5 ways to stop over thinking

Have you ever asked yourself, What is holding me back from the life that I truly want to live?

I’d say a lot us have one very common and destructive thing is that we do- that is to “overthink”.

We tend to overthink every little problem until it is blown out of proportion! We tend to over analyze and deconstruct things and we miss out on the happiness that comes from just enjoying something in that moment.

So how can one overcome this habit of overthinking? Here are 5 ways:

1. Practice Big picture thinking:

We tend to fall into the trap of overthinking minor things in life. So when you get into that mode, ask yourself: Will this matter to be few years or few months from now? I’ve found this simple question can widen our perspective and can quickly stop us from overthinking.

2. Time your decisions:

If we do not have a time-limit for taking decision or action, we tend to then keep over analysing the situation from multiple angles for a very long time. So we need to learn to become better at making decisions and to spring into action quickly by setting deadlines for your decisions.

3. Stop trying to control everything.

Trying to think things through multiple times over and over again could be a sign that we are trying to control everything. We tend to analyse all possible eventualities so that we don’t risk making mistake & fail. It is ok to fail! We should reflect upon things that may look negative and see what lessons it had taught us. This will in turn help you grow as a person. So its ok to not control everything.

4. Play the Stop card:

Research shows that when we revisit a situation with some level-headed thinking then in 80% of the cases the issue is very small to non-existent. And if there is a real issue then my mind is prepared to deal with it in much better and more constructive way. So when you tend to be overanalysing your present situation or problem, play the stop card so you are more aware of this trap and quickly focus your mind on a productive way of resolving the issue.

5. Don’t fall to the vague fears trap:

We tend to get lost in vague fears about a situation in our lives. We tend to imagine disaster situations that could emerge if you were to do something. At that moment, ask yourself- honestly, what is the worst that could happen?

And when you have figured out what the worst that could happen actually is when you can spend time to think about what you can do to address that situation if they were to happen.

Working with a life coach can help oneself from falling into this habit of procrastination & thereby maximise one’s true potential.