Thoughts About Over-Thinking Things

I was writing a blog last Wednesday about a completely different topic and then it stumped me.
Stumped me so much that I had to do some research. This research drove me up the wall and back down again and because of this, I thought of a completely different topic....
 
One of my biggest problems used to be that I thought too much.

I overanalyzed any little problem until it became a bigger/scarier thing in my mind. I overthought positive things until they didn’t seem to be that positive anymore. I deconstructed things until the happiness that comes from just being in a moment and enjoying it fell apart.

Based on a lot of conversations I've had, I’m not alone in this.

So how do we not over-think things?
In today’s blog I’d like to share some things you need to stop doing to step out of your own way, simplify your thinking habits and make things so much easier.

Stop setting your day up for stress.
Crazy days are nothing one can avoid entirely. At least not if you want to live a full life. But if you have bad habits for how you plan and live your regular day then that can lead to a lot of unnecessary stress and over-thinking.

What to do instead:

• Get a good start. Nothing makes my day better then having a bagel BLT w/egg in the morning and going for a bike ride. So you should try the same: start your day with a few simple habits like a good breakfast, maybe a bit of exercise and then get started with an easy task.
• Single-tasking + regular breaks. As a woman, I understand doing several things at once is how we normally work but guess what! If you just work and work your whole day then your body and mind will become overwhelmed. Thoughts will start running wild and often down negative paths as stress rises in your body and mind. To prevent this and to do focused work without tearing yourself down schedule regular breaks every hour.
• Minimize your input. I love my social media as much as the next person but....too much information, too many times of  “just taking a few minutes” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram clutter into your mind during a day. This shoots your thoughts off in more ways and gets your mind extra active. To keep your thinking simple, simplify and reduce the input.

Stop getting lost in the future or the past so much. When you focus too much of your attention on what happened and replaying it over and over or on imagining the future then that usually leads to worries.
What to do instead:

• Be here now.
• Reconnect with the present moment when you get lost.

Stop working without any firm boundaries.
If you have no boundaries for your work hours then you can easily get lost in working too much and in stressful thoughts about your job/school going round and round in your head.
Even when you are spending quality time with your family. Or as you toss and turn and try to go to sleep.

What to do instead:

• Set a stop time.
• Make a firm decision to spend your evenings with other things than thinking about your work. Fill that time with other activities that recharge and relax you.
• Remind yourself of the consequences. When you catch yourself with floating back into work thoughts or school thoughts, remind yourself of the consequences of doing so. Such as increasing stress levels, missing the other important parts of your life like friends and family.