Human beings have the ability to think and analyze situations that are part of the past, present and future. This is not something new, since we use this condition to perform activities in one way or another. For some unknown reason, on some occasions an idea can be imposed on our minds that we cannot ignore. In this way, it begins to repeat itself over and over again in our minds without ceasing, leading us to extreme fatigue. Constant and repetitive thoughts about the same situation are extremely exhausting since hypothetical solutions are presented that are never put into practice.
In this Psychology-Online article we will explain how to stop thinking about things.
Index
- get moving
- Organize mental information
- focus on the present
- mindfulness
- Focus on what's important
- Accept that not everything will be perfect
- Try and failure
- Talk about your concerns with other people
- Breath deeply
- Clean slate
Get moving.
Going around things consists of thinking and analyzing the same situation several times. Although this may seem like a solution to avoid future conflicts, the truth is that doing it to the extreme is a mistake because it prevents us from moving to achieve results.
For this reason, even if we are not certain about the future of an action, it is convenient move into action to break with constant thoughts.
Organize mental information.
Beyond the ideas that are presented, another good way to stop thinking about things so much is arrange the data to establish an order. In this way, we will have an adequate action plan that allows us to get out of the initial confusion in which we can stay.
It should be noted that this planning can be carried out in various ways, although writing is the most frequent and effective. If you want to know more about this topic, in the following article you will find therapeutic writing exercises.
Focus on the present.
Going around things means constantly thinking about future scenarios. This conceives a considerable energy expenditure and losing sight of our emotions and behaviors at the present time.
For this reason, focus on the present represents a key aspect in these cases, since it avoids the anxiety and the stress that is put into play in this type of opportunity.
Mindfulness.
On the other hand, the practice of activities such as mindfulnesscan decrease the intensity of thoughts that haunt a person and provide relief that is felt in the body and mind. In fact, mindfulness has beneficial effects in several areas because it relaxes the system central nervous system and allows the person to substantiate negative thoughts that cause conflicts.
If you want to put it into practice, here you will find some Mindfulness exercises for beginners.
Focus on what's important.
When your mind is filled with a large number of thoughts, it is likely that many of them are associated with irrelevant issues that will not bring you any benefit.
For this reason, it is convenient take into account what are the really important aspects in your life to direct your thoughts and actions to them and discard aspects that do not serve. This segmentation of information will provide peace of mind and security.
Accept that not everything will be perfect.
As a general rule, people who overanalyze possible situations tend to seek perfection to avoid mistakes and unpleasant moments. However, the reality is that this is impossible, since perfection does not exist and there will always be something that is not totally to our liking.
In turn, this is also directly related to the fact that you cannot have everything in life. However, understand not everything will be perfect in your life will help to find better solutions for the conflicts and difficulties that arise.
Try and failure.
When planning a situation or activity is carried out, it is usually given too much thought. In this sense, incessant ideas do not provide any kind of relief, since the person is always in the same place. On the contrary, it is preferable to keep in mind that some advance planning can be put into practice knowing that it is possible to make a mistake.
In this sense, we must avoid seeing mistakes as an obstacle, since they can mean new opportunities to carry out our ideas in another way that works better.
Talk about your concerns with other people.
put concerns into words that stalk a person can be a very valuable solution, since it allows to reduce the anxiety and fear. In turn, engaging in a conversation with people you trust will provide another look at the situations that worry you in order to distance yourself from them.
In this way, this procedure relaxes people who tend to be obsessed with certain ideas.
Breath deeply.
In general terms, thinking about things too much causes a series of physical symptoms that alter the system central nervous system, such as rapid pulse rate, increased heart rate, or nervous tension, among others.
In these cases, one of the best alternatives to stop thinking about things is to breathe deeply in a controlled manner. After some time doing these breaths, the mind can calm down in order to avoid these types of sensations.
Erase and new account.
Finally, this methodology represents the concept of release those annoying thoughts and start a new sequence. In other words, making a "clean slate" will favor the appearance of another type of planning that is less stressful and thus avoid all the previous ideas.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to stop thinking about things, we recommend that you enter our category of Personal growth and self-help.
Bibliography
- Hayes, S. (2020). Get out of your mind, get into your life. The new therapy of Acceptance and Commitment. Oakland: Desclée de Brouwer.
