People often find themselves saturated by the large number of thoughts that lurk on a daily basis. When this happens, it is common for high stress levels to appear, since this excess of ideas prevents the person from being able to relax, even in moments intended for rest. Likewise, in many situations of daily life we anticipate future situations that may or may not occur. In general, this denotes a considerable expenditure of energy that could be directed to other purposes. Have you ever had sleepless nights because your mind wouldn’t stop reeling from a stressful event? Do you know someone who lives with constant worries that prevent them from enjoying the present? If you feel identified, surely reading this article will be interesting for you.
In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about how to stop overthinking so much .
Make a list of ideas
Constant thoughts that do not stop may be due to a lack of organization. In these cases, one of the keys to organizing ideas is to create a list of information that includes, for example, important situations or events that cause stress, fears, or obligations. This will allow you to relieve the tension produced by the stress of not stopping thinking.
Practice physical activity
Sports practice is a fundamental tool that enables physical and emotional well-being . Faced with situations that cause difficulty in stopping thinking, it is recommended to carry out some physical activity that the person likes since this produces the release of endorphins , a hormone linked to happiness.
In addition, the exercise requires the concentration of the person for its correct execution.
Go to psychological therapy
When thoughts constantly torment the person and prevent them from carrying out daily activities, the most important suggestion is to see a mental health professional to start psychological treatment. This approach will provide tools to reduce the intensity of thoughts .
Perform artistic activities
Art can be presented in multiple forms, since it is not possible to delimit it to a single activity. Therefore, here we can include activities such as theater, music, painting or sculpture, among others.
Therefore, given the fact that the person cannot stop thinking, it is indicated to carry out an artistic activity of interest since said energy is redirected towards another area. Consequently, a cessation of overwhelming thoughts may occur.
Breath deeply
Elevated levels of tension are linked to muscle contractions that cause problems in the body. For this same reason, a person who is worried and does not stop thinking usually presents muscular difficulties. In this way, inhaling and exhaling deeply continuously until relaxation is achieved is another tool to stop thinking so much about situations that cause discomfort.
In the following article you will find Breathing exercises .
To meditate
It is possible to achieve a relaxed state of mind and body by carrying out certain actions, including meditation, which can be guided by an instructor or done independently.
In general, meditation consists of appealing to concentration based on the present from the breath and will help worrying thoughts to subside.
Understand that constant thoughts will not provide solutions
Understanding that the fact of constantly thinking about everything will not bring any type of solution can be another alternative that allows a mental break and stop thinking so much about everything.
People who cannot stop thinking try to find solutions to the problems that appear in such situations. However, this backfires, as simply thinking about the problem will not provide answers or relief.
Act
In relation to the previous point, recurring thoughts do not lead to any favorable outcome. For this reason, people who can’t stop thinking try to find soothing answers that never appear.
In this way, if a thought has its resolution to carry out an action, it is necessary to stop postponing it to release accumulated tensions.
Accept and let go of thoughts
Accepting and letting go of thoughts consists of understanding that certain thoughts are part of us, so we must accept their presence . It is not about trying to eliminate them, since that would imply an excessive effort, but understanding that they will be there for a limited time and then they will lose consistency.
If we appeal to the belief that ideas can leave in the same way that a person leaves a place, this can be of great help in these cases.
Talk to someone else
If an idea does not stop haunting our minds, it is necessary that we take some action so that its intensity decreases. In fact, the simple fact of talking about that situation that generates uncertainty, fear, anger and/or another emotion is effective since a catharsis is produced.
In this sense, it may be convenient to resort to talking with a trusted person about what is happening to us.
Eat a healthy diet
Certain foods contain properties that calm the central nervous system. For this reason, following a healthy diet based on green vegetables, fish, olive oil, fruits and legumes can cause the relaxation effect that occurs in the body to affect constant thoughts. To achieve this, it is necessary to consume healthy products every day.
Likewise, there are relaxing herbs such as valerian, lemon balm, chamomile or lavender that can also help us stop thinking so much.
Read
Reading is a habit that can bring many benefits to people’s lives. On the one hand, it promotes general knowledge based on the information we get from books, academic texts, and news.
On the other hand, reading requires mental concentration in front of what we are reading, so it is possible that the rest of the thoughts stop during the reading.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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