It is true that overthinking can ruin your happiness as well as peace because there’s a difference between overthinking and thinking. As you notice that thinking is basically an analysis of something inside your mind, but overthinking is over-analysis, which takes more time. When you’re thinking about something, you get an action to be done or some idea too, but in case of overthinking, you don’t get any idea, also it leads you to inaction.
The signs of your thinking include a structured If-> Then. If this thing happens, then I’ll do this or do that. But in case of Overthinking, there’s no if -> Then scenario that comes into your mind. Instead, you’ll spend your whole day thinking again and again, and you’ll be stuck in this whole scenario of overthinking.
There are a few scenarios when you overthink throughout the day, which can ruin your happiness.
1. Worry too much about the future
Worrying too much about the future goals, dreams, or vision is one of the main causes of your unhappiness in the present moment. When you think too much about the future, it causes overthinking in your mind. Its ok to worry about the future, but too much of that causes stress, anxiety in your current life. This overthinking can ruin your happiness, and you’ll feel uneasy and unsettled throughout the day.
2. Replaying the past mistakes in your mind
Instead of enjoying the present moment. You’re replaying the past bad memories, mistakes, grudges, which leads to overthinking in your mind all over thee day. Remember that you didn’t change the past. You have no control over the past as well as the future. You have the present moment in your hands. Work on your present life without wasting a single second on the past. Replaying the past in your mind is a major cause of Overthinking, which ruins your happiness in your life.
3. Over-analysis of people’s words or actions
In our daily hectic life, we meet a lot of people in the office, school, coaching, college, gym, etc. We exchange conversation about other people, dreams, money, lifestyle, etc with them. A few of their words or actions that we did not like stuck in our minds. Afterwards, when we overanalyse throughout the day then it causes overthinking, which results in unhappiness in our mind.
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4. Doubt every decision you made
Sometimes we make so many decisions in the past that will impact our present life ineffectively. Therefore, we started to doubt every single decision that we had made previously. This will start the process of thinking from overthinking in our minds, which ruins our happiness. If you made any decision in the past, don’t regret it if it doesn’t work well. Remember, we are all human, we are not machines that make decisions based on logic. It’s completely okay to make mistakes. These small bad decisions give us experiences throughout our lives. We can learn from these decisions whether it’s good or bad.
5. Compare your life to other people’s lives
It is true that comparison is the thief of enjoyment. When you compare your lifestyle with a neighbour, relative, colleague, or friend. Then you’ll find a couple of things that they have, whether it’s a materialistic thing or not. This will indirectly send the signal to your mind that you have insufficient life. In mind, comparison causes overthinking, which leads to a void inside your mind. It’s the cause of your unhappiness or misery in your life. Avoiding this habit of comparison helps you to avoid overthinking and helps you to be grateful in your life.
How to Stop Overthinking, which ruins your happiness
1. Start Meditation Daily
Meditation is one of the best and effective methods to calm your mind and stop overthinking. It improves focus, relaxation, and you get better sleep. It stops unwanted noises inside your head that cause overthinking. Do daily, early morning, 15-20 minutes of meditation. It improves your overall life positively.
2. Be Mindful throughout the day
Mindful means aware or conscious thought of the day. Whatever you do in your whole day, whether reading a book, studying, a job, etc. Give your awareness on that thing. When you focus while doing that thing, your mind automatically stops overthinking and starts concentrating on the current task.
3. Live in the present moment
Your mind starts to overthink when you live in memories or future fears. Instead, live fully in the present moment. Feel the things that are around you. Be present so that you have no time to overthink. Don’t sit idle. Build yourself continuously. Work on your goals and dreams. Be the best version of yourself.
4. Seek Support
If you’re stuck in overthinking for a long time. Start seeking support from a friend or one of your family members. Tell them your scenario, your thoughts, and feelings that are inside you. Sharing thoughts with a friend or a family member is one of the best things you can do. When we share things with those people whom we can trust, we feel relieved.
5. Question your thoughts
Instead of following the thoughts in your mind that cause overthinking. Question and reframing your thoughts with logic. Doing this activity breaks the overthinking in your mind. When you feel that overthinking starts, ask questions. This is also one of the ways to stop overthinking, which ruins your happiness.
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6. Start Journaling
Start writing your thoughts on paper, which causes the overthinking process. Track your thoughts daily. Make this habit of Journaling of thoughts. You’ll see that it forms the pattern in the long run. Then you’ll tackle your situation accordingly.
7. Focus on what you can control
Our main problem is that we want to take control of all the things and people in our lives. We think if all things go our way, then we’ll be happy and our minds will be free. But this is wrong. In reality, we can only control ourselves, not other people. Therefore, try to focus on what you can control. The good news is that you can control your thoughts in your mind.
These are a few scenarios I shared with you that cause overthinking, which ruins your happiness, and some of the best and easiest methods that if you follow with your heart, you’ll see the changes within in few days.
