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Do you want to learn How to Process Emotions and improve your Mental Health? Sign up for a Therapy in a Nutshell Membership, you'll get access to all of Emma...
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- Therapy in a Nutshell
Do you struggle with overthinking? Do you spend too much time thinking about a decision without executing it? When you overthink, you are stuck. You are immo...
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- Apoc Ministry
- Overview
- Destructive thought patterns
- 1. Step back and look at how you’re responding
- 2. Find a distraction
- 3. Take a deep breath
- 4. Meditate
- 5. Look at the bigger picture
- 6. Do something nice for someone else
- 7. Recognize automatic negative thoughts (ANTs)
- 8. Acknowledge your successes
Techniques, including deep breathing and asking for help from a healthcare professional, may help alleviate the stress of overthinking.
You finally have a few quiet moments to yourself, only to immediately start wondering if you forgot to send that thank-you email or whether you’ve overestimated your chances of getting the promotion.
Sound familiar? Worrying and overthinking are part of the human experience, but when left unchecked, they can take a toll on your well-being. Dwelling on the same thoughts may even increase your risk of certain mental health conditions, according to 2021 research.
The way you respond to your thoughts can sometimes keep you in a cycle of rumination, or repetitive thinking. Rumination can often cause negative consequences to a person’s mental health.
The next time you find yourself continuously running things over in your mind, take note of how it affects your mood. Do you feel irritated, nervous, or guilty? What’s the primary emotion behind your thoughts?
Shut down overthinking by involving yourself in an activity you enjoy.
This looks different for everyone, but ideas include:
•learning some new kitchen skills by tackling a new recipe
•going to your favorite workout class
•taking up a new hobby, such as painting
•volunteering with a local organization
Try it
Here’s a good starter exercise to help you unwind with your breath: 1.Find a comfortable place to sit and relax your neck and shoulders. 2.Place one hand over your heart and the other across your belly. 3.Inhale and exhale through your nose, paying attention to how your chest and stomach move as you breathe. Try doing this exercise 3 times a day for 5 minutes, or whenever you have racing thoughts. Was this helpful?
Developing a regular meditation practice is an evidence-backed way to help clear your mind of nervous chatter by turning your attention inward.
All you need is 5 minutes and a quiet spot.
How will all the issues floating around in your mind affect you 5 or 10 years from now? Will anyone really care that you bought a fruit plate for the potluck instead of baking a pie from scratch?
Don’t let minor issues turn into significant hurdles.
Trying to ease the load for someone else can help you put things in perspective. Think of ways you can be of service to someone going through a difficult time.
Does your friend who’s in the middle of a divorce need a few hours of child care? Can you pick up groceries for your neighbor who’s been sick?
Tackling ANTs
You can identify and work through your ANTs by keeping a record of your thoughts and actively working to change them: •Use a notebook to track the situation giving you anxiety, your mood, and the first thought that comes to you automatically. •As you dig into details, evaluate why the situation is causing these negative thoughts. •Break down the emotions you’re experiencing and try to identify what you’re telling yourself about the situation. •Find an alternative to your original thought. For example, instead of jumping straight to, “This is going to be an epic failure,” try something along the lines of, “I’m genuinely trying my best.” Was this helpful?
When you’re in the midst of overthinking, stop and take out your notebook or your favorite note-taking app on your phone. Jot down five things that have gone right over the past week and your role in them.
These don’t need to be huge accomplishments. Maybe you stuck to your coffee budget this week or cleaned out your car. When you look at it on paper or on-screen, you might be surprised at how these little things add up.
Jun 18, 2024 · Learn what overthinking is, some signs you may be an overthinker, and a few reasons some people think too much. Also, explore different types of overthinking, the effects on your mental health and relationships, and how to stop overthinking things in your life.
May 19, 2022 · You can learn the skills to stop overthinking, and when you practice them, you can change your brain. So if overthinking is so harmful, why do we do it? When it comes to our minds, we keep doing things that we accidentally reward. We keep overthinking because we get some short-term benefit from it.
Oct 2, 2023 · Overthinking can start from anxiety or lead to anxiety symptoms. This article guides you through mental exercises to stop overthinking.
People also ask
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Jan 26, 2023 · To learn how to stop overthinking, you first need to recognize when it's happening and what triggers it. Then, you can choose what to do instead.
