Over thinking – How to stop Over thinking

Over thinking is the commonest problem of current era, starting from school teens to elders, irrespective of Age, gender & race. Apparently, Over thinking is one of the important cause of Emotional distress, stress and health affections. Being a human, thinking is crucial to survive and thrive in this world. But at the same time over thinking disturbs entire wellness. This article, I am going to share some steps to stop, to recover from over thinking.

What is Over thinking?

Over thinking is the habit of thinking too much and too long about something. People who over think find difficulty in taking decisions and actions. Over thinking is mainly caused by stress, bad habits lack of self awareness and self regulation. Sometimes it is inherited from parents to children.

Symptoms of Over thinking:

Difficult in making decisions
Dwelling on the past or future
Anxious, Apprehension and constant worry
Intrusive thoughts
Automatic negative thinking
Focusing on things outside one’s control
Intolerance
Difficulty in sleeping
Feeling tired, fatigue

Examples of over thinking:

“ I replied my manager when he questioned me. Am I correctly replied? Am I politely answered? What he think about me? Will he consider me in next meeting? If he took it in a wrong sense, how can I clear that?….”
“ I lost my job now. Will my relatives respect me? If they will ask about it, what shall I tell?! This is temporary, I will soon place on another job..or Like me, nearly another 20 members lost their job..leave that relatives..Whether I will get job? Whether I will earn? How to solve my debts…..”
“ Whether he will miss me when I wasn’t around him..Do I matter to him? What if he is having affair with another girl..How to stop that? If he throws me out, what shall I do?…”

How to Stop Over thinking?

Before going in to that, you have to understand other two things related to that, i.e Catastrophic Thinking & Intrusive thoughts. These two related to overthinking, in fact, it is one of the main reasons for over thinking.

Catastrophic thinking means you assume that worst things will happen

Intrusive thoughts mean unwanted thoughts which pop up into your head without any warning at any time.

Here are the step by step guides to stop over thinking

Evaluate your Thoughts:

Monitor your thoughts; observe how you feel when the thought appears. Observe and note down the emotion, whether it makes you sad or jealous or guilty or angry. After identifying your emotion, explore the reason for that particular emotion and starts working on it.

“Every Emotion gives you a cue about yourself and what you desire the most”

Emotional Regulation Strategies

Work on your Negative Thoughts:

Once a thought appears, it gives some feeling and there will be more possibilities to reflect in your behaviors. If you notice negative thought, start work on it. How? Apply this ABC

A – Observe your Adversities or activating agent which provoke this negative thoughts
B- Observe your belief system about that event which includes your obvious and underlying thoughts about the situation, belief about yourself and others
C- Consequences – What kind of response you are going to give which includes your Emotional & Behavioral response

This helps you to move towards solution, instead of getting stuck in the negative thoughts.

Go for Positive Distractions:

Distractions are the one of the commonest causes for stress. But when you are a over thinker, positive distractions helps you to recover from that. Do some extracurricular activities like drawing, painting, craft works, cooking, Dancing, Singing or reading books.

Action:

Sometimes, reason for overthinking is that you are not taking action on your plans. So start implementing your plans and face the challenges. It gives you the beautiful lesson and builds resilience.

Engage in Perspective taking:

Many times, we used to brood or over think because of other people’s action or words. During that time, think from other’s perspectives, it supports you to know about your values and other values. Additionaly, perspective taking helps you to move from your egocentric point and show empathy & Compassion.

Revisit your Success:

When you think too much of anything, shift your focus to your previous success. It gives you the positive energy first and then make you remember about your personality in terms of perseverance, happiness and attitude.

Read also :Emotional Intelligence

Volunteerism:

Volunteerism provides you the sense of purpose, connects you to others, increases your confidence, good for your mind and body and gives opportunity to practice team work and collaboration. Overall, it gives you the positive shift in your mind and makes you happy.

Healthy Habits:

Have a healthy routine which includes walking, exercise, reading books and practicing Meditation. Cultivating Mindfulness in your day to day activities wins you from over thinking. It needs your willpower to do.