Breaking the Cycle: 8 strategies to combat overthinking

In today’s day and age pressure around acquiring basic things has become so challenging, that the struggle mostly leads to an inclusive mental behaviour which when unleashed can result in undue stress, anxiety, and indecisiveness patterns of behaviour.

We call it – overthinking. Also known as rumination, overthinking is a cognitive process characterised by repetitive and obsessive thoughts about a particular issue, problem, or situation. It involves dwelling excessively on a subject, often with a negative or anxious focus, without arriving at a resolution.

What follows is a state of consciousness that can be detrimental to mental health and well-being, as it often involves an unproductive cycle of repetitive thoughts and heightened anxiety. It can interfere with problem-solving, decision-making, and overall quality of life.

Having said so, combating the process of overthinking is paramount to a healthy mental state and aids in dealing with life problems in a far more constructive manner. Managing overthinking typically involves strategies such as mindfulness, setting realistic expectations, seeking support, and developing healthy coping mechanisms.

Here are eight ways to overcome overthinking:

1.     The problem is rarely the problem – 99 per cent of the harm is caused in your head, by you and your thoughts. Most of the time, the problem isn’t the problem. The way you think about the problem is.

2.     Avoid self-rejection – if you don’t think you deserve that opportunity, apply for it anyway, don’t think your article is good enough, publish it anyway. Don’t think they’ll reply to your email, send it anyway. Never overthink yourself into self-rejection.

3.     Silence and time – The truth is most problems aren’t solved with more thinking. You’ll find most of the answers, you’re looking for in silence, in time, and with a clear mind. If you can’t solve a problem, stop trying to.

4.     An important question – When you start criticising yourself for past mistakes or seeing disaster around every corner, ask yourself: “Is there anything I can do right now to change the past or positively influence the future?”

If the answer is yes, do it – take action. If the answer is no, be at peace – let it go. The bottom line is you have to take action or let it go, everything else is self-harm.

5.     The power of now – Remember past is history and future is mystery, all you have is now – the present. And what you can do with now can make right of your past and make good of your future. Make peace with yesterday, let go of tomorrow, and grab hold of now.

6.     Fact- check your thoughts – Your thoughts will create scenarios in your mind that reflect your insecurities, tears, and worries. So it’s important to always fact-check your thoughts before accepting them. Because, in highly emotional situations, your thoughts will tell you stories that aren’t true. Fact-check yourself.

7.     Acceptance is peace– No amount of anxiety will change your future, and no amount of anxiety will change your past. Peace is found in acceptance-

·        Accept imperfection

·        Accept uncertainty

·        Accept uncontrollable

You don’t have to understand, tolerate, or even forget something, but if you want peace, you must accept it.

8.     Health starts in your head – You can go to the gym, eat healthily, do yoga, drink water and take vitamins. But if you don’t directly confront the negativity in your thoughts, you will never truly be healthy. Our health isn’t measured on scales, by the size of our muscles, or by the width of our waist. True health is measured by the quality of our thoughts and the peacefulness of our minds.

Remember that overcoming overthinking is a gradual process, and it may require consistent effort and practice. Experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you.