Overthinking is as debilitating as it is common. It can stop you from enjoying social events, disturb your sleep, undermine your job performance, and even ruin your vacations.
Typically, chronic overthinking also comes with all the physical discomforts of anxiety. This means that overthinking leaves you not only mentally distressed but also exhausted.
If this picture sounds familiar, you’re probably desperate to work out how to stop overthinking your life and start living. However, you may have already tried to change and found it an insurmountable hurdle.
It’s important to know that learning how to overcome anxiety (and overthinking) is possible. Whether you’re trying to figure out how to stop overthinking in a relationship, how to stop obsessive thinking about your health, or how to enjoy socializing without panicking, there are powerful techniques you can learn.
Let’s explore how to stop overthinking, first by defining the problem and then by looking at the most effective solutions.
So, what exactly is overthinking disorder? We all get sucked into obsessive thoughts sometimes, but when this starts to consume our lives it turns into a serious, chronic problem. Some people are more likely than others to suffer this problem. For example, those with a history of anxiety disorder. After all, scientists know that overthinking activates the same parts of the brain that are involved in fear and anxiety.
However, even if you don’t have a history of mental health difficulties, you might be prone to overthinking if you consider yourself a “problem-solver”.
Your greatest asset, an analytical mind, can easily become an enemy when you get stuck in a loop of unproductive thoughts. In addition, high levels of uncertainty can trigger the overthinking disorder. For example, if something dramatic has changed in your life or you have experienced a major loss, your mind may start to spiral in the direction of unproductive obsessiveness.
It’s useful to have a definitive list of overthinking disorder symptoms. This allows you to identify when you are really getting into dangerous territory for your mental health.
Looking at the following symptoms can help you conduct an overthinking disorder test.
When you try, you just can’t turn off your mind, and you begin to feel agitated by worries or doubts.
Studies on overthinking disorder suggest you might turn to drugs, alcohol, food, or other external ways of regulating your emotions. This is because you don’t feel able to calm down using our internal resources.
This may be from insomnia, or just from the constant loop of your agitated thoughts.
You try to plan every aspect of your life, down to the last detail. This is the only way you feel safe, but it never quite works (because it’s impossible to control everything).
You tend to be a perfectionist and often imagine how awful it would be to fail in any way. This fear of failure often paralyzes you, preventing you from learning from any mistakes.
Instead of being excited by all you’ve yet to accomplish and experience, you are trapped in your own anxiety about what could go wrong.
You second-guess yourself on everything from what you’re wearing to where you’re going, what you’re saying and how you come across to others. Plus, you may rely on others to reassure you that your judgment is sound.
These feel like a tight band around your temples, and you might also notice pain or stiffness in your neck. Chronic tension headaches are a sign that you desperately need a rest.
Overcoming obsessive thoughts requires an action plan. If you want to stop overthinking, you need to find straightforward techniques that work, and repeat them until they become second nature. You may also benefit from therapy or medical interventions if your anxiety is especially debilitating, but you can use practical exercises in conjunction with these treatments.
Here are five of the best ways to overcome anxiety and put a stop to your relentless loop of thoughts. As you get used to them, you can adapt and adjust them to suit you. So, keep reading to discover how to stop overthinking today!
Obsessive overthinking is different for everyone, so it’s vital to know your anxiety triggers. It helps to cultivate a deeper level of awareness of your overthinking, asking questions about why and when it occurs.
Start paying closer attention to your thought processes, and notice when you’re thinking in an unproductive way. Note down what you’re thinking, and the form it takes.
For example, are you replaying a previous conversation on a loop, analyzing it for your failures?
Alternatively, are you picturing future disaster scenarios in your imagination? In addition, write what you think instigated the overthinking. Was it something to do with a social interaction? Uncertainty? Going to a new environment?
Your notes will quickly help you pick out specific triggers for your anxiety. This gives you ammunition to challenge the underlying limiting beliefs through reflection or journal work. In time, you will be able to preempt triggers before they cause a serious episode of overthinking, intervening with some of the further techniques listed below. Eventually, the hope is that the triggers will also become less powerful because you’ll understand their origins and know how to fight back in your mind.
One of the best ways to stop overthinking is to harness new practical ways of dealing with life’s challenges. Consider the following tips in particular when trying to learn how to stop overthinking:
Affirmations are statements that help you overcome negative thoughts. They are particularly useful if you want to learn how to stop overthinking at night or want to set yourself up for a great day first thing in the morning.
Here are some good affirmations for anxiety:
You can also design your own positive daily affirmations. There are no set rules for the form they must take. In addition, try saying them into the mirror, looking straight into your own eyes. And smile, if it feels natural.
Learning how to stop overthinking, anxiety and restlessness also have a lot to do with building better connections with your physical body. Both physical and mental forms of positive stimulation help to rewrite problematic, negative thought processes. For example:
Learning how to stop overthinking and worrying also involves cultivating ways of better living in the present moment. Firstly, don’t allow yourself to be held hostage by vague fears about what might happen to you. Instead, confront the toughest question: What is the worst that could happen? Often, it won’t be as bad as you think.
In addition, you’ll typically discover you actually have the resources to deal with the worst-case scenario. Secondly, use techniques that anchor you in the present moment, such as hypnosis for anxiety. When you’re overthinking, slow down physically. Try to notice every movement of your muscles and everything around you. Your brain will slow in response. You can also try narrating the present in your head (e.g. “Now I am taking a walk. Now I am getting dressed”) to pull yourself back to the present.
Finally, work to accept that you cannot control everything. This is the aim of your overthinking, and it’s ultimately holding you back. To grow and develop as a person, you need to willingly move out of your comfort zone into places where the unexpected can happen. You also need to be able to learn from mistakes and see them as opportunities for improvement rather than as failures.
Learn how you can live in the now and rid yourself of anxiety with our free quiz, which identifies what is truly holding you back from a life free of fear. Live your dream life, just click here now.
