How to stop overthinking?

“To overthinking is a catastrophe” so, how to stop overthinking? In today’s world overthinking is emerged as a catastrophe and taking a shape of a pandemic.

 

Overthinking and other mental disorders like anxiety and depression engulfed the whole world.

It is not a disease, which causes death.  But a source of death. Which put us on the doorstep of the mouth of death. Like suicide.

Overthinking is a natural phenomenon. Nobody can be denied that they never overthinking. It emerges as a problem for u s.when overthinking is prolonged and becomes ingrained in our habits. So before discussing how to stop overthinking. We know about its components.

 

There are two components of overthinking: Ruminating and worry.

Ruminating–

 

Ruminating has two meanings one is scientific, used about animals such as cows to bring back food into the mouth from the stomach to chew it again.

Another meaning is to think deeply and carefully about something or replay your thought over and over in your mind.

These thoughts are like past regret and self-loathing. Which grip us into the past. Our thought put us in a maze of thoughts deeply. That we never come out from the maze and keep going inside.

For example when we get divorced or break our relationship. We have regret. Because we assume ourselves as culprits.

We think like that if I gave more time to my relationship. So we would not have broken up? Is there no true love in my destiny?

When these types of thoughts come into our minds continuously. It is a symptom of overthinking.

 

Worry–

 

Worry means, thinking about a problem or unpleasant thing that might happen in a way that makes you unhappy and frightened.

We all are worried about something. Worrying nature starts from the womb and ends at the tomb. So, we cannot end the urge to worry. Mainly we have worried about our future.

Instead of worrying about our future. Worrying about our present is best. We are like a farmer, which only crafts the seed in his field and assumes to get lofty crops, without nurturing the seeds.

If we do not do efforts to make our present. How do we assume that our future will flourish?

Sometimes we are pre-judgemental or pre-decisive about anything. Like before we go to interview. We think that we are not selected. So, if these types of thoughts engulfed us. We are in danger.

 

How do we know or identify that we are overthinking?

 

 

Before we discuss, how to stop overthinking or change your thinking habits. We first know about the symptoms of overthinking.

1. When your past trauma replays over and over in your mind.

2. When you are obsessively worried about your future.

3. When you found that your sleeping pattern will change because of your thinking process.

4. When you restrict yourself from participating in social gatherings and family occasions means isolating yourself.

5. When you’re not focusing on your work because of your thoughts.

6. When you feel emotionally weak. Like anger, Sorrow and fear in your daily work.

7. When negative thoughts grip you.

8. When you give more emphasis on searching for the hidden meaning behind people’s say or events that occur.

9. When you always remember your fault.

10. When you are always in the grip of regret about your past and worry about your future.

These are some symptoms. Which you identify that you are overthinking.

 

How to stop overthinking.

Till now we understand the two components of overthinking and how we identify that. What we are going through from overthinking trauma or not.

Before we discuss how to stop overthinking. We should keep one thing clear cut in our mind. As I mentioned above that, overthinking is a natural phenomenon. This means it is an inbuilt feature of human behaviour.

So, when we do efforts to eliminate the urge of overthinking. We don’t find success. Therefore, the best way to find success in overthinking is to control or avoid the overthinking urge.

These are some tips to stop overthinking.

 

1. Emphasis on growing your present rather than ruminant your past and worry about your future-

 

The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment. By Buddha

Generally the maze of future and past is a measured source of mental disorders. If you study the problem thesis of mental patients.

You found that few have past regrets and others have worried about their future speculation.

If your question from yourself. Do I have the power to go into the past? Do I have the power to know about or speculate about the future?

Your answer probably will be NO. Because there are two things, over which human being has no control. One is life and death and the second is time.

So, to ruminant about your past is worthless. You have no power to go into the past and mitigate the wrongs. Therefore why do we think about the past? It spoils your present and future.

On other hand, if you are worried about your future. It is also meaningless. Because of the building that you will imagine in future. Which foundation should be put in present. And if the foundation is not strong. How do you prepare a lofty building in future?

So, it’s better than to worry about your future. Work on your present. If the present is good your future will automatically flourish.

 

2. Mindfulness practice-

 

Mindfulness is like a ray of light. Which enable our concentration to look Deep into our heart. Looking Deep into the heart enables understanding.

Which helps to understand our pain, happiness, and fear. Mindfulness practice or meditation is not running away from our pain. But it is contrary, to look face-to-face into your pain.

It’s showing you a path to cope with your pain. So, if you know how to cope with your pain? You know to avoid overthinking.

Mindfulness practice is very easy to do. You only give 20 minutes to recharge your mind and stop overthinking.

Start your day with 2 minutes of mindful practice on your bed. Inhale and exhale deeply.

Your focus should be on your breath. It helps to awaken your mind and draw positive vibes from all over the universe to your mind.

The second schedule of your mindfulness practice starts. Before your daily schedule of work starts. Give 10 minutes to yourself and keep the same breathing practice.

You may do it on your desk or in your car before inter into your office. This practice helps you to maintain focus and avoid Distractions for the whole day.

You also apply one minute of Mindfulness practice in one hour. Mostly after lunch. Because when the day progresses you feel tired, your mind will be distracted and your productivity will deteriorate.

For 1-minute mindfulness practice. You set an alarm. Which keeps you reminded. When you heard the alarm, stop the activity and start a Mindfulness practice.

It helps you to rid of mental tiredness and keeps you sharpened and energetic. The last 10 minutes of your working hour are most important for you.

Because you face the transition yourself from professional life to personal life. Doing the same practice of breath. which you do above.

It helps you to release all your stress in your office. And go to your family with new energy.

So, mindfulness practice helps you to focus on your target and avoid distraction. It helps you to understand your feeling and your pain deeply. And identify the root cause of your pain.

Through the practice of mindfulness, we make our insight strong to fight mental ups and downs.

 

3. Distract your mind from the thoughts of overthinking-

 

The best way to control the urge of overthinking is to distract your mind from the thoughts of overthinking. You can involve yourself in other work. In which you feel joy and interest.

Sometimes this type of thinking is occurring. When we feel bored with our work. Due to not taking interest in our work, we do not know about our goal. A famous proverb is fit here “An empty mind is the house of 😈”

So, for eliminating the boringness, we first set our goal. To take interest in our work. We have to make our work creative. Like Facebook do for its employee. Facebook constructed an office on the roof. To give the employee a natural atmosphere of pleasure.

You distract your mind by the use of others’ means. Like, Listening to music, going outside with your friend and family member, enjoying your hobbies, and cooking food for your family member.

 

4. Positive thoughts-.

 

You heard about the law of attraction. The law of attraction work on the rule of powerful thoughts of yours. This means your thoughts compliment your behaviour.

If your thought is positive your behaviour will automatically positive. If your thoughts are negative your behaviour will automatically negative.

I would like to tell you the story of Jack canfield author of the famous book series “chicken soup for the soul” one of the best sellers books.

Jack was not always so successful. His father negative’s thoughts always stopped him from getting rich. His father always advised him.

Rich people are corrupt. They earned money by doing fraud with others. Money is not growing on the tree. If you think I am a rich man.

This negative advice converts thoughts of Jack, into negative thoughts and stops the urge to have rich.

Then Jack met with his mentor. which taught him to dream big. He taught, Jack to set a very big goal. When he achieved it, he will be surprised to see the height of his success.

To know the truth of the statement. There was only one way to try it.

Till that time, Jack earned 8000 dollars per annum. He set a goal to earn 100000 dollars in one year. So, He did not know, how he will earn it. He was only confident about it. Therefore he wrote his goal on paper and pinned it on his ceiling.

When he opened his eye every morning. He first saw his wish or goals. Which reminded him of resolution.

1 month passed away. But Jack did not know, how he will fulfil his wish. One day he got the idea to write a book.

His book price was 25 cents. Jack thought that if he sold 4 lakh copies of the book. Then he will meet his target.

After 2 months, Jack gave a lecture in a New York college. After the lecture, he was interviewed by a lady. The lady was inspired by his lecture? She was editor of the popular magazine national enquiry.

When she published the interview in her Magazine. It boosted the sale of Jack,s book.  It helped Jack to meet his target.

So, Jack’s positive thinking changes his thinking process like rich. And his act to take a risk on his job and write a book make him successful and rich.

 

5. Self-awareness-

 

Self-awareness means you know about your feeling and action in a particular situation. Like when you are angry, when you are happy, and when you react to a small situation.

Self-awareness is the skill that teaches. how to control our emotions and action. In overthinking, most people do not know that they suffer from overthinking.

They live in the illusion that we are perfect. It makes matters more complex. Because we don’t know how we react in a particular situation. Sometimes on a simple No. We react violently.

For example, you are the boss of your office.  You react violently and loudly to your,s employees. On their small mistakes. Or even without mistake.

You do not know, why you react. But your reaction affects other employees also.

This changed the atmosphere of the office. Your employee hesitates to talk to you.

They do not want to share their problem with you and do not give any advice to grow the business. Therefore, this affects the whole productivity of the business adversely.

So self-awareness helps us to identify ourselves. By knowing about our emotions, reaction and thoughts of ourselves. It helps to identify. when we think and when we overthink.

 

6. Say loudly “STOP”-

 

You remember that in our childhood. When we used to remember the task. We used to repeat it over and over again loudly.

The reason behind this. That when we repeat loudly our mind consciously hears it and saves it in our subconscious mind.

so, when we repeat it after some time. It’s come out of our subconscious minds. Has been open in our minds layer after layer.

Like, when overthinking thoughts come into our minds. We start repeating loudly “stop” which also saves in our subconscious mind.

So, next time, when these thoughts will come to your mind. When you loudly say “stop” an alarm in your mind will ring to stop these thoughts.

 

7. Take help of others-

 

Many times we live in the dilemma. That we tell about our problem to other or not. How did he react to this?

Because our society assumes mental problems as a stigma. So people never discuss their problems with others.

Sometimes, the family also hide mental problems. But it is not good practice. It makes the disease more severe.

So, the best practice is to consult with medical professionals or with our family and friends to come out from these problems.

Conclusion

 

So, in answer to how to stop overthinking? The best practice is to identify the problems and try to avoid them by using the above 7 tips.

Which come out of your past and future thoughts. Share your problem with your family and friends. And Say loudly “stop” to alarm your subconscious mind to break on overthinking mind.

Be self-awareness and positive about your behaviour and thoughts. And Distract your mind from the overthinking thought with some interesting thoughts. And do mindfulness practice to overwhelmingly your mind.

I concluded my part with the hope that this article adds some value to your life. Please,s my humble request that pleases answer the above questions.

So, if you like or dislike please comment. Your comment will give me the motivation to improve myself.

I want some other information or article on other topics please suggest.

Your suggestions will be an honour for me.

Best of luck.

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