Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you seemed to have a real problem with overthinking? Where you knew that you had to take some action, or wanted to make some kind of change in your life, but were so caught up in your own ruminations that you found it just about impossible to actually move forward?
For virtually everyone, the answer to this question will be “yes.” Overthinking is one of the most consistent issues that people tend to experience, as a source of everyday stress and frustration – particularly with regards to important decisions. Children and adults with ADD/ADHD tend to experience this tenfold and it can be extremely debilitating.
In day-to-day life, there are likely to be many different subjects that demand your attention, ranging from things like whether to resolve a financial issue via pawn shops or some other means or how best to navigate a job transition.
In any case, here are a few tips for stopping overthinking from ruling your life, so that you can experience a heightened sense of well-being instead.
Have daily routines in place that help to build momentum as quickly as possible
First things first, perhaps the best way to stop overthinking from ruling your life is to generate momentum each day as early, quickly, and effectively as possible so that you begin taking action before the tendency to overthink takes over and throws you into a cycle of rumination.
For the most part, the best way to generate this kind of momentum is to have certain daily routines in place that put you into motion as quickly as possible.
If you find that you usually procrastinate for the first hour or two of the day, and lounge around in your pajamas while surfing the web and drinking your coffee, changing things up and showering, and getting dressed immediately after getting out of bed could really hope to put you in motion.
Regularly engage in practices that help to detach you from your thoughts a bit
In recent times, mindfulness practices and various related activities have become highly popular, largely because they help people to detach from their thoughts a bit and to feel less swayed by, and emotionally invested in, the contents of their own inner dialogue.
Regularly engaging in these kinds of practices – whether meditation, yoga, walking in nature, or exercise – can help to stop your thoughts from having as much of a hold on you.
Practice taking action despite your doubts, one step at a time
Overthinking tends to be deeply rooted in your doubts and beliefs and to lead to inaction and procrastination, in a number of different ways.
The more you can practice taking action despite your doubts, one step at a time, the more you can begin to challenge your self-doubting thoughts, and redefine your sense of just what you’re actually capable of.
Any time there is a particular project or endeavor that you know you should be making headway on, take a moment to identify the smallest step that you could take, right now, to make progress with that endeavor – and then get started.
