Kemp’s Creative Happiness Blog

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You’ve probably experienced your own spiral of thoughts that lead to aimless rumination and often results in feelings of anxiety and hyperactivity or sleepless nights, to name but a few effects.

Example: You’ve just comfortably tucked yourself into bed, even started to think about something tranquil and beautiful, when slowly, and at first unconsciously, distracting thoughts creep into your previously calm mind:

A “brilliant” creative idea pops up. How can I get started? What does it look like?

What about this dreadful meeting tomorrow? Am I sufficiently prepared?

Then pictures of the last horrific news report sneak in? How terrible that was….

As if that could stop the keen chatter in your head, you put your hands on your ears in a desperate attempt to escape this mental self-chatter.

But wait; here are some suggestions that really help to avoid over-thinking:

1. Try to re-focus your attention back to what was really important (e.g. at work) or that last tranquil thought or image (e.g. bed).

2. Distract yourself: read a book, watch a movie, play

3. Dedicate some time for rumination: If all sorts of thoughts start to overwhelm you, make a note and think about them at a time when it is convenient for you.

4. Talk it out.

5. Write it out (organize, make sense out of it).

6. Act to solve problems – step by step.

7. Dodge over-thinking triggers.

8. See the big picture.

9. Act on your recognition of over-thinking by saying STOP and imagining a bright red stop sign.

10. Be prepared. Example: Before you go to bed, drink a cup of relaxing tea, keep a journal on your bed side to write your thoughts down. That will help you to let them go and fall back to sleep.

Read also:

11 STEPS ON HOW TO DEMOLISH YOUR WORRIES

7 ADVANTAGES OF JOURNALING

5 IDEAS ON HOW TO HAVE A MEDIA FREE WEEKEND

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