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There are no interviews, and it's short, almost always fewer than 10 minutes. And without let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. Stop overthinking by Ali Cornish of EverThrive.org. I used to spend a lot of time overthinking, dropped in that never-ending, what-if-loop, I'd stress about how intruders might access my apartment.
What if I left a candle burning at home? Will the hissing radiator explode while I'm at work? What if I made the wrong impression at dinner last night? What if I talked too much or too little?
Sometimes I'd feel for my wallet or keys three times in the course of a train commute and made my heart palpitate a little less. I'd often ruminate on non-existent symptoms. What if I had a terminal illness? I'd self-diagnose a skin anomaly on WebMD until concluding that I must immediately seek a specialist.
I'd visualize my death, create my will, divide up possessions among family members, and plan my ashes to be scattered at sea, despite the propensity for sea sickness. In this real-life scenario, circa 2007, I actually did consult a specialist who, after a physical evaluation, told me there was absolutely nothing wrong with me and that I was worrying too much. At that moment, I didn't feel relieved. Instead, I felt like an idiot.
I thought it was a normal part of life to decipher codes and hidden meanings everywhere. Doesn't every intelligent person do this? Actually, no. At the times where my worrying reached its peak, I wasn't happy with my life.
My unhappiness was caused by fear, which in turn revealed overwhelming, incessant worrying. I was afraid of being alone, afraid of failing, and afraid of my future. Through analyzing my own experience, others' experiences, and through research, I've learned that overthinking is a symptom of the distressed and isolated. I've learned that fear can lead to social anxiety and sometimes even avoidance of social activities altogether.
People who are afraid of social interaction have a tendency to self-medicate through various outlets, such as shopping, spending hours on Netflix, social media, or abusing substances or food. These distractions may help for a bit, but ultimately they mask our fear, helping it fester deep within our minds until it explodes when we least expect it, destroying relationships and our health. When we feel that life is in disorder, we devote too much time to the negative. In fear, we overthink things and we cling to solutions to the wrong problems.
We dwell on things that didn't go well and constantly think of worst-case scenarios. Often, it's a general lack of confidence that causes us to worry, or perhaps it's that we feel that worrying will protect us from harm. Yes, back in caveman times, when we were hunters and gatherers, stress did actually protect us from harm, as in death via a saber to tiger. Fast forward to present day, we still get the same stress signals, but from benign sources that aren't life-threatening.
Now, at the prospect of failing, let's say the written portion of the driver's test at the DMV, our hearts pump three times their normal speed, sending more blood to our limbs. Capillaries close down, sending our blood pressure up, so that we can theoretically, quote, sustain a surface moon and not bleed to death, even our eyes dilate so that we can see better, end quote. Our bodies and minds have trouble telling the difference between an encounter with a saber to tiger and a multiple choice test. There are ways we can help our bodies and minds acknowledge the difference.
To combat overthinking and overreacting, we can practice the following. Number one, notice and appreciate our thoughts. If we take account of the situation and put it into perspective, we might be able to understand the reasons behind our catastrophic thinking patterns. Some might suggest keeping a journal to chart the frequency of our negative thoughts.
Once we pinpoint the reasons, we can take positive action to ameliorate our thinking behaviors. Number two, spend time outside. Nature has a way of soothing us, taking us back to simpler times. All is well when the birds are shirping, the streams are flowing, and animals scamper to and fro.
Time spent on trail or camping might increase our confidence to a point where there is no room for worrying. Number three, exercise. Studies show that exercise is very effective at increasing alertness and enhancing our brain function by releasing natural endorphins, making a painkillers. Physical activity can actually trick us into feeling happier, making us actually happier.
Number four, socialize. Seek out your friends and loved ones. Talk to them. Make meaningful memories with them.
They can help you see past your worries, give you some perspective, and alleviate your loneliness. Number five, breathe. Take some time to breathe in and out slowly. This naturally reduces your blood pressure and heart rate, calming you down so that you can see clearly.
And number six, let go. Know that you can only control what you do, say, or feel. You can't control anything that happens at you, and you can't control what other people do. You are in control of yourself, so let all of those worries go.
Be grateful for what you have. Take action to ensure your immediate safety and comfort, and know that you will be okay. You just listen to the post titled, Stop Overthinking by Ali Cornish of Everthrive.org. I'm constantly thinking about how to optimize my health, what supplements to take, hours of sleep, what my diet should focus on.
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And head to superpower.com and use code old at checkout for an additional $20 off your membership. A really important one to consider, especially as many of us are still in partial or more than partial quarantine. In Europe, as of just a few days ago, things were shutting down again, and not seeing family or friends very often or at all. It's a major difference in how we're used to living our lives, for most of us at least.
Even for introverts like me who generally really like being alone, that aloneness, like she said, can very easily turn into overthinking, exaggeration, sort of a loss of what's real even. They'll feel real in our minds, but your reality can be much, much different than someone else's. I probably sound like a broken record, but I think meditation is a nice tool to have in your box for catching overthinking, because it's literally a practice of watching your thoughts and letting them go, which was the very first and last points she mentioned. Notice your thoughts was number one, and let go was number six.
I thought that was really interesting, not sure if it was done on purpose, but those together is exactly what meditation is, and a very helpful practice for most people to really see their thoughts for what they are. It's also a breathing exercise, and both breathing and exercise were listed by Ali. Meditation's kind of like an exercise for your brain. So I'll give it a try if it's something you haven't tried and find that you struggle with overthinking and might help.
Let me know how it goes. Thank you for listening and sticking around until the end. Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you tomorrow for a minimalist Monday where your optimal life awaits.