Psychologists explain how to stop thinking

Thinking of something in endless circles is tiring.

While every now and then he thinks about several things, chronic over-thinking spend most of his waking time thinking that he is putting pressure on himself. Then they take this pressure for stress.
“There are people whose levels of rethinking are simply pathological,” says clinical psychologist Catherine Pittman, assistant professor of psychology at St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
“But the average person is also inclined to think about things.” Pittman is also the author of Restart Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Anxiety.
Thinking can take many forms: endless thinking when making a decision (and then doubt about the decision), trying to read thoughts, trying to predict the future, reading the smallest details, etc.
People who constantly think, constantly comment, criticize and parse what they said and did yesterday, are afraid that they look bad, and are worried about the terrible future that may await them.
“What if” and “should” dominate their thinking, as if an invisible jury has judged their lives. And they are also tormented by what to post on the Internet because they are deeply concerned about how other people will interpret their messages and updates.
They sleep poorly, because reflection and anxiety prevent them from sleeping at night. “Ruminators periodically go around events, asking big questions: why did this happen? What does it mean? ”Adds Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Head of the Department of Psychology at Yale University and author of The Women Who Think Too Much: How to Free themselves from Rethinking and Get Their Life Back. “But they never find any answers.”
If you constantly concentrate on thoughts and turn them into a habit, it becomes a loop, and the more you do it, the more difficult it is to stop. Clinical Psychologist Elena Odesskaya, Psy. D., shares some ideas. “Very often people confuse rethinking with problem solving,” says Odessa, the author of “Stop Anxiety from Stopping.” “But in the end, we just kind of get stuck,” says Odessa. “We are not really solving the problem.”
Excessive thinking is destructive and mentally draining. It can make you feel that you are stuck in one place, and if you do not act, it can greatly affect your daily life. This can quickly jeopardize your health and overall well-being. Rumination makes you more susceptible to depression and anxiety.
Many people think because they are afraid of the future and what might go wrong. “Because we feel vulnerable to the future, we continue to try to solve problems in our heads,” says David Carbonell, clinical psychologist and author of The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst, and What You Can Do about It " It."
Extreme rethinking can easily undermine your sense of control over your life. This robs us of active participation in everything that surrounds us.
“Chronic disorders exhibit an increased incidence of coronary problems and suppressed immune function. A sense of the past or future also leads us away from the present, making us unable to complete the work that is now being done on our plates. If you ask the ruminators how they feel, no one will say “happy.” Most feel unhappy, ”says Nicholas Petri, a senior lecturer at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Excessive thinking may cause the brain to become confused. When thinking becomes as natural as breathing, you need to quickly deal with it and find a solution.
“When an unpleasant event makes us discouraged, it is easier to remember other times when we felt terrible. This can set the stage for the ruminator for the downward spiral, ”writes Amy Macklin from Real Simple.

How to defeat this way of thinking and regain your life
Chronic anxiety is not permanent. This is a mental habit that can be broken. You can train your brain to look at life from a different perspective.
To overcome rethinking, Pittman recommends that you replace the thought. “To tell yourself that you do not have a specific thought does not mean not to have that thought,” she says. “You need to replace that thought.” What if she tells you to stop thinking about pink elephants? What are you going to think about? That's right: pink elephants. If you do not want to think about the pink elephant, come up with the image of, say, a turtle. “Maybe the big turtle holds a rose in its mouth while crawling,” Pittman says. "You are not thinking about the pink elephants now."
Take yourself away from this by noticing when you're stuck in your head. You can curb your over-considered habit if you can begin to control your conversation with yourself - this inner voice that provides a constant monologue throughout the day and even at night.
“You can develop a small psychological distance by generating other interpretations of the situation, which makes your negative thoughts less believable,” said Bruce Hubbard, director of the cognitive health group and associate professor of psychology and education at Columbia University. This is called cognitive adjustment.
Ask yourself - what is the likelihood that what I'm afraid will really happen? If the probability is low, what are some more likely results?
If this is a problem that you continue to reflect on, rephrase the problem to reflect the positive result you are looking for, ”suggests Nolen-Hoeksema.
“Instead of“ I'm stuck in my career, ”say to yourself or, better yet, write:“ I want a job in which I feel more interested. ” Then make a plan to expand your skills, build a network and look for opportunities to improve the situation. career.
Find a constructive way to handle any worries or negative thoughts, says Hani. “Write down your thoughts in a diary every night before bedtime or first thing in the morning - they should not be in any order. Do a brain drain of everything on your mind on the page. Sometimes it can bring a sense of relief, ”recommends Hani Langkaster-James, a psychologist.
You can also control your thinking habit by connecting with your feelings. Start to notice what you can hear, see, smell, try and feel.
The idea is to reconnect with your immediate world and everything around you. When you start to notice, you spend less time in your head.
You may also notice your penchant for thinking and dissuade yourself from it. Self-awareness can help you take control.
“Pay a little more attention,” says Carbonell. “Say something like: I feel a little restless and uncomfortable. Where I am? Am I all in my head? Maybe I should go for a walk around the block and see what happens.
Recognize that your brain is in a state of overload or reflection, and then try to exit it immediately. Or, better yet, get distracted and redirect your attention to something else that requires focus.
“If you need to interrupt and replace hundreds of times a day, it will quickly stop, probably during the day,” says Dr. Margaret Veherenberg, a psychologist and author of “10 Best Methods to Fight Anxiety.” “Even if the switch is simply to pay attention to the task at hand, it must be a decision to change mental thoughts.”
It takes practice, but over time, you can easily recognize when you worry too much, and instead choose to do something in real life, rather than spend a lot of time in your head.
For example, convert “I can't believe this happened” to “What can I do to prevent this from happening again?” Or “I don't have good friends!” To “What steps can I take to deepen I have friendships, and i find new ones? "Recommends Ryan House, PhD.
Do not get lost in thoughts about what you could have and should have done otherwise. Mental stress can seriously affect your quality of life.
A hyperactive mind can make life miserable. Learning how to stop spending time in your head is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
Like all habits, changing your destructive thinking can be a problem, but it is not impossible. With practice, you can train your brain to perceive things differently and reduce stress from rethinking.
If excessive thinking destroys your life, and if you think that because of your thoughts you are depressed, you should seek professional help.