in a happy environment. Don’t think about what will go wrong and right. Appreciate everyone. Try to jot down the things that you are thankful for and just go through it it will make you feel happy.

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”- Buddha.

Allot time:

As you are suffering from overthinking allot some time to think about a specific issue and then after do not let the thought enter your mind anymore as in for instance- if you are thinking about the presentation that you have given earlier try to think, analyze and worry about it only for five to ten minutes.

“Only one person can help yourself is YOU”- Krishna Bhanuse.

If you are determined to get rid of thinking too much only then you will be successful in it. If you are not determined, none of these tips will work.