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elping themselves by rethinking their problems over and over again. In reality, this never-ending analysis<b> </b>not only <b>does not help to solve problems</b> but also <b>paralyzes people</b> from taking any action.</p><p id="a5b8">Do you remember when even simple decisions like choosing the right clothes for some meeting or selecting a colourway for a new car felt like life-or-death decisions?</p><p id="cc5e">If yes, you are an overthinker…</p><p id="a99c">Unfortunately, <b>all that thinking will not help</b> you to make better decisions.</p><p id="d0c8">If you have read this story till this sentence then it seems you thinking too much and want to understand <b>how you can stop it</b>.</p><h2 id="6d3d">3 ways to stop overthinking</h2><figure id="ffe3"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*OeSFa1JZgyrMBFl1"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@shot_by_teo?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Matteo Di Iorio</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="32d0">As promised, let me share with you 3 ways to stop overthinking which work well for me:</p><ul><li><b>Meditation. </b>It always helps me with overthinking. When meditating your focus of attention moves away from your thoughts to your breath or your body or something else depending on the technique which you use. Regular meditations develop mindfulness and self-awareness. It will help you to handle your thoughts even when not meditating and improve your mental health.</li><li><b>Journaling. </b>Putting your thoughts down on paper is a very helpful way to get them out of your head and stop a vicious cycle of overthinking.</li><li><b>Letting go of your thoughts.</b> This one is the most difficult and at the same time the most effective way to leave your thoughts at any point in time even if you do not have an opportunity to meditate or make journaling. In order to use it you need to learn how to let go of your thoughts. This can be trained through meditation practices as they teach you how to manage the focus of your attention and let go of your thoughts when meditating. At the beginning, it will be difficult but the more you train the easier it will be. After some time you will be able to do it without meditation. But it will be a long game. You need to be prepared for it.</li></ul><p id="97d0">These were 3 ways to stop overthinking which I use. I hope that they will be helpful to you as well. And you will be able to focus more on your goals.</p><div id="fea5" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-achieve-your-goals-27396701f4fd"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Achieve Your Goals?</h2> <div><h3>Which approach is better? “Small steps” or “Big moves”?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*UGi2s_ZhgGJKv

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IsH)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="dcfc" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/ambitious-goals-vs-realistic-goals-c865140388c2"> <div> <div> <h2>Ambitious Goals vs Realistic Goals</h2> <div><h3>How to achieve more and keep going in the long term?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*R7BqG7povZL12S-q)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="9b5e">My conclusion</h2><p id="2a63">Overthinking is a natural thing for many people. And if you are an overthinker you know that sometimes we think about not thinking. This thought is right because <b>overthinking has its dangers</b> and it can have a significant impact on your well-being. That is why <b>it is better to learn some ways of breaking the circle of thoughts</b>.</p><p id="ad2e">Three possible ways to do it which I use myself are:</p><ul><li>Meditation</li><li>Journaling</li><li>Letting go of your thoughts</li></ul><p id="85de">Hope this helps!</p><div id="9d63" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/@mdspasskiy/subscribe"> <div> <div> <h2>Get an email whenever Maxim Spasskiy publishes.</h2> <div><h3>Get an email whenever Maxim Spasskiy publishes. By signing up, you will create a Medium account if you don't already…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*3m3M3JfWJHr0ydww)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="4a99" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/dont-look-rich-be-rich-401825f9b28f"> <div> <div> <h2>Don’t Look Rich, Be Rich</h2> <div><h3>How “Being, Doing, Having” concept can help you to achieve any goals?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*yzMN6820178Vo7EU)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="6c75" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-be-successful-0a2fda4f8152"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Be Successful?</h2> <div><h3>Is corporate career one of the ways to success in life?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*NFVWhmt5jYiqoUyE)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Thought About Not Thinking?

How to stop overthinking? Find 3 proven ways to stop doing it.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

You might think that it is you are the only person who does not sleep at night thinking about yesterday’s decisions and mistakes you made or tomorrow’s plans. But you are not alone. I also feel that I think too much. Of course, everyone overthinks from time to time. It is a common thing for most of the people. However, if you are a true overthinker it can be difficult for you to stop the constant flow of thoughts, you might even seriously struggle to do it.

I also discovered from my example that quite often this thought process, even having started positively, can turn into negative thinking and from here it goes downward in a spiral and more and more new negative thoughts arise.

Sometimes it is like sitting in the cinema and watching a horror movie with a lot of unpleasant details without an opportunity to close your eyes or leave the cinema hall.

Did you experience something similar?

I guess you did…

I will share with you 3 proven ways to stop overthinking at the end of this story.

Now let’s talk about possible dangers of overthinking.

Unfortunately, thinking too much is not just a small nuisance, overthinking can have a serious impact on your well-being.

Three main dangers of overthinking

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

1. Higher chances of mental illness.

A study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology reports that overthinking with too much focus on your failures, mistakes, problems, and areas for development increases the risk of mental health problems.

2. It is bad for your sleep.

If you are thinking too much you already know that you can’t sleep when your mind is overloaded with thoughts. Also, the quality of your sleep decreases after overthinking.

3. It plays against problem-solving.

Research shows that people who overthink a lot believe they are helping themselves by rethinking their problems over and over again. In reality, this never-ending analysis not only does not help to solve problems but also paralyzes people from taking any action.

Do you remember when even simple decisions like choosing the right clothes for some meeting or selecting a colourway for a new car felt like life-or-death decisions?

If yes, you are an overthinker…

Unfortunately, all that thinking will not help you to make better decisions.

If you have read this story till this sentence then it seems you thinking too much and want to understand how you can stop it.

3 ways to stop overthinking

Photo by Matteo Di Iorio on Unsplash

As promised, let me share with you 3 ways to stop overthinking which work well for me:

  • Meditation. It always helps me with overthinking. When meditating your focus of attention moves away from your thoughts to your breath or your body or something else depending on the technique which you use. Regular meditations develop mindfulness and self-awareness. It will help you to handle your thoughts even when not meditating and improve your mental health.
  • Journaling. Putting your thoughts down on paper is a very helpful way to get them out of your head and stop a vicious cycle of overthinking.
  • Letting go of your thoughts. This one is the most difficult and at the same time the most effective way to leave your thoughts at any point in time even if you do not have an opportunity to meditate or make journaling. In order to use it you need to learn how to let go of your thoughts. This can be trained through meditation practices as they teach you how to manage the focus of your attention and let go of your thoughts when meditating. At the beginning, it will be difficult but the more you train the easier it will be. After some time you will be able to do it without meditation. But it will be a long game. You need to be prepared for it.

These were 3 ways to stop overthinking which I use. I hope that they will be helpful to you as well. And you will be able to focus more on your goals.

My conclusion

Overthinking is a natural thing for many people. And if you are an overthinker you know that sometimes we think about not thinking. This thought is right because overthinking has its dangers and it can have a significant impact on your well-being. That is why it is better to learn some ways of breaking the circle of thoughts.

Three possible ways to do it which I use myself are:

  • Meditation
  • Journaling
  • Letting go of your thoughts

Hope this helps!

Life
Self Improvement
Thoughts
Overthinking
Self-awareness
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