Overthinking can feel like a never-ending battle with your mind and can start to take an effect on your life if you are unable to control it. This can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety and can make you feel hopeless.
Whatever it is you are worrying about, whether it is about the future, past decisions or mistakes made or analysing every little detail about a situation, can drain your mental energy and make it hard for you to focus on the present moment, however, there are tools and strategies you can use to help with overthinking.
- Acknowledge the thought and let it go – I know this might sound obvious and easier said than done, but if you acknowledge the thought instead of trying to avoid it and brush it off, it will only come back, and it will come back stronger. Therefore, let the thought be there and recognise that it is just a thought; it will eventually pass. You could even sit there for a few minutes and let the thought be there, and you will notice after some time it will pass.
- Practice mindfulness – This one is a powerful tool and has helped me a lot with overthinking; it is a tool that will help you break the cycle of overthinking. Allow yourself to focus on the present moment, use your senses and focus on your surroundings, what you can see, smell, taste, hear and touch. Using this tool takes you away from your overthinking and focuses on the present moment rather than dwelling.
- Journalling – Write down the things you are overthinking about, here you can take what is in your mind and see it in front of you on paper/digitally, this way the thought might not seem as bad as you think, you can also use your journal to write down the thoughts and if there is evidence to support this thought, again, this gives you’re a clearer picture on your worries and you will see they are not as bad as you think.
- Talk it out – Again, I know this can be easier said than done for some of us, but if possible, speak with somebody close to you, family, partner or friends that you can confide in confidently. Alternatively, there are a variety of mental health helplines available to chat too if you feel like this would be a better option. I will put the link below to a list of them.
https://www.helpguide.org/find-help
All these tips are things that have helped me when I find myself overthinking and different tips I have learnt from therapy. I hope these can also help you in the same way when you find yourself overthinking and feeling a little stressed.
Lots of love x