The former C-student has already become a boss, the poor fellow who was expelled from the first year is generally a cool businessman and does not leave Europe, and a pretty but stupid fellow student somehow got a job in an international corporation on a very international salary.
What's the matter? How do they do it?
If we very briefly try to express the essence of the problem, we get the following. When a person has learned to think, analyze, and reflect for many years in a row, then he will undoubtedly be good at it. However, in real life, pure mental activity, not supported by any actions, is of absolutely no use. That is why very often in the state, scientific and simply human hierarchy, energetic fools find themselves at the top, who, although not burdened with intellect, have ebullient energy and the ability to act. They may not be familiar with the theory of relativity, but they know for sure that even a small real action is sometimes more important than long thoughts about how to perform it.
Let's learn to act!
Talk to strangers
Sometimes a person falls into a trap and is unable to see the way out of the endless labyrinth of thoughts. In this case, it may be useful to hear an outside opinion. Looking from a different perspective can cast the “unsolvable” problem you're facing in a whole new light and provide a simple solution that you've been stubbornly overlooking.
Our whole life proves over and over again that the ability to act is no less important than the ability to think. Your actions bring concrete results, endless thinking often gives nothing but a headache. Maybe stop thinking too much and it’s time to start fulfilling your intentions? How do you think?
Understand that long thoughts do not lead to truth.
Through long reflection, we want to understand what our decisions can lead to. Essentially, it is a search for truth. We try to predict what our decisions will lead to before we make them. However, pragmatic philosophy has shown us that these are futile attempts.
The only way to know the true consequences of a decision is not to think about it, but to act on it. You will never know what will come of your plans until you implement them.
Examples of situations that require no thought but only decisive action include choosing a school, moving to a new location, getting married, changing careers, or getting divorced. No matter how much you think about these actions, you will never know where they will lead until you do them. Thus, excessive thinking does not lead to truth, but action does.
How to Stop Overthinking: 9 Simple Habits
What is holding people back from the life they really want?
Probably one of the most common and most destructive reasons is that they think too much. They think so much about every little problem that it becomes bigger and scarier than it really is. These people think about positive things for a long time until they become less attractive.
Or they analyze and detail too much, which is why the happiness and joy from everyday little things simply disappears.
Well, of course, the ability to think through some of your actions is a positive thing. But, if you go to extremes, you will become a person who does not develop, but stands still. You will sabotage the good things that happen to you in life.
We all think too much sometimes, and it holds us back and makes life uninteresting.
But there is a way to make this issue so insignificant that it will arise extremely rarely. And if it does appear, it can be easily overcome.
In this article we will tell you about 9 habits that can help you learn to think more simply and constructively, become happy and not be afraid to live.
View everything from a broader perspective.
It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking too much about the unimportant things in life. So, when you think about something, ask yourself: will it be important in 5 years? Or even after 5 weeks?
Expanding your perspective with this simple question can quickly stop these unnecessary thoughts and help you forget about this situation, focusing all your time and energy on what really matters.
Set deadlines for making a decision.
If you don't have a specific deadline to make a decision and take the appropriate steps, then you can simply think about all the arguments for and against in a circle, considering them from all sides for a very long time.
Learn to make better decisions and take action faster by setting appropriate time limits in your daily life. It doesn't matter whether the decision is small or big.
For small decisions like washing the dishes, answering an email, or exercising, you only need 30 seconds to think about it.
For slightly more important decisions that would typically take you a few days or weeks to think about, set aside 30 minutes before the end of your workday, no more.
Become a man of action.
If you know how to start each day with appropriate incremental steps, you will spend less time making your own decisions.
Setting time boundaries is one of those habits that will help you become a person of action.
Taking small steps forward and focusing on just one small task is another good habit.
It really works because you don't feel tired and don't want to procrastinate. And even if you are afraid, just one small step is an insignificant thing for which you will not be paralyzed by fear.
Realize that you can't control everything.
The desire to think about everything for the 50th time may actually be an attempt to completely control the situation. You want to cover every possible case so you don't take risks, make mistakes, or look like a fool.
But this is part of real life, and you are just trying to stretch your comfort zone. Everyone you play and has lived a life that inspires you has made mistakes and had their own failures.
But, in most cases, they perceived these situations as valuable feedback that could teach them something. Those things that may seem negative actually taught them a lot and made an invaluable contribution to their personal development.
So stop trying to control everything. No one can foresee all possible scenarios in advance.
This, of course, is easier said than done. Therefore, take gradual steps towards your goal.
Stop yourself when you realize you can't think clearly.
Sometimes when you are hungry or lying in bed trying to sleep, negative thoughts start floating in your head.
They can cause harm. You have to learn to quickly catch them and say to yourself: “No, no, we won’t think about that now.”
If you are hungry or sleepy, your mind tends to be unable to think clearly and succumbs to negative thoughts.
So repeat the phrase “no, no...” and promise yourself that you will look at this situation or problem when your mind is working much better.
For example, after you ate something or in the morning, after you slept well.
It will take a little practice to get it right, but over time you will learn to put such thoughts aside until better times. Believe me, when you take a second look at the situation with a balanced mindset, you will realize that in 80% of cases the issues are either very minor or non-existent.
And if there is a really real problem, then your mind is ready to deal with it in a much better and more constructive way.
Don't get caught up in strange fears.
Another trap that you've probably fallen into many times and that pushes you into overthinking is that you start to wander around in unclear fears about various life situations. Your mind may go a little wild and create some terrible images of disasters that could happen if you do something.
Learn to ask yourself, “Honestly, what's the worst thing that could happen to me?”
And when you realize the worst thing that could happen to you, take a few more minutes and think about what you can do in this unlikely situation.
You will see that the worst that can actually happen is usually not as bad as what your creative mind can create.
Finding the truth in this case usually only takes a few minutes and a little energy, but can save you a lot of time and nerves.
Play sports.
It may sound a little strange, but exercise (especially weightlifting) can help relieve inner tension and anxiety.
Sports will force you to become more determined, and if you are able to cross the line with reflection, it will help you to think in a more constructive way.
Live now.
If you spend less time thinking about the past or possible future, then more and more time will be spent not on unnecessary thoughts, but on instant joy.
Three ways you can use to stay in the here and now:
'Not so fast". Whatever you do now, do it more slowly. Move slower, talk slower, or ride your bike slower. This way you will be more aware of how you use your body and what is happening around you now.
Tell yourself: “Now I...”. It looks something like this: “Now I am X. And X can brush his teeth, walk in the forest, wash the dishes.” This simple reminder will help your mind stop ruminating and focus on what is happening in that moment.
"Turn it off and on." If you feel that you are lost in your own reasoning, then destroy this thought by shouting to yourself (mentally, of course): “STOP!” Then reconnect with the present moment by focusing on your surroundings for just 1-2 minutes. Use all your senses: touch, listen, smell.
Spend more time with people who don't overthink things.
Your social environment plays a big role. And not just people close to you in real life. But also what you read, listen and watch. Blogs, books, forums, movies, podcasts and music in your life also affect this.
So consider whether there are sources in your life that encourage and encourage overthinking. Think also about people or things that have the opposite effect on you.
Find ways to spend more of your time and attention on people and things that have a positive impact on your thinking, and less contact with those that may force you to think for a long time.
Be brave enough to take the plunge
We try to anticipate every little detail in our actions so that we don't make mistakes when we finally take a step forward. This waste of time only creates fears and causes stress. Just think about whether the decision overall will be beneficial for you or not. If it feels bad, don't do it. If it's good, go for it.
Take the plunge, convincing yourself that everything will end well. If decisions initially seemed good and turned out to be bad, then learn from your mistakes and move on. Your lack of knowledge about the future should inspire you to take action, not hesitate.
Meditation practice
Even a short meditation will lead your thoughts in a constructive direction. Of course, meditation still needs to be learned. But believe me, this practice will do some spring cleaning in your brain. If you don’t really want to meditate, you can simply do breathing practices. For example, before going to bed, when negative thoughts keep you awake, take a few deep breaths. Let them be slow and measured. To avoid thinking about anything, concentrate on your breathing as intensely as possible.
Your decision is never final
We tend to strive to come to a great, correct, final decision that will forever determine our future life. From a realistic point of view, this will never happen. No decision is final because conditions change and our perspective must adapt.
There is no single solution that will make our entire future life path the way we would like. This makes long thinking pointless. It is important to think critically before making a decision. However, do not get carried away by long thoughts. Accept that your decision may be wrong. Moreover, understand that life is a process of learning from mistakes.
Let's grab the weights
Sport is also a great way to distract from obsessive thoughts. Are you scrolling through the events of the past day? Do twenty squats. Did not help? Make twenty more. Make it a rule not to sit still, but to move. When a person feels danger, he freezes. You do the opposite. Move your body, pump your muscles and drive your thoughts away. Carry weights, do exercises with a skipping rope. Jogging also copes well with a bad mood. Trouble at work? Grab your sneakers and run outside. But you don’t need to sit on the couch and dwell on negativity in your head.
One of the main reasons for overthinking is idleness.
When we don't occupy our mind with anything, our thoughts begin to wander. We should try to anticipate what could go wrong in our lives. We can anticipate decisions in advance. This is an instinctive survival mechanism. Unfortunately, many of us fail to move beyond the stage of identifying what could go wrong. We get stuck at this stage and begin to pile up mountains of nonsense. Excessive thinking leads us to collapse.
To stop thinking, find yourself a regular activity. Create a daily schedule filled with constructive activities. Make sure you follow it. Fill it with work and try to live up to it. This will occupy your mind and save you from unnecessary thinking.
Perfectionism
reddit.com/hypnotickefir
What most people don't understand about perfectionism is that perfectionism is not perfection. It's about feeling perfect.
People “suffering” from perfectionism find it difficult to part with things in which they do not feel ideal:
- This applies to the blog post you want to publish;
- The report that you are going to send to your superiors;
- Pieces for piano that you are going to perform live for friends and acquaintances.
Nobody actually believes that things can be perfect - obviously, it's simply impossible. But the tolerance for feeling deficient in some areas of life is very, very low.
If you convince yourself that you need to work harder, it means you need to think more. And this means feeling less inferior and imperfect.
If you struggle with perfectionism, there's a good chance your overthinking problem is related to an emotional tolerance problem.
see also
Why is adolescence the most difficult period?
Practice tolerating feelings of inadequacy so you can continue to live the way you feel.
“On the spiritual path of radical acceptance, we do not strive for perfection, but rather learn to love ourselves and find wholeness.” – Tara Brach
How to quickly relieve stress at home - sedatives
It is very useful to have light sedatives, such as valerian, in your home medicine cabinet. It is not harmful to health and helps to quickly calm a person’s nerves. However, remember, you can take valerian for no more than one week, after which you must definitely take a break for about fifteen days.
Take sedatives, preferably only during times of severe stress, and on normal days, it is recommended to drink simple infusions of medicinal herbs, which also calm the nerves. For example, tinctures from string or chamomile.
Water to the rescue
It has long been believed that contact with water puts thoughts in order. If you want to not think about anything, going to the pool will help you the best. Swimming relaxes the body and distracts from obsessive thoughts. If you don't want to go to the pool, just soak in the bath. After a hard day, give yourself some real relaxation, lie down in warm water. You can add flavored salt or essential oils. A contrast shower also helps. Believe me, after this procedure, bad thoughts will disappear without a trace. The easiest option (if you are at work) is to wash your face with cool water or simply apply a moistened napkin to your temples.
Live in the present tense
Often we are haunted by ghosts from the past. We think that in that situation twenty years ago we should have acted differently. Stop beating yourself up for past mistakes. Live in the present tense. You probably have an interesting life that you really need to worry about, so stop chasing ghosts that don't exist. If you don't have enough impressions, keep yourself busy with something. At least start traveling. Let your old experiences be replaced by new positive emotions.
Take these simple recommendations into account. But remember that your success depends only on a sincere desire to get rid of negative thoughts. Stop reveling in negativity and live on the bright side of life.
Replacing negativity with positivity
How not to think about anything bad? Just replace the negative with something good. For example, you made mistakes in a report and received a reprimand from your boss. Instead of exaggerating the situation and beating yourself up, come up with a new positive scenario. Imagine handing in a revised report and receiving praise from your superiors for your accurate work. Bring this replacement of negative to positive to automaticity. If negativity pops into your head, your brain will automatically correct it to something positive.
