It's a golden rule to think before you speak, but you can run into
trouble when you think so much that you fail to act, or think yourself into a
state of uncontrollable anxiety. Are you looking for a way to stop thinking too
much?
Accept that you're thinking too
much. Just like eating, thinking is
something we need to do to survive, so it is sometimes hard to judge when you
are doing too much of it. However, there are several red flags that you are
doing too much thinking for your own good. Here are a few of them:
- Are you consumed by the same thought over and over again? Are you not making progress by thinking about this particular thing? If so, this may be a sign that you should move on.
- Have you analyzed the same situation from a million angles? If you've found too many ways to look at something before you decide how to act, you may be being counterproductive.
- Have you enlisted the help of your twenty closest friends in thinking about a particular thing? If so, then it's time to realize that you can only ask for so many opinions about the same idea before you drive yourself insane.
- Are people constantly telling you to stop over-thinking things? Do people tease you for brooding, being a philosopher, or staring out of rainy windows all the time? If so, they may have a point.
Meditate. If you feel like you don't know how to stop thinking, you
need to learn what it's like to "let go" of your thoughts, so that
it's something you can do deliberately.[1] Imagine that thinking is like
breathing; you do it all the time, without even realizing it. But if you need
to, you can hold your breath. Meditating will help you learn how to release
your thoughts.
- Just spending 15-20 minutes meditating every morning can make a dramatic impact on your ability to stay in the present and let go of all of your nagging thoughts.
- You can also meditate at night to help yourself wind down.
Exercise. Running or even walking vigorously can help you take your
mind off of all of those annoying thoughts and to focus on your body.
Participating in something particularly active, like power yoga, martial arts
or beach volleyball, will have you so focused on your body that you won't have
time for your thoughts. Here are some great things to try:
- Join a circuit gym. Having to switch to a new machine every minute when you hear that bell ring will keep you from getting lost in your thoughts.
- Go hiking. Being around nature and seeing the beauty and stillness around you will keep you more focused on the present moment.
- Go swimming. Swimming is such a physical activity that it's even harder to swim and think.
Say your
ideas out loud. Once you've said everything aloud,
even if you're talking to yourself, you've begun the process of letting go.
Walk around and pace if you have to. Once you've put your ideas out there,
you've begun the process of putting them out into the world and out of your
thoughts.
- You can say them aloud to yourself, your cat, or to a trusted friend.
Ask for
advice. You may have exhausted your own
thinking power, but someone else might be able to offer a different perspective
that makes the decision clearer. This can help let go of your troubling
thoughts. Your friend can make you feel better, can ease your problems, and can
also make you realize when you're spending way too much time thinking.
- Besides, if you're hanging out with a friend, you're not just thinking, right? That's something.
