Have you ever found yourself in a state where your mind simply refuses to be quiet? One thing after another keeps playing over and over in your head. You want to stop, but you can’t, and the more tired you become, the more you end up thinking. If you’ve ever experienced this, you know how exhausting it can be.
In this article, I share three practical ways based on my own experience — as someone who used to lose sleep because of overthinking — so that you can gradually break free from it.
Overthinking – An Exhausting Experience That Only Those Who Have Been Through It Can Understand
I used to constantly get caught up in thoughts that I couldn’t stop. They kept repeating over and over, giving me headaches. I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t. Many nights, I would lie in bed unable to sleep and feeling extremely tired.
The things I overthought about were often very trivial. Sometimes, I would blame myself for something that had happened in the past: “Why did I do that? How could I get something so simple wrong?” Other times, I would overinterpret things. An ordinary comment or even someone’s “haha” reaction online could be enough to make me think about it all night: “Were they being sincere, or were they being sarcastic toward me?”
Overthinking is like running on a treadmill: you use up a lot of energy, but in reality, you are still standing in the same place.
Deciding to Make a Change
It was time for me to tell myself: This is a real problem, and I have to deal with it. I tried many different ways, and eventually, I came up with three of the most practical things.
1. Bring Your Focus Back to Your Body Through Your Senses
In the past, I tried forcing myself to listen to audiobooks and concentrate on summarizing them. But when my mind was already overloaded, forcing my brain to take in more information only made me feel even more mentally exhausted.
Later, I switched to exercises that focused on my senses to bring my attention back to my body:
- Look around and silently name the five objects closest to you.
- Notice four things you are currently touching, such as the surface of a table, the edge of your shirt, or the chair you are sitting on.
- Listen to three sounds around you.
- Stand up and walk around or stretch a few times.
When I focused on these real physical sensations, the aimless thoughts in my head would naturally begin to slow down.
2. Write Things Down to Check the Facts and Find a Way to Deal With Them
When we think about things in our heads, we often make everything seem much worse than it actually is. Instead of continuing to think about it in my head, I take a piece of paper and divide it into three sections:
- What I’m thinking: I write down exactly what I’m worried about (for example: “I’m worried that the upcoming conversation will go badly”).
- The actual facts: I ask myself how likely it is to happen (“I’ve prepared the content, things have gone fine in the past, and at worst, I might stumble over a few sentences”).
- How to deal with it: I write down something specific that I can do right away (“Speak more slowly and prepare some notes in advance”).
When I write everything down clearly on paper, I realize that most of the things I worry about are things I have exaggerated in my own mind. Having a way to deal with the situation also helps me feel less worried.
3. Take Care of Your Physical Health
It is very difficult for a tired body to remain calm. When you don’t get enough sleep, eat irregularly, and sit in one place for too long, you are much more likely to feel anxious and think negatively.
When I feel mentally overwhelmed, I no longer try to force myself to stop thinking. Instead, I get up and drink a glass of warm water, take a ten-minute walk, or go to bed early. When my body gets enough rest, my mind also naturally feels lighter.
These are very simple things that I have done myself and found effective. You don’t need to do all of them at once. The next time you feel yourself starting to overthink, try stopping for a few seconds, place your hand on the surface of a table, and take one deep breath.