The Overthinking Trap: How to Stop and Escape – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary

1.popcorn check lights it's the weekend and you are all set to watch a movie so you browse through every film genre on Netflix you pick a title Wang why you should watch it against why you shouldn't and then you browse some more it's comedy romance mystery and action to choose from and you're still browsing now you can't seem to focus on the title scrolling by as completely unrelated thoughts begin to stream in you can't seem to decide on any one name and before you know it minutes have turned to hours your excitement dies and you fall asleep do you have a tendency to overthink even the most Minor Details and then regret wasting your time because you didn't make any progress if that's the case here are eight things you can do to stop overthinking number one notice when you are overthinking do you often feel stuck making a decision are you always second-guessing a decision you've already made wondering if it's right for you this could mean you've fallen into the Trap of overthinking overthinking is a sneaky habit it may be difficult to notice when you start obsessing over a single thought you feel so anxious that you can't even sleep the key to Breaking this habit is awareness the sooner you realize you're overthinking the sooner you can control your thoughts number two book an appointment with yourself to just overthink you may not have the energy to complete your tasks but your brain appears to have the energy to overthink sound like you overthinking can negatively impact your productivity and concentration as a chronic overthinker you don't need a specific reason or time to overthink it happens whenever if that sounds like you that might be difficult to stop overthinking entirely instead you could try allocating some time each day to just overthink and worry a study found that setting aside a specific time each day to overthink can reduce worries and thoughts so whenever your mind begins to overthink you can remind yourself to focus on those thoughts during your thinking hour and finish your work for the time being number three try to distract yourself here's the catch sector goers I'm telling your brain to stop overthinking can sometimes backfire making those thoughts even more likely to reserve is it works like a spring more you compress it the more forcefully it returns to its original shape so more can be done distracting yourself with happy positive Alternatives is one way to help you replace negative thoughts dancing painting cooking playing video games or even just calling up your best friend can help you shut down those racing thoughts number four live in the present moment yesterday's history tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift that's why it's called the present now who said that in which movie comment your answers below ruminating over your past or worrying about what might go wrong in the future will only keep you from taking action right now to break free from overthinking try returning your attention to the present moment if you find yourself overthinking during lunch try focusing on how the food looks tastes and smells it will require you to consciously pay attention to your activities at first but it will become automatic over time the only moment you have is now number five focus on what you can control are you nervous about your exam results or is an old conversation in your head playing on a loop as you imagined how it could have gone better apart from realizing when you are overthinking it's also important to know what you're overthinking about if you don't you quickly lose sight of the variables under your control you can't change what happened to you in the past and you can't predict what will happen in the future instead it's always a good idea to examine what's within your control or can be changed with your efforts right now number six aim to be solution focused do you go back and forth over the same options before you decide and when you're stuck do you Google it and weigh the pros and cons of both options only do you end up with no decision shifting your attention from the circling thoughts in your head to creating an action plan for yourself can be a very difficult feat but when you can start implementing it doing so is the best way to ensure you're set free from overthinking and make progress number seven try to relax yourself did you just catch yourself overthinking that's okay take a few deep breaths simply observe and focus on how you breathe relaxation can also help you manage your stress and worries by reducing overthinking study found that practicing relaxation on a daily basis can reduce overthinking in the long run unfortunately meditation alone can't entirely silence your thoughts which brings us to our next Point number eight challenge your thoughts you ever tried asking yourself these questions are these worrying thoughts going to help me solve my problem How likely is it that the worst case scenarios in my head will come true in the future what could be the best case scenario by challenging your thoughts in this manner you can prevent yourself from believing that your negative thoughts are true and instead see the brighter side research suggests a combination of relaxation and critical stance against your negative thoughts can put an end to overthinking overthinking affects how you interact with others and mentally exhausts you blocking you from being productive you may feel as if you've lost control of your life so the next time you catch yourself overthinking you can give one of these methods a try to get back in the driver's seat if you found this video helpful be sure to hit the like button and share it with other overthinkers out there don't forget to subscribe to psych2go and hit the notification Bell for more new videos thanks so much for watching