Do I think too much? Have you ever asked yourself this question? If you’re nodding your head, that’s right, you think too much. But don’t worry. in fact, overthinking is very common, most of us do. However, the question we should ask to resolve today is: Is it good to overthink?

Often, thinking about ideas lead us to fall into melancholy, obsessions, phobias, depressions and ultimately feelings and passions that sometimes prevent us from doing whatever we want to do.

Let us imagine that our question is a seed. This question could ask more, many more, generating more and more branches, creating a circle that will only break when we stop thinking about it. For the mind, it is exhausting and can cause headaches or migraines.

The downsides of overthinking

Besides tiring ourselves out, thinking too much has other drawbacks. Have you ever stopped doing something because you spent too much time thinking about it? Have you ever thought about what you would have said to someone else if you had time to do it? Trains pass by and can get lost.

As we all know, trains always come back if we stay at the same station, but we cannot always make the same mistake. If we haven’t done something we wanted to do because of the doubts that invaded and seized our minds, it’s very likely that next time we’ll do the same. And the opportunities don’t have a schedule like on the subway; we don’t know when they’ll arrive.

Every poison has an antidote. A collection of thoughts must be a pharmacy where all evils are remedied. As you know, antidotes are made from poison, but if we go over the correct dosage, we will not be cured, quite the contrary.

If we want to avoid it, we can do it. For example, we can start doing other things away from that thought that torments us: doing sports, listening to music, going to the movies… However, if the thoughts are strongly installed in our minds, it may be hard to distract them with this.

That is why it is important to get to the heart of the matter, to find out what is causing us to find ourselves in this situation. Sometimes, it’s an excess of worry that gets us nowhere, but being aware of how unproductive this can be is another step forward.

Meditation, a great help to stop thinking too much

I propose perhaps the most complicated method: meditation. To meditate does not mean to think and think, but quite the contrary; not to think of anything, to leave the mind blank, like a blank sheet of paper. Let us be guided by our thoughts, but let them not control us.

Sometimes it will be difficult to leave the mind completely blank, but this does not mean that we are doing it wrong and, therefore, we are overwhelmed. No, meditation helps to observe these thoughts without clinging to them and releasing them to take their course. In this way, we will not be chewing them in a constant and harmful way and we will know how to get out of that circle of thoughts in which we had submerged ourselves and did not know how to get out.

We are the owners of our lives and we must make the best use of it. Eliminating negative thoughts will not only benefit us, but also our friends, acquaintances and close family members. If you have more methods to avoid negative and irrational thoughts we would like to read them.

The 5 tips to deal with overthinking
As you know, overthinking is a very serious case that can lead to anything. How do you deal with this menace? The following tips will help you deal with overthinking:

Distract yourself
The activity you choose has to be interesting enough. The best thing is the activities that make you feel happy, curious, calm, fun or proud.

Thought-stopping technique
It consists of telling yourself “enough” by giving the order to stop when you discover that you have overthought again and to stop immediately. You have to realize that you have begun to think too much and for that, you can help yourself from the emotions, those warning signs that will appear as a warning in an unpleasant way. Then you give yourself the instruction to stop and shift the focus to whatever you are doing, to whatever distracting activity you feel like doing.

Thirty minutes
The third is to set aside thirty minutes every day to devote yourself to thinking too much…yes, that is, you will have a limited amount of time per day to worry, but you will not be able to do it the rest of the day. If the concern arises at a time not intended for it, you should postpone it until the agreed time, ideally at a time of the day when you are not anxious or sad. Most often, when the time comes it is unnatural for you to force the thought or directly forget it.

Talk to a good friend
Someone understanding and trustworthy to let off steam and take advice. This person has to be able to think objectively and not make you feel worse. You can’t abuse this strategy either, so you don’t stress your friend out.

Write down these concerns

Writing will help you organize your ideas and make sense of many of your thoughts.

On the other hand, it will be essential that you start to solve the specific problems that are within your reach, little by little, but get started as soon as possible. If you’re not sure how, make a list of all the alternatives you can think of and start starting the ones that convince you the most.

If in doubt, think about how someone you admire would act. Don’t expect them to come to help you or solve it, act now because even the smallest step will help to improve your mood and your confidence.

And think about it: will this concern that is so overwhelming you now matter in five years’ time? Of two? Of one? The answer to these questions will help you to understand the real importance of the question.

If the answer is yes, you will have to focus on learning from the worrying situation, growing as a person and persevering.

Source: https://www.healthylivingng.com/overthinking-and-how-to-deal-with-it/