- The Weekly Shift
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- The Overthinking Trap 🌀
THE CULPRIT…
Caught in the Overthinking Loop 🌀
Picture this: It's late at night, and instead of sleeping, you're replaying a day's worth of conversations and decisions in your head. Was your feedback too harsh? Did you share too much in that meeting? What if your friends misunderstood your joke? This relentless overthinking doesn't clarify or solve these issues; instead, it distorts reality, magnifying every potential mistake and embedding you deeper in a cycle of worry that paralyzes action and saps your energy 🌀 |  can’t. stop. thinking. |
The Paralysis of Analysis
Overthinking is like running on a treadmill of thoughts—you expend energy but go nowhere. This rumination not only misshapes the reality of situations, making mountains out of molehills, but it also prevents you from taking decisive, meaningful action. It creates a debilitating cycle where the more you think, the less you act, and the less you act, the more there is to overthink 😵💫
THE SHIFT…
Silence the Noise 🤫
Let’s turn down the volume on overthinking and tune into clarity and peace. It's about recognizing when your thoughts are spiralling and consciously choosing to step back. Ask yourself, "Is this thought useful?" Shift your focus from worrying to questioning constructively and aiming for actionable insights. This frees up mental space to think about lovelier thoughts like flowers, trees, ice cream, coffee 🍦 |  Ah, that’s better. |
Igniting Action
Breaking the cycle of overthinking isn't about suppressing thoughts; it's about channeling them constructively. When we successfully quiet the noise of rumination, our brains experience a reduction in the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. This decrease leads to improved focus and clarity. Over time, this practice not only helps in alleviating anxiety but also boosts our problem-solving capabilities, making us more effective in our personal and professional lives.
THE TOOLS…
See What Sticks
1 // Morning Pages
Morning journaling can be the exact small, easy hack you’re looking for. Starting our day by dumping our thoughts onto a piece of a paper in a TOTALLY untethered, unedited, unconscious stream of mind dump allows the overthinky (and sometimes twisted) thoughts that hang out inside of you OUT. It’s like releasing the ick so it not longer lives inside of us, even if only for a moment. Try it out and see how much lighter you feel (and your entries become) after a month of practice.
2 // What If Game
Our overthinking thoughts are usually defaulted to the negative route of ‘what if’ but there’s also the grand, amazing, awesome route of ‘what if’ that is equally possible. When something is ruminating in your mind, become aware of it and consciously steer your thoughts in the opposite direction from a place of love (not fear)... what if their response has nothing to do with how they feel about me? what if everyone did think my presentation was helpful? what if me pushing back with my boss does make them think more of me?
3 // Catch & Release
The sneaky thing about overthinking is we often don’t realize we’re doing it. The first step is to notice when something is taking up mental energy in your space. Once it does, set a timer, let your mind go wild, and once that time is done move on. Either take action/followup or let it go. Start with things that don’t matter so you get the hang of what it feels like to let go.
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More to Explore:
👉🏼 A chuckle: Turn Your Free Time to Hours of Crippling Anxiety
👉🏻 A read: How To Stop Overthinking
👉🏿 A book: Stop Overthinking
Happy Shifting!
- Tameem
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January we’re tackling a 30 day Reflection Writing Challenge.
February we’re taking on a 28 day Meditation Challenge.
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