I know what it is like to be caught up in overthinking. The last time I checked, overthinking about all the things that bring us joy and happiness doesn’t cause stress and overwhelm. Nope, our stress and overwhelm come from overthinking our future, past, and all the things we think could go wrong. All the junk that we have little to no control over.

2 AM Thinking

I wonder if you can relate to my favorite overthinking that happens in my mind. All those past conversations that I need to rehash in my brain. Why did I say that I should have said this, or I forgot to mention that.

Talk about a big waste of time.

Let me walk you through how I handle it; this just happened to me the other night at 2 AM!

My mind started repeating a conversation I had the day before. Once I noticed what was happening, I told my brain to hold up, Michele; you are in the past, nothing you can do about it now, just let it go. When it resurfaced a bit later, I simply said Michele, let it go.

How about you?

Really, here’s the thing what are the chances of the exact conversation coming up again? Well, unless you’re chatting with a two-year-old, then the possibility of repeat conversations doesn’t come up.

How to overcome your overthinking

Here are suggestions on how to overcome your overthinking.

Find a go-to mantra or prayer when you notice you are beginning to overthink a situation.
An example could be: I’m not sure what will happen next, and that’s okay. I’ll find a solution when the time is right.

Pull out your journal and break down what is causing you to spin into overthinking. Our overthinking is just thoughts. Our thoughts create our action or, worst, our inaction. Put all that overthinking on paper and keep writing until you are off the spinning wheel of overthinking.

What if you’re not able to journal? No problem, simply pause and kindly tell your brain, thank you for keeping me safe, but that’s just a thought. I need not worry or overthink.

Laugh about it! Let out a laugh when you notice that your thoughts are running away from you.

Flip the script; what are you grateful for? Tell your mind that you are so thankful for preparing for disaster. But right now, we will focus on the good in our lives. We will be grateful for all we have and not worry about the rest.

Try these out, and let me know if they work for you!

✁ Just a Snippet

Here is just a snippet of the important points you know for the skimmer in you. 🤪

The last time I checked, overthinking about all the things that bring us joy and happiness doesn’t cause stress and overwhelm.

You may have guessed, our minds are continuously searching for different ways to keep us safe from the made-up disaster that we create in our own heads.

Once I noticed what was happening, I told my brain to hold up, Michele; you are in the past, nothing you can do about it now, just let it go.

The problem is, all our overthinking causes overwhelm and dissatisfaction in our lives.

No problem, simply pause and kindly tell your brain, thank you for keeping me safe, but that’s just a thought. I need not worry or overthink.

What should be prioritized

Here’s the big secret. You need to determine what will always get your yes. That is how you determine what is a priority and what needs to be a no.

I love, love, love personal development. Podcasts, books, YouTube videos give me all the personal development.

In fact, one of my guilty pleasures is watching YouTube videos on anything in my perception that will make me a better person. My binge list includes productivity, time management, mindfulness, living a minimal life, cleaning (yep I like to watch videos on cleaning hacks), the list goes on and on.

My point is that personal development is on my list of priorities, however, it does not come before my husband, children, my faith, my business.

On A Ladder

In the book, Take Back Your Time: The Guilt-Free Guide to Life Balance, Christy Wright talks about how most of us see our priorities on all one level. She sees it as a pyramid. It’s funny because I see my own priorities on a vertical ladder or steps. The more important it is in my life the higher on the ladder it climbs.

How do you view your priorities? Are they all on the same playing level or do you have a hierarchy?

If you do not have a hierarchy I encourage you to come up with what should be prioritized. When you do this it makes it much easier to know what needs to get your “yes” and what needs to get your “no”.

Do you need help with finding balance in your life and business? I’d welcome you to apply to work with me. Here is a link to my Life and Success Coaching inquiry form.

✁ Just a Snippet

Here is just a snippet of the important points, you know for the skimmer in you. 🤪

• Oh, but the joy that comes from checking boxes off the to-do list, feels so good. Am I right?
• You fill your calendar with a bunch of obligations that you feel you should do, but the only real joy comes when you get to check it off your list.
• A reminder that I give to myself and to my clients is when you say “yes” out of obligation you’ll be forced to say “no” to what matters and what should be prioritized first in your life.
• You need to determine what will always get your yes.
• My point is that personal development is on my list of priorities, however, it does not come before my husband, children, my faith, my business.
• How do you view your priorities?
• Are they all on the same playing level or do you have a hierarchy?