How to stop overpressing

During the day, countless thoughts come to our heads. It is normal, our mind is constantly working. However, there are people who tend to overthink things a lot and have difficulty stopping those thoughts, entering mental loops that drain them of a lot of energy. How to stop overthinking?

It is not an easy thing because, furthermore, what happens is that the more we try to “stop thinking,” the more we think. Therefore, the first step we recommend is to stop that little inner voice that tells you “don’t think”, because thinking, you are going to think. Don’t try to fight your thoughts; Be aware of them, understand their reason for being and put into practice some of the ideas that we propose.

Overthinking: the thoughts that do not leave us alone

We are talking about ruminative thinking, a habit that, according to a study from the University of Michigan, up to 73% of adults between 25 and 35 years old suffer from and 52% of people between 45 and 55 years old.

Other research led by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema of Yale University shows that many people who overthink things believe they are doing themselves a favor by ruminating on their thoughts. This is not the case, because overthinking involves thinking about one’s own thinking. It is not something that leads us to a solution or conclusion (like logical thinking), but rather it is entering a “loop” that generates discomfort, anguish and mental fatigue.

Ruminating can be a form of avoidance.

How to stop overthinking: 6 strategies

Overthinking things can be an indication of high levels of anxiety and it is a symptom to which we must pay due attention and work on it so that it does not become a mental-emotional health problem over time.

There are situations, mainly those where we are under a high level of stress, where overthinking things is expected, and there is nothing wrong with this if they are very specific situations. lor bad happens when we always overthink things, all the time.

But how to stop overthinking? If this is your case, don’t worry, there are some exercises that you can put into practice and that will be of great help so that you can stop overthinking everything. The best of all is that they are very simple, but for them to give results you must be constant in putting them into practice.

1. Pay attention to your thoughts

How to stop overthinking? It is not an easy task, but a first strategy that we propose is to identify the thoughts that make you go into a loop. Thus, it is important that you stop to pay attention to the thoughts you have, to the way in which you tell yourself the stories of what is happening in order to Identify the thoughts that cause you stress and anxiety.

It’s not about avoiding having them (that is impossible), but to let them flow. When you have recurring thoughts, give yourself time to allow yourself to pay attention to them and then let them go away.

2. Focus on the here and now

The practice of meditation exercises has proven to have excellent results in stopping overthinking, and the best of all is that there is a wide variety of options, among which you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

You don’t need to stop your entire day, or go to a distant mountain to meditate.; You can do simple mindfulness exercises that are equally effective. As?

At some point during the day, try to pay conscious attention to all the details of what you are doing; It’s about not thinking, but paying attention. For example, if you are walking, focus on your steps, on the noises in the environment, the smells, on the experience itself (decenter your mind’s attention).

3. The formula 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

This mindfulness exercise will help you connect with the present moment and escape these looping thoughts. Stay in the present moment and try to think of 5 things you can see around you, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.

And once you identify each thing, feel it, focus only on it. The objective of this strategy is focus on the details of the environment and get away from worries.

4. Stop thinking

Another idea to discover how to stop overthinking, typical of cognitive behavioral therapy, is the thought-stopping technique. It is about, once we have identified that thought that leads us to the mental loop, finding a word, phrase, a small “mantra” or a gesture that allows us to cut that loop.

It can be a wordstop” or an action (for example, pulling a hair tie on our wrist; each person must find their own strategy). And once we do that action, we must start doing something (for example, cleaning, walking, calling someone…), something that diverts us from those thoughts.

5. Be grateful

Gratitude is one of the most valuable resources we have, in addition to always having it at our fingertips. Through gratitude we focus on the positive things, on what has gone well and on what we have.

This helps us lower the pressure on ourselves or situations and helps our brain to rest a little and stop putting pressure on itself to think about everything all the time.

6. Nature helps

Never underestimate the power that nature has to help us restore balance and distance ourselves from negativity. A walk through a place surrounded by nature It can help you focus on the present and put aside the constant thoughts of each situation.

Whenever you can, try to get away from the noise of the city for some time, to be in contact with nature. You don’t need to take long trips. For example, a walk to a nearby park can be more than enough to make you feel good and help you focus on living, without needing to overthink everything.

Nature walks help connect with the present and reduce rumination.

How to stop overthinking in these times

With the frenetic pace of life we ​​lead, and taking into account that, according to the WHO, in 2019 until 301 million people suffered from an anxiety disorder and 280 million people had depression, it is normal that many people tend to overthink. Let’s keep in mind that in these two types of disorders, ruminative and obsessive thoughts are a common symptom (although you don’t need to have one of these diagnoses to overthink, of course).

Thus, overthinking is a very common problem, which is not easy to deal with if we take into account the stress of life we ​​lead, money problems, etc. However, it is possible with some of the proposed tricks. And also asking for professional help if we see that we cannot do it alone and that the symptoms cause us significant discomfort.

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