How to Stop Overthinking

How to Stop Overthinking by Dr Karishma Ahuja

Thoughts are powerful. Thoughts become Things. Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life. This is something that the world’s most successful people realize – and the only difference between them and everyone else is that they have learned how to harness the power of thoughts to help them achieve their dreams.  They have learnt to shift their thoughts to ones that empower them. Problems arise when we give in to the tendency to overthink. The key to success and happiness is to take decisive action to overcome this habit of Overthinking and change our mindset.

Let’s look at some powerful ways to overcome this habit:-

1. Identify, why you are Overthinking – Before you can learn how to stop overthinking, you must first try to identify, “Why do I overthink?” Often overthinking is a result of anxiety. You may find that overthinking usually happens when you need to make some important decision or are dealing with some insecurities.  Write your anxious thoughts down on paper. Writing them down is a powerful way to take away energy from them.

2. Examine Negative beliefs – We may be having some negative beliefs about our life. For example, you may have beliefs like, ‘you are not smart or worthy, it is not easy to succeed’ etc. Identify these beliefs as well. They will give you an idea of how much they are occupying your mind. Whenever you catch yourself telling yourself these negative stories, replace them with positive ones, like “I am in charge of my life, I deserve success, Everything is going to work out well for me.”

3. Let go of the past: Overthinking often happens due to focusing on the past. it happens due to giving energy to thoughts like “what if this happens” and “this should not have happened.” We need to understand that the past is gone. It can’t be changed. The only thing you can change is the meaning you give to it. Letting go of the past means you don’t let your mistakes control your future decisions – and you don’t let bad things that have been done to you control your emotions. You forgive others and let go of your anger. It’s one of the most powerful ways you can change your story.

4. Live in the present moment – Living in the moment is the key to learning how to stop overthinking. Breathe and focus on the moment – what are you hearing and seeing? What are you grateful for? At first, it will take conscious awareness to practice living in the present moment. You have to keep reminding yourself that the present moment is the most important moment we have to change our lives. Daily rituals like meditation and silent sitting will help you retrain your brain to live in the moment. Soon you will find it comes naturally to you. You will start feeling more healthy and Positive.

Always remember that whatever happens in life happens for you, not to you. Even your negative emotions can lead to positive outcomes if you treat them as a gift that has been given to help you grow.

All the best!

-Dr. Karishma Ahuja, PhD