‘I need to do this’ ‘I need to do that’ ‘There’s too much to do, and it’s so overwhelming’, I’ve definitely experienced those conversations with myself. Have you? It’s not overthinking the positives in life though is it? If you’d been thinking about all the great stuff that’s happened in your life and that is to come I don’t think you’d be
Today I’ve summarised three points to help you manage overthinking effectively.
Get it down on paper
This is vital, when things are floating around in our heads it can get very complicated and confusing. Getting them out of your head and onto paper is half the battle. Start listing all of the things you are thinking about sounds overwhelming but getting it onto paper starts to allow your brain more room to think and start to process more effectively.
Then start asking yourself powerful questions.
‘What are the most important things for me to do next?’ ‘What are the top 1-3 most important things I can do?’ Ask yourself a question and your brain will find an answer.
Get a coach or mentor
‘You can’t see the label inside the jar’ this means you can’t always see things in your life from just your perspective. Yes, increasing self awareness through things like journaling is key but having a coach or mentor will give a professional outside view too. A coach is someone who will tend to facilitate your thinking to get you into the best position possible whilst a mentor is someone who has experience in an area. The roles can be combined too, I do this in my coaching.
Having these can take time off your learning and growing journey. When I’ve had my coaches and mentors they’ve opened up my eyes to things I’ve never seen before or realised. In addition, when I’ve had too many things on my mind they have helped me focus on the most important things rather than overthinking.
Yes these cost money, but it’s an investment not an expense. Could you save money on things like new clothes, buying too much shopping or reducing bills? I bet you could. This is an investment into your future that will help you narrow your focus onto what is important to you. I don’t talk about the value of this because I am a mentor but I talk about this because of the changes it’s had to my life.
Take time to define your goals and the result than activities
So many times I’ve been caught up in just being busy or in activity mode. Going through the ‘to do’ list. Don’t get me wrong, being organised and having things to crack on with in your day is essential but you need to align it to what you actually want. You wouldn’t just get in a car and do a load of driving without a clear destination, so don’t do this with your life.
When we overthink we often think about all the challenges and things we have to get done. Bring yourself back to your main goals and what you can do to achieve them. Do this every single day. If you have a lack of clarity about your goals then you need to spend some time working out what your goals are. I spent over a week defining my 2021 goals with the targets for my months. Each month now I know where I am going and roughly what activities I need to do. Yes things will change and we have to be flexible in life, but having a clear direction and outcome will enable you to focus on the most important things.
Conclusion
Overthinking tends to be when there are too many thoughts in our head and lack of clarity. So begin by getting it out of your head and then work out where you are going. Get someone to help you see from another perspective. Keep referring back to your outcome and take action from there. Keep going, you action taker!
By Jonny Pardoe
Podcast Host, Confidence & Podcast Coach and Author
© The Self Esteem and Confidence Mindset Ltd February 2022
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