1. Put things into a wider perspective
If you find yourself overthinking about something, ask yourself will this matter in 5 years, or even in 5 weeks? Widening the perspective can help you let go of a situation, focusing your time and energy on something that actually matters to you.
2. Set short time-limits for decisions
Don't have a time-limit for when you must make a decision? Or perhaps you view it from all angles? Learn to become better at making decisions by springing into action and setting deadlines, no matter how big or how small. For instance, for small decisions like doing the dishes or sending an email, give yourself about 30 seconds or less. For larger decisions, give yourself about 30 minutes to decide at the end of the workday.
Discover why we make irrational decisions here.
3. Stop setting your day up for stress and overthinking
Overwhelming or very stressful days cannot be completely avoided. However, you can minimize the number by getting a good start to your day. How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it. A stressful morning will set the tone for a stressful day. Consuming negative information as you ride the bus will create pessimistic thoughts throughout the rest of your day. But reading something uplifting over breakfast, or getting some exercise can help you feel prepared for a good day. To help remain focused, work on a single task and take regular breaks. Minimize your daily input. Too much information, checking your inbox Facebook or other social media account leads to more input and clutter in your mind as your day progresses.
Reduce stress with these 6 tips.
4. Become a person of action
When you know how to get started with taking action consistently each day, you'll procrastinate less by overthinking. Set deadlines and a good tone for the day to help you become more of a person of action.
5. Realize that you cannot control everything
Thinking things through so you don't risk making a mistake, failing or looking like a fool, is a way to control everything. In doing so, we fail to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zone. Everyone makes mistakes, and this provides us with valuable feedback to learn from. Things that may look negative help us to grow. So stop trying to control everything.
6. Say stop in a situation where you know you cannot think straight
It's easy to start thinking about negative thoughts right before we go to sleep. When we feel tired, our mind may tend to be vulnerable to not thinking clearly and to negativity. If this happens to you, stop your negative thoughts in their track and tell yourself that you will think this situation through when your mind is in a better state. It may take a bit of practice, but soon enough your mind will be trained to postpone such thoughts and situations.
7. Don’t get lost in vague fears
Sometimes we tend to get lost in vague fears about situations that have occurred in our lives. As a result, our minds run wild, creating disaster scenarios about what could happen. In these situations, learning to figure out what's the worst thing that could happen will help you realize that it is actually not as scary as what my mind running wild with vague fear could produce. Finding clarity only takes a few minutes and a bit of energy and can save you a lot of time and suffering.
8. Work out
While it may sound odd, a work out can really help with letting go of inner tensions and worries. Working out will make you feel more decisive and help clear your headspace into a more constructive one.
9. Get plenty of good quality sleep
This factor often goes neglected. But when we don't get enough sleep, we become more vulnerable to worrying and pessimism. To help you get a better sleep keep these factors in mind: Firstly, keep it cool. While it can be nice at first to get into a warm bedroom, you'll likely sleep better if the bedroom were cooler. Secondly, keep earplugs nearby, especially if noises wake you up easily. And finally, don't force yourself to go to sleep. If you don't feel sleepy, rather than forcing yourself to sleep, wind down for an extra 20 to 30 minutes, reading a book, to help you sleep faster.
Discover the effects of sleep deprivation.
10. Spend more of your time with people who do not overthink things
Your social environment can have a big impact on you overthinking things. It's not just about the people in your life, but also what you read, listen to and watch. Think if there are any sources in your life that encourage you to overthink and think about the sources and people that have the opposite effect in your life. Try making it a point to spend more of your time and attention with the people and things that have a positive effect on your thinking.
