5 ways to avoid the rabbit hole of thinking too much

Being a highly analytical person is both a blessing and a curse. Overthinking a situation can make you a great detective: you want to know the who, what, when, where and why of situations, which make for a great investigative piece but not a sound mind. Sometimes, the after-effects of heading down the rabbit hole of spiraling thoughts can even manifest as anxiety. There’s a reason why meditation has become so popular: we’re catching on that our thoughts affect the way we feel about ourselves and the world.

Here are 5 reasons why thinking too much about something can destroy happiness, and what to do about it:

1. You’re not living in the present moment.

If you keep replaying certain situations or scenarios in your head, you’re not living in the here and now. By repeating things over and over in your mind, you might be missing out on what life has in store for you now — even if it’s as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee, a conversation with a friend or a beautiful fall day. Also, a brand new perspective is sometimes what you need in order to solve a problem you can’t figure out on your own. If you catch yourself in a thought spiral, simply breathe deeply and connect back to the here and now, putting the thoughts to the side for later.

2. You’re expecting a bad outcome.

Overthinking tends to spiral into worrying, and worrying is akin to praying for something bad to happen. Rather than playing out all of the negative scenarios in your head, simply intend or pray for the situation to resolve itself. If you don’t pray, simply say “I trust that this situation will resolve itself.” The key is to let go of the “how” and trust that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.

3. Not everything has an answer.

There’s a good deal to be said for the “everything happens for a reason” mindset. However, the details along the way don’t always have to make sense or truly contribute to the big picture. Rather than getting caught up in the “how” or “why” of certain situations, it’s better to hold a bigger vision in your head. Let’s say you want to start a new side project, but you keep getting caught up in the “how.” Simply map out and envision the end product, and take it one step at a time: write down something you can work on that week that will contribute to that end goal.

4. Rely on feeling, rather than thinking.

We can rely on logic all we want, but sometimes things simply don’t make sense. If you’re having a hard time making a decision, rely on your feelings rather than using your analytical mind. What is your heart telling you? Your gut? Usually your feelings know much better than your mind does.thinkinganx

So next time you need to make a decision, breathe down into the heart.  Does it feel light? Does it feel heavy? If you get an icky feeling in your body, it may mean you shouldn’t move forward with something or that it’s simply not right. Rely on your body’s keen intuition to guide you forward, rather than your mind because oftentimes the decisions that hold true for you may not make logical sense.

5. You get pigeonholed by your own beliefs.

Oftentimes overthinking gives us blinders. There may be people, situations and opportunities that present themselves to us that we simply don’t notice or write off because it “doesn’t make sense” or doesn’t match what our thoughts are telling us. The key is to keep an open mind. Many times in life, things play out differently that what we expect, so it’s important to go with the flow and try new things.

Going down the rabbit hole of spiraling thoughts keeps us down in the ground – unable to see all the gifts that are already right beside us.

Overthinking is also detrimental in the workplace. Break the habit now by enrolling in our Corporate Exclusive Event: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, October 12 from 10 am to 5 pm Learn more at: https://www.rewireme.com/event/corporate-exclusive-event-breaking-habit/