Written by Vedant Kulkarni, Executive Coach
Vedant is an internationally acclaimed executive well-being coach, aka 'Friend In Need' for high performers like you, to help you clear the clutter of anxiety, overthinking and depression, take control of your emotions & feelings, and set up a road map to reach the top of your industry.
Do you find yourself overthinking almost everything? Do you worry about the future and dwell on the past? And as a result, work falls behind, right? I can completely relate as I have been in the same boat. Through the past decade, I dived deep into understanding how the mind works and identified some tools with which I could reclaim the peace of my mind and multifold my productivity. I'm here to share those with you, and if you too wish to stop the clutter in your head, bring focus to your thinking and amplify impact at your work, the next 3-5 min of your read can transform the way you 'think'!
1. Understanding the science of overthinking
So why do we overthink? And what does it do to our brains?
One of the reasons we overthink is that we are afraid of making mistakes or facing uncertainty. We want to have control over our lives and avoid negative outcomes. We also want to please others and avoid criticism or rejection.
However, these fears are often irrational or exaggerated. They are based on assumptions or beliefs that are not supported by evidence or reality. For example, we might think that if we make a wrong decision, we will ruin our lives forever. Or that if we say something stupid, everyone will hate us.
These fears trigger a stress response in our brains. Our amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotions and survival instincts, becomes activated and sends signals to other parts of the brain to prepare for danger.
This leads to increased blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and cortisol levels (a hormone that helps us cope with stress in short bursts). However, when cortisol levels are high for a long time, they can have negative effects on our health and well-being. Cortisol can impair our memory, attention, learning, creativity, and decision-making abilities. It can also lower our immune system, increase inflammation, and cause mood disorders.
Thus it is crucial to halt overthinking. How? Read on step 2.
2. Recognizing the chain of thoughts = stories
As we have seen above, most of the thoughts are over exaggerations aka stories that we tell ourselves. These thoughts line up in a chain and keep us engaged in an endless loop for quite some time. These stories are simply a product of our overwhelmed minds trying to make sense of stressful situations. The key is to revisit the initial
thought and acknowledge that it has little connection to subsequent thoughts. This awareness itself cuts the chain. Once we are aware of the initial reason for which the entire chain of thought was initiated, we can identify the actionable and work on what is in control and simply ignore what is out of control.
This makes the transition from 'thought to action' seamless and this is the cornerstone of productivity. By redirecting your attention towards taking action, you'll be able to generate tangible results and avoid getting trapped in endless rumination.
3. Stop thinking when it is not required
When we are Overthinking, we are generally not acting! Or let's understand it the other way around. Recall the last time when you ran a sprint or were exercising. Were you overthinking? Even a little bit of stretch or a jog can help reduce stress levels associated with overthinking. Research suggests that exercise releases endorphins that have a calming effect on the body and mind. It can help to break up moments of excessive rumination and bring the mind back to its calm.
Pro tip: Go jogging in a nearby park, even if there are just a few trees. It's way better than jogging beside a highway or in a colony. Spending time in nature pulls our attention away from the tiny whirls in our minds and sucks the stress out.
4. Take the power back from your “monkey mind” by pocket journaling
When you think something, your brain starts to process what it has just thought and then processes what it had earlier processed, and so on. In this linear process, the level of creativity is limited and stress piles up quickly. This is the monkey mind. Writing your thoughts and sharing them with others can lead to greater insights and revelations. Merely keeping them in your mind often results in a jumble of scattered thoughts and concerns. Studies have also suggested that creating a narrative helps you grasp what’s going on and even come up with creative ideas which were hidden within.
In my personal experience, after writing thoughts down, problems seem tiny and solutions come obvious without the cycle of overthinking!
Step 5: Make sure you are not trapped again in overthinking
To make sure that you don't start again with yet another chain of thoughts you need to make it a ritual to be in the present moment! The mind keeps forming narratives based on 'what happened' and 'what will happen.' If these two components are removed these excessive thoughts cease to pop up.
But how to do this? Even though we know that we need to live in the present moment when an unfamiliar/adverse situation comes up, this awareness is gone and we are trapped in the cycles of anxiety, anger, jealousy, feverishness, regret, overthinking and whatnot.
Thus, we designed a unique technique to take the mind out of constant overthinking and stress to a tranquil and blissful state in as little as 15 odd minutes – it's neither mindfulness nor any kind of 'self-help'. Curious to know how? Sign up for the upcoming webinar (it's free). I also share on the webinar 3 secrets to breaking free from anxiety and stress regardless of the work/environment you are in. So make sure that you do not miss it :)
In a nutshell
We all plan for our future, and we should, but when planning turns into overthinking, it ruins our present. Our thoughts don’t have to rule our lives, it must be the other way around. By taking charge of your thoughts through the tips shared above you can start your journey to defeat overthinking. The process can be daunting and difficult to go through alone. Hence, the techniques I share in the webinar can give you a headstart in your journey, and I don't think you would want to miss it! (Being a webinar, the capacity is limited; if the link is still accepting new registrants, secure your seat Asap!)
Wishing you the best of luck in training yourself to stop overthinking and start achieving!
Vedant Kulkarni, Executive Coach
Vedant is an internationally acclaimed executive well-being coach, aka 'Friend In Need' for high performers like you, to help you clear the clutter of anxiety, overthinking and depression, take control of your emotions & feelings, and set up a road map to reach the top of your industry. Through his decades of experience and expertise he developed unique short, and effortless meditative techniques which are helping thousands high-performing executives, founders, employees, and artists to reclaim their peace of mind, take their performance to the peak, find love in what they do, and explore deeper secrets of this mind, and the life. Over the last decade, Vedant has guided CEOs, Executive Directors, and Heads of State from across the world, advised the United Nations, and closely worked with the World Health Organization on implementing solutions on mental health & wellbeing.
