Use our overthinking quotes to help you keep things in perspective and actionable tips to control your worries. Today more than ever we need to learn how to stop overthinking
and find ways to gain control of our thoughts and worries.
As I write this, the market is dropping fast and the news of the coronavirus is getting very worrisome. Colleges are closing along with large gatherings.
As if our normal everyday things that we deal with are not enough, we add on global issues and it can become a bit too much to handle.
Although these crises will pass there will always be something else to worry about both large and small.
We need real ways to keep things in perspective and we have actionable tips to gain control of your thoughts.
How do you describe overthinking?
Overthinking is “thinking too much” without taking any new actions. We sometimes get into the habit of dwelling on the possible problems or worrying about how to change an outcome by thinking about it over and over again.
Many of us make a habit of thinking about the worst case scenario, which is not healthy or helpful.
How can we stop overthinking?
We have to remember that we don’t make any progress when we overthink or over analyze any situation.
The old saying “analysis by paralysis,” I know this saying all too well.
It becomes so easy to go down a rabbit hole of thoughts and worries that will likely never materialize.
There is a quote from Mark Twain that I always think about when I start to overthink and worry.
“I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.”
That quote helps me to remember that many of the things that I dwell on, actually never come to pass.
Tips to gain control of your thoughts
We all are familiar with the Serenity prayer,
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
It sort of says it all. We have to have the wisdom to know when to “let go.”
When we overthink we are running in place, not moving forward. We keep thinking about the situation and trying to find a different outcome.
The problem is that we are not “acting” only “thinking.” You have to take an action, either by finding a solution or taking steps to “let it go.”
This is why mindfulness is so powerful.
Mindfulness gets you out of your head and forces you to be present.
When you focus on your breathing or how you are actually feeling in that moment, this becomes the best way to stop the habit of overthinking.
Use these 7 Tips on how to stop overthinking
1. Focus on the things that you can control and act on any solutions.
2. Become mindful of the present, not the past or the future
3. “Let go” of negativity and be positive. Try using a visual such as letting go of a balloon or erasing a blackboard of all your thoughts.
4. Change your surroundings, go for a walk or get some exercise to help you refocus
5. Give yourself a time limit to think about your problem. Move on after your times up. Try to solve the issue within 15 or 30 minutes. If you are not getting anywhere, then move on and refocus on something else.
6. Try Occam’s razor, a problem solving principle that roughly says “the simplest solution is most likely the right one.” This may help you look at the problem in a new light, which is always helpful.
7. Challenge your negative thoughts. Ask yourself some questions. How is fear affecting your thoughts? Are you making things worse by worry without any real facts? Are you imagining the worst case scenario? Check numbers 1 and 4 to help.
What to say to someone who is overthinking?
Ask these questions to help them come to a resolution.
What can you do to help the situation? Are there any positive actions that you can take?
If you have done all that you can do to make a difference, then you have to find a way to let go.
Overthinking quotes
We have 40 overthinking quotes to help gain perspective on our problems.
Be inspired by these quotes to help break the habit of dwelling on these thoughts.
Use the “how to stop overthinking” tips above to help you get out of your head and find solutions.
1. “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.”
― Mark Twain
2. “Majority of people who are easily stressed are the ones who think too much about the problems instead of solutions. Always focus on solutions.”– Subodh Gupta
3. “Sometimes, you overthink things so much that you ruin something before it even begins, then you beat yourself up, replaying everything to your friends and in your mind.”
— Kirsten Corley
4. “Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere” – Emma Bombeck
5. “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.” – Eckhart Tolle
6. “Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due.”–William R. Inge
7. “You will never be free until you free yourself from the prison of your false thoughts.” – Philip Arnold
8. “Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.”–Mark Twain
9. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” –Bruce Lee
10. “Overthinking will not empower you over things that are beyond your control. So, let it be if it is meant to be and cherish the moment.” ― Mahsati A
“Overthinking ruins moods and kills good vibes.” – SupaNova Slom
12. “To think too much is a disease.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
13. “Thinking will not overcome fear but action will”.— Clement Stone
More overthinking quotes
14. “Don’t overthink yourself out of something good!” ― Akosua Dardaine Edwards
15. “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
16. “I think and think and think, I‘ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.” – Jonathan Safran Foer
17. “Don’t overthink things. Sometimes you can convince your head not to listen to your heart. Those are the decisions you regret for the rest of your life.” – Leah Braemel
18. “The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step, while the dull win the race with eyes closed.”–Bethany Brookbank
19. “Put your thoughts to sleep. Do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking.”.— Rumi
19. “Overthinking is parasitic. It’s viral. It’s deadly, even. Letting yourself fall victim to overthinking doesn’t just kill your happiness, it destroys who you are.
20. “The mind is a beautiful and complex thing, and the only person who can hurt it is yourself”.— Genereux Philip
21. “Overthinking is a dream-killer. Sometimes you can drown yourself in your own thoughts.–Steve Maraboli
22. “Stop overthinking, put more energy on what you really want to do.” ― Amit Ray
23. “Don’t think. It complicates things. just feel, and if it feels like home then follow its path.” — R.M Drake
24. “I have realized sometimes I do better working under a crazy schedule. It gives me less time to overthink things and forces me to be present.”–Torrey DeVitt
25. “Overthinking, also best known as creating problems that are never there.”–David Sikhosana
Stop overthinking quotes
26. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.— Albert Einstein
27. “If you keep thinking about what you want to do or what you hope will happen, you don’t do it, and it won’t happen.” — Desiderius Erasmus
28. “Don’t overthink things. Sometimes you can convince your head not to listen to your heart. Those are the decisions you regret for the rest of your life.”–Leah Braemel
29. “If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep.”— Dale Carnegie
30. “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”
— Ray Bradbury
31. “Half our mistakes in life arise from feeling where we ought to think, and thinking where we ought to feel.”— John Collins
32. “Don’t get too deep, it leads to over thinking, and over thinking leads to problems that don’t even exist in the first place.–Jayson Engay
33. “Less thinking, more living.” ― S.R. Crawford
How to stop overthinking quotes
34. “Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.”
–Randy Armstrong
35. “Thinking too much leads to paralysis by analysis. It’s important to think things through, but many use thinking as a means of avoiding action.” ― Robert Herjavec
36. “Stop worrying about what tomorrow may bring. Focus on what you can control. Stay positive. Enjoy today. Expect good things to come.”–Karen Salmansohn
37. “The more you overthink the less you will understand.” ― Habeeb Akande
38. “It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.”
— Baltasar Gracian
39. “We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It’s a death trap.” – Anthony Hopkins
40. “Overthinking evaporates when you feel connected with your body, mind, breath and the soul.” ― Amit Ray
Conclusion How to stop overthinking quotes
Try our tips about how to stop overthinking. They are very actionable and can become habits when practiced regularly.
Below are great articles to help with becoming more mindful and ways that you can create a more positive mindset.
What do you think?
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