Thinking too much takes away the momentum of happiness

Thinking too much sometimes generates mental overweight and reduces inertia to happiness.. This happens especially when those thoughts, ideas and reflections are of poor quality, harmful and toxic ideas that poison self-esteem, hopes and projects. Thus, few things can be more necessary for our well-being than cultivating more relaxed, peaceful and focused minds.

The mind is a tireless machine. Neuroscientists even tell us that People have on average about thirty thousand thoughts a day, and about 80% of them are of no use whatsoever.. That is, they are simple repetitive and ruminative ideas, evoked memories and, in essence, cognitive processes that do not confer us excessive benefit.

However, as we well know, every flow of ideas, evaluations, memories and sentences can also sometimes act as real poisoned arrows. They are states that intensify discomfort and corner us in spaces of great psychological unhealthiness. Therefore, The key to all this is not precisely in the greater or lesser quantity of thoughts we have, but rather in their quality.

Let’s see more data about it.

Thinking too much exhausts the brain

When an athlete prepares to perform an exercise, he knows that the part of his body that he must control the most is his brain.. Thinking too much could affect your performance or even cause an error. Therefore, the best strategy in these nervous and anxious situations involves being centered, calm and focused on the objective.

Thinking, as well as most of our cognitive processes, are located in our frontal lobe. It is in this area where we plan, where we compare information, make inferences, reflect and analyze. However, Each of these processes demand a good amount of energy. Therefore, we must know when it is worth putting that gear in motion and when it is better to “let ourselves go” and simply trust…

The brain in the times of multitasking (multitask)

Many athletes learn at some point the importance of training the mind, taming thoughts and focusing attention on a goal. However, Achieving that fine-tuned control over mental processes is not exactly easy in these times clearly dominated by multitasking.

Cognitive psychologists like David. E Mayer, from the University of Manchester, tells us that Although our brain is capable of doing several things at the same time, it has a limit. What’s more, such everyday aspects for us as driving while listening to the radio, thinking about what awaits us at work, what we will do tomorrow, what we have left undone and what we should have done, generates high stress. mental.This stress sustained over time ends up undermining our mood.Thinking too much day in and day out not only gives rise to states of high mental exhaustion, but also Furthermore, it builds inefficient brains whether we like it or not.

The most efficient brains and their curious neurological activity

We may think that people who are more skilled at doing something have a more active brain. Well, actually It is not about having a “more active mind” but rather a “more effective” mental focus.

Therefore, it is not about “thinking more” but about “thinking better”, about generating more productive, direct and useful thoughts. Now, it is necessary to comment on an interesting aspect. Average, People with higher IQ do not exactly present more “effective” thoughts.It is common for them to apply what is known as arborescent thinking. That is to say, one idea leads to another, a doubt invites them to generate various hypotheses and from these, new reformulations…

Hence, they tend to take longer to respond, and this tendency to think more than necessary often causes them some anxiety and discomfort.

Think less and better to be happy

Thinking well is synonymous with living better. However, how can we train our focus and that mind accustomed to feeding ourselves with tireless fears and discomforts? Albert Ellis, father of rational emotive therapy, reminded us in his work that what affects us most is not what happens to us, but the way we interpret what happens to us.

The key is therefore to treat ourselves better, to value things differently, to Allow the mind to put on the brakes and rest from time to time. Let’s therefore look at some strategies.

Four steps to stop overthinking

From cognitive psychology they remind us that we can modify our mood by changing what we say to ourselves. Thus, One way to reduce excess thoughts is to treat ourselves much better.. We must reduce negativity, the weight of fear, the edge of anguish.Another step that can help us manage the emotional level. One way to achieve this is to convince ourselves that we are safe, that we are okay, that there are no imminent threats that could cause us harm. You have to work on inner calm. Likewise, Practices such as mindfulness can allow us to reduce the noise of that overactive mind. In addition, it will help us focus our attention on the here and now, something essential to reduce the excess of worries.There is a time to think and a time to let go. There are times when reflection, analysis, search for options and inference are necessary. All these processes allow us to make better decisions. However, lengthening them excessively can be counterproductive. Let’s remember that there is a time to think and others to let go…

In conclusion, One way to gain well-being and happiness is to control our thoughts and their quality.. Achieving this is not exactly easy, not when we are subject to those rigid mental schemes like the “I have what”, “maybe”, “I should do”, “it would be better what”… Letting ourselves go, appreciating the moment, removing worries and losing fears is that art in which we get started in everyday life.

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