10 Proven Techniques to Stop Overthinking and Improve Mental Clarity

The Negative Effects of Overthinking on the Brain

When you spend a lot of time thinking, you can get trapped in the continuous cycle of examining and analyzing different outcomes. If this continues for a long time, it can lead to decision paralysis. This will eventually affect your productivity as you will find it hard to decide. When you decide to settle on a choice, you end up making the wrong decision.

According to Walden University, people who overthink are mostly stressed and, therefore, only decide out of habit. They have a reduced tendency to make new decisions or even adapt those decisions to the current situation.

In addition, overthinking can have a damaging effect on our cognitive function by leading to depression, anxiety, insomnia, and emotional trauma. This happens because overthinking can be stressful for your mental health.

According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, stress-related unconstructive repetitive thought can worsen your cognitive health, whether in the short or long term. In addition, in another study, repetitive negative overthinking can contribute to symptoms of insomnia.

Lastly, the adrenal gland produces cortisol to help you regulate stress levels in the body. However, prolonged overthinking can cause an elevated cortisol level, which can cause weight gain and buildup of fat tissue, which eventually contributes to mental fatigue.

Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness can help with mental clarity as it makes you more aware of your thoughts. In addition, practicing mindfulness medication helps you decrease rumination. It has a calming effect that helps redirect the mind and focus on another thing instead of spending the entire time ruminating. According to research, mindfulness meditation helps reduce depressive symptoms and rumination.

Some simple meditation techniques to overcome thinking include:

• Breathing Exercise: Practice breathing exercises by breathing in and out. During this period, reflect on your thoughts and focus on breathing.
• Be mindful of your routines: Avoid mindless eating, walking, or video streaming. Be aware of whatever you are doing.

Set Time Limits for Decision-Making

Decision paralysis occurs when you make different decisions through a prolonged cycle of thoughts without settling on any. Have a structure around your decision-making. For example, you set a time limit for decision-making. This way, you are not stuck with overthinking.

Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of therapy that is one of the techniques used to stop overthinking. This works by identifying and challenging negative thought patterns. Once you are able to identify these cognitive errors, the next thing is reframing your thoughts in a more balanced and logical pattern.

Through this technique, you will be able to focus on solutions rather than thinking of the problem for a long time.

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Engage in Physical Activity

Engaging in exercises and other physical activities is a good way to reduce overthinking and get your mind focused on other things. Plus, exercise helps to trigger the release of endorphins into the body.

Endorphins are “feel good” chemicals and a natural pain killer; therefore, they help reduce stress and improve mental clarity. Consequently, mental clarity helps avoid overthinking.

According to Sarah Mitchell, Psy.D. -Licensed and Credentialed Pediatric Psychologist

Engaging in regular physical activity helps regulate the brain’s chemistry by releasing endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. This process not only reduces stress but also enhances focus and mental clarity, making it easier to overcome overthinking

10 Proven Techniques to Stop Overthinking and Improve Mental Clarity

Write It Down: Journaling for Thought Clarity

Journaling involves putting your thoughts, feelings, and insights on paper. It helps reduce overthinking because it makes you more aware of what is going through your mind. In addition, it helps you organize your thoughts properly so you find it easier to make decisions.

You can make this more effective by practicing gratitude journaling, where you focus only on the positive aspects of your life. In addition, you can practice brain dumping by journaling everything in your thoughts. This way, you are able to reduce stress on your mental health.

Limit Information Overload

When you overload the brain with too much information, it becomes difficult to process it and arrive at a decision. Eventually, you begin to experience decision paralysis. You can avoid this situation by becoming selective of the information you expose yourself to.

One of the techniques to limit information overload is a digital detox, where you reduce your use of electronic devices and access to social media platforms.

Practice Deep Breathing and Relaxation Techniques

When you are stressed or feel anxious, the body activates the fight-or-flight response, which can also cause different thoughts to race through your mind. However, practicing deep breathing can help counter this response.

One of the simple breathing exercises for overthinking is taking a long, slow, deep breath. While doing this, begin to disengage your mind from distracting thoughts.

Focus on What You Can Control

You need to understand that every situation cannot be in your purview. Some situations will always be out of control, while there are some you will be able to control. Understanding the difference between what you can control and what you can't will help you focus on productive rather than unproductive ones.

In addition, instead of focusing on the worries within your control, it is recommended to focus on actionable steps to solve them.

Establish a Nighttime Routine for Better Sleep

Sleep deprivation has been found to decrease positive emotions and increase negative emotional responses. A few of the benefits of quality sleep are helping to improve attention, memory, and learning key ways to improve memory naturally. However, a lack of sleep can cloud our judgments and our overall perception of the world.

Therefore, it is important to develop a nighttime routine for a better sleep pattern. You can do this by sleeping at the same time every day and ensuring you get enough sleep.

Seek Professional Support When Necessary

Overthinking is not diagnosed as a mental health condition; however, it is important to seek professional help once it starts affecting your daily life. Sign up for therapy and counseling to overcome overthinking. Along with professional support, a brain health supplement may also provide valuable cognitive support to improve mental clarity and function.

Therapy and counseling will help ensure clarity of thought, reduced stress, and increased self-awareness, and you will get to new and different coping strategies.