Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1)

“I’m noticing some anxiety.”

a big cause of anxiety can come down to intrinsic factors within you as an individual.

The trick is to notice yourself engaging in this thinking in the moment. Look out for strong, emotive language, for words like “should” or “must,” for untested assumptions, or for any effort on your part to explain or justify something that, on second look, isn’t necessarily the case.

The following method is great for firefighters, perfectionists, and time martyrs, since it forces us to efficiently tackle a task when we might not actually have the time or resources to do it properly.

Try to finish every journaling session with something positive and grounding—recite a mantra, visualize something positive, or consider some possibilities and solutions going forward. If you don’t make sure to return to a positive headspace, journaling may start to feel like it only encourages more unhappiness and overthinking.

Think of this as the more proper use of your incredible cognitive powers—instead of anxiously overthinking in circles, you can use your capacity for analysis, conscious thought, and focus to actively improve those parts of your life that aren’t working for you.

Self-talk may be unconscious, but a deliberate self-script lets you take conscious control. Practice it when you’re calm and focused so you are ready and it comes automatically when you’re feeling more stressed out.

A third technique we have is called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. This is highly effective at stemming panic attacks, and it does so by involving all five of our senses.

For important and urgent tasks: Do immediately.