Find yourself overthinking? Here’s how to stop

Do you find that you are constantly going over and over situations in your mind and find it difficult to stop?  Do you overthink or obsess about  situations at work, your health, or about your relationships?   You are likely ruminating.  People who passively ruminate and repetitively fixate on their problems, without taking action.

Over the years, there has been a lot of research done on the psychological and physiological effects of rumination. Nolen-Hoeksema has repeatedly found that individuals who engage in rumination are more likely to develop and have prolonged periods of depression than those who don’t ruminate. Rumination has also been linked to alcohol abuse, anxiety, and binge-eating, and has also been found to impair problem solving. For example, one study found that women who had the tendency to ruminate took two months longer to book a doctor’s appointment after finding a lump on their breast compared to women who didn’t have this tendency. Rumination has also been linked to increased physiological stress, which can put you at increased risk for cardiovascular problems.

So how can you stop ruminating? How can you stop overthinking?

These three  articles outline some useful strategies that can help you:

http://www.projectmonkeymind.com/2017/09/how-to-stop-ruminating/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/16/8-tips-to-help-stop-ruminating/

https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/get-over-overthinking