Breaking the cycle of overthinking
Overthinking is part of the human experience, but when left unchecked, it can take a toll on our mental well-being. As a person recovering from it, here's the one thing I’ve learned that has centred me.
At one point in my life, searching online for methods to overcome my overthinking gave me even more anxiety. Search results came back with: “23 techniques to relieve stress”, “18 ways to control your mind again”, “Stop Overthinking: Watch This Now” etc. etc.
Oh, how my head hurt.
One day, while catching up with a former colleague and sharing my struggle with overthinking, he offered a simple yet profound piece of advice: "Kausern, you got to trust yourself more."
And just like that, a deep sense of peace enveloped me. I felt empowered and confident again!
Here’s what I’ve learned so far in trying to break the cycle of overthinking by trusting myself more:
1. BELIEVE IN MYSELF AND MY ABILITIES
Trusting myself means believing I have what it takes to conquer the challenges life throws at me. Whenever I face difficulties, I reflect on my past successes and remind myself that my creativity, strengths and wisdom have supported my successes thus far. It reduces the need to constantly second-guess myself.
2. EMBRACING IMPERFECTION
Making mistakes is a natural part of life. Trusting myself means accepting that I’m not perfect and I shouldn’t beat myself up when I make a mistake. This mindset allows me to let go of the fear of making the wrong decision, reducing the need to endlessly analyse every choice.
3. TRUST MY JOURNEY
Trusting myself means comparing myself less to others and learning to celebrate my own accomplishments. I realised that whenever I catch myself striving to measure up to someone else's achievements, I start to overthink and it leads to feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and self-doubt. The truth is, everyone's journey is unique, and what works for one person may not work for another.
I've come to understand that placing trust in ourselves doesn’t mean absolute certainty that we are correct or that everything will work out perfectly. It involves having confidence in our abilities to make the right decisions, coupled with the awareness that even if things don’t turn out how we imagine it to be, we believe in the capability of our "future self" to figure it out.