We all overthink from time to time. It’s part of human nature – it’s how we process information and make decisions. But overthinking can be a problem when you start to worry about things that don’t matter. And yes, it can also be a problem when you start to worry about the things that do matter. When you overanalyze or overreact to everything, you end up making a mountain out of a molehill and you end up overthinking.
Although this may seem impossible or difficult to achieve, you can change this behavior. But how? By controlling your mind and thoughts. Below are some tips on how to stop overthinking and live a happier life.
Breathing Exercises For Stress
Breathing exercises are useful in relieving stress and improving your health. However, they’re also effective in preventing overthinking. When you’re under stress, your breathing patterns become accelerated. As a result, your airway constricts, causing your stomach and chest to contract. This causes your blood pressure to rise, increasing your risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.
Breathing exercises can help calm your mind and help you relax. There are many breathing exercises you can do to reduce stress and overthinking. One effective breathing exercise is to take three slow, deep breaths in for five seconds, then three slow, deep breaths out for five seconds, followed by five seconds of complete relaxation.
Do The Most Important Thing First
The most important thing to do first is always the most important thing to do first! For example, if you’re overthinking about your body, think about what you would like to look like and what your ideal weight is. It’s the most important thing you can do now, because if you don’t know exactly what you want to achieve, it’s like setting out on a journey without a map and everything you need to survive. Instead of flooding your mind with images of models with perfect figures or self-negative talk, first set a goal and then start working on it slowly. When you are in harmony and not overthinking, you will make wiser and more sensible decisions.
If you had two bars of chocolate yesterday, even though you promised not to eat chocolate, that’s fine! It was something you wanted to do at the time and it was important to you for some reason. Don’t let your mind start regretting and overthinking. Instead, focus on this moment and what you can do to have a stronger will and make better decisions next time.
You can always reflect on what you did/didn’t do later on in life, but for now, just do your most important thing.
Stay Focused On The Present Moment
Every moment of your life is filled with potential stressors and complications. By staying focused on the present moment, you minimize your reactivity and enable yourself to deal with the issues more effectively. This doesn’t mean that you have to stop thinking about the past or the future completely. They may still be important, but they’re less relevant at the moment. You just need to stay present in the here and now.
When you find yourself overthinking or overanalyzing, instead of repressing those thoughts, concentrate on what you’re feeling right now. Controlling your mind is the key to living a happier, healthier life. When you start to notice that you’re overthinking, you can start to pay attention to what’s happening in the present moment instead and relax into what you’re experiencing.
Take A Break
You’re probably thinking that this is the most logical thing to do, but the truth is that you need a break every so often too. When you overthink, your brain needs time to rest and relax. It needs time to replenish itself and get ready for the next thing that you need to deal with. It needs time to think clearly again so that you can focus on what’s happening in the present moment again.
If you find yourself overthinking and second-guessing everything, it’s probably because you lack clarity about what you want. You need to see the big picture and not worry about the details. You are only as strong as your weakest link and you need to identify those in your life.
Take a break every so often and you’ll notice that your overthinking self-talk starts to fall away. You’ll start to notice that you’re again in the flow of things and you’ll experience a sense of optimism and clarity again. When you take a break and travel or do something you don’t normally do, you will feel a rush of new energy and inspiration, and you may even realize that your overthinking was unnecessary.
Conclusion
Overthinking is a common trap that many people fall into. It’s as natural as breathing. When we overanalyze a situation, we overthink. When we overthink a situation, we overreact. All this, although it may not seem so, can affect your health and your well-being, By learning to control your thoughts, you can have a happier, healthier and more productive life. After all — overthinking is not the solution.
