Improvisers call being in the moment and being connected to their teammates “getting out of their heads.” And I think it perfectly describes how I’d like to be way more often. I want to stop overthinking, get out of my head, and connect to the people and places around me.
I don’t want to obsessively worry about my mortgage, my job, or the way that one person looked at me kind of funny in the check out line. And I do not have time for this kind of “in my head” overthinking, and I’m pretty sure you don’t either.
So here are 5 tricks to help you finally stop overthinking, once and for all.
You have a limited amount of brain space. This may sound like bad news, but it’s actually great news. If you switch your focus from your worries and intrusive thoughts to the people and things around you, you can quiet your inner chatterbox and stop overthinking.
If you focus, and I mean really focus, on the trees, birds, houses, friends, family, sounds, and sights all around you, you can give yourself a break from all that overthinking noise.
When you’re sitting around festering in your worries and anxieties, you need to remember that rule from Physics class: a body at rest stays at rest.
Stop overthinking by moving your body. Take a dance break, a walk, or a jog around the park to shush that inner monologue.
Overthinking means you’re in your own little world, so one way to get out of your head and stop overthinking is to get more curious about other people’s worlds.
Pretend you’re a detective or a child. Look at the world through fresh eyes, eyes that are genuinely curious about the world around you. Because the more engaged in the world you are, the less enmeshed in your own overthinking you are.
Meditation is all about allowing thoughts to roll in and out of your head. No judgment. No trying to force the thoughts away. Just watching them roll on by like fluffy clouds.
Now, I’m not asking you to meditate. I’m just inviting you to let your thoughts roll on by. I like to literally say, “Nope, try something else” every time I get stuck on a nagging, intrusive thought.
Don’t force it away, Just try to replace it with a different one. Do this enough times, and you’ll land on a much more pleasant internal monologue.
We’re often conditioned to think that we are special. But the next time you get stuck in an overthinking torture chamber, allow yourself to be totally not special. Your thoughts and worries and inner chatter are no more or less important than anyone else’s, so call a friend or family member and get interested in their problems. It will give you some much-needed perspective, give you a break from your own overthinking, and nurture your connection with others. Wins all around.
Be patient with yourself as you replace bad overthinking habits with good being in the moment ones. If you’ve been in your head for 30 years, you can imagine that your brain is pretty stuck in that groove.
But it’s never too late to stop overthinking. Our brains are plastic. They’re malleable. This means when we practice more mindful, outward-focused, out of our heads behaviors, we are actually reforming our brains to be more mindful, joyous, and connected.
And that’s how we can finally stop overthinking, get out of our heads, and enjoy our day-to-day lives.
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