3 Ways to Overcome Overthinking 

Are you in the habit of imagining all the possible outcomes of a situation - especially the worst ones? Do you often assume that the worst will happen and the various ways you will suffer as a result of it? Do you usually question and suspect the motives of other people's behaviors and imagine possible ulterior motives they could have? In short, do you look for the worst in people and imagine the worst-case scenarios of any event? 

If you answered in the affirmative to most of the above questions, then welcome to the club of Overthinkers Worldwide. Overthinkers generally tend to ruminate and fret about the past. The dead and gone past experiences prevent them from looking forward to a happy and positive future. This cynicism may be somewhat justifiable because it is natural to expect that the future will be similar to the past. Sometimes it is. But, sometimes it's not. 

Individuals who are prone to overthinking are often victims or survivors of emotional, mental, and/or physical abuse, life-changing betrayals, or setbacks. While carrying the heavy baggage of a troubled past or present, they don't just get over the abuse or grief and start imagining a rosy future, especially while the adversity is still going on. Even if it is over, they can not just brush it off and expect only positive things to happen in the future. It is not fair to have such high expectations from them. Or from oneself. It does take time to forget and move on.

But what if you are unable to pick up the pieces even after a few years and look forward to happier times? What if rehashing the past has become a habit that you can't shrug off even after the pain of past trauma has dulled in intensity? There are a few changes that you can make in your perception and decision-making processes to help you out of this dismal habit.

First, realize that it is a fruitless endeavor. Imagine your mind is a beautiful garden with limited real estate. The thoughts you plant in it are the seeds that turn into fruits eventually. Don't let this precious space go to waste by dedicating it to the creep(s), the disappoint(s), or the calamity you are planting the seeds of. So just DECIDE that you will not keep planting seeds of past memories so that eventually you just fade out the trauma of the past and reap only the fruits of optimism and the good things to come. 

The second strategy is equally effective and its benefits are two-pronged. Whenever you catch yourself having a negative thought, entertaining a bad memory, or imagining a negative outcome, consciously and decisively turn it into a prayer. Convert the energy of the negative emotions into passionate and mindful prayers. Keep praying until you are mentally a bit weary and don't have the cognitive resources needed to cultivate negative thoughts. Communicating with God will crowd out the negative energy and replace it with hope and optimism. The second benefit is that your prayers will reach heaven and sooner or later be answered or at least build your bond with your Maker.

The third strategy is to replace negative thoughts with constructive ones. Think about what you can do for yourself as compensation for the bad times you endured. How can you pamper yourself? Develop yourself? Comfort yourself? Praise yourself? In short, substitute thoughts of doom and gloom with thoughts of how you can reward or make yourself happy in the short-term and long-term. Shift your focus from the past or future to yourself in the present and how you can feel better now. Then prioritize it. The time that you spend overthinking should now be spent on actively pleasing yourself. A trip to the salon? A walk? Movie? An advanced educational degree? A trip? A nap? A shower? Yes, do whatever it is you want NOW instead of thinking up a storm of negativity.

Often the storms that come in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us. All we have to do is to stop fighting the storm and start noticing the path that will lead to happiness and fulfillment and peace. All the good things that we deserve.