The Overthinker

Yep that's me. If there was an award for overthinking, I'd win it.

I can go from thinking about something quite small and turning into this massive problem that escalates quickly. It's a cruel trick that my brain can play on me and sometimes it can leave me feeling powerless to stop. I can't say that these tips always help me as sometimes I do still struggle to get through the overthinking times but when I'm more in control, these help:-

Breathe

Obviously! But I take a really big deep breath and instantly I feel calmer.

Brain Dump

I write everything down that's in my head, absolutely clear everything down onto paper. It's amazing (and terrifying) sometimes to see what I keep stored up in there. Quite a lot of stuff becomes insignificant when I read it back to myself. Some of the bigger things take more than that and normally I have to break up what it is into smaller manageable chunks. Sometimes the bigger things are actually the easier ones to sort. It's the ones that keep coming back that can make you feel like you're in a circle of worry. Reassurance that everything will be good again helps.

Distract Myself

Family time, checking social media, playing Candy Crush, baking, reading, writing, going for a walk.

Distracting myself is fairly easy but it's hard when I've stopped doing whatever I was doing, to not go then back to overthinking. My brain seems to think it's allowed that time and now it's back to thinking. No. Stop it!

One thing I do a lot to distract myself is to watch the TV show Grey's Anatomy, no matter what you have on your mind there's always someone that has more worries than you. Believe me.

Zzz's

I don't tend to think a lot at night time so I don't find getting to sleep a problem. I actually find I'm more tired because of the overthinking that I am glad to get into bed. I have noticed that overthinking steals my dreams and I like my dreams. It's like my brain uses up all the power doing the wrong thing. Sarah wants her dreams back!

Gym It

Exercise is good for keeping the mind quieter. Concentrating on my heart rate and not falling off the treadmill helps ;-)