More and more people are dealing with issues like insomnia, anxiety or different worries.
In many cases the problem is excessive overthinking.
Once we get older, most of us have way more responsibilities that we ever imagined. It’s normal for children to worry less and for adults to worry more.
Going through different scenarios in your head can be helpful. We have to be careful not to overdo it though.
In most cases overthinking comes down to one simple questions that we ask ourselves and that is “What if?”.

Anyone who had to deal with insomnia at some point in their lives can surely relate.
It’s not the problem on hand that causes anxiety and sleeplessness,
it’s the things we interpret that are causing problems.
Overthinkers tend to go over 100 different scenarios in their mind.
“What if my bad performance causes me to lose my job?”
“What if my customer is not happy with me?”
“What if the car repair bill is more than 500$?”
“What if my boss won’t be happy?”

Going through every possible outcome will drive you crazy.
There is no need to do that.
95% of the things we worry about never happen and even if they do, there will always be a way of handling them.

The cure

I know it is easier said than done but ultimately the cure to overthinking is not to focus on what might happen. The solution is to only focus on what is truly happening at the moment.
There is no need to worry about every possible outcome.
Even though we don’t like to admit it but there are only a few things we have control over.

The ancient Stoics had the believe that it is useless to worry about things outside our control.
What is it that we truly have control over?
The only thing that is in our power is what we do and how we decide to deal with the cards that have been handed to us.
That’s it.
We don’t have the power over other people’s actions and reactions.

Worrying about the worst possible outcome won’t help you with your problem.
Quite the opposite will happen actually. You’ll potentially act irrationally and make a wrong decision.
If you worry too much you won’t be able to leave your emotions out of your actions and that is never a good thing.

How to do it

1. Identify what causes overthinking

2. Decide if it’s important

3. Apply stoicism principles

4. Don’t compare yourself to others

5. Remember that it doesn’t matter
   

Identify what causes overthinking:
The first step towards stopping overthinking is to identify what causes you to worry.
In our daily lives we are confronted with so much information and so many problems that are happening in the world.
Sometimes we lose track of what it is that makes us worry.
It’s crucial to find the root of your overthinking in order to attack it.

Decide if it’s important:
As I said before we are confronted with countless information nowadays.
The truth is that most of the things are not really affecting us personally.
It’s therefore essential to decide what things are really important and which things are not.
There are things that are more important than others.
Health and family for example can lead to worry for most of us but is there really a reason to worry about bills and jobs?
Many would argue yes but I disagree. You can always get another job and if you’re honest with yourself you can also manage to live with less money in most cases.

Apply Stoicism principles:
The Stoics were the masters of controlling their thoughts and emotions. That doesn’t mean that they never worried. They simply applied different principles in order to cure their need to overthink.

1. Only focus on what you can control.
2. Only focus on what is truly happening and not on the things that might happen.
3. Remember that it’s not the things that are happening that create your emotions. It’s the way you view them.

I know it is easier said than done but next time you’re faced with something that causes you to overthink, ask yourself this:
“Can I control what happens next?”
“Are my current emotions and thoughts helping me in the future?”
“What is the worst thing that could happen and would that really be the end of the world?”

Don’t compare yourself to others:
Comparing yourself to others is never a good idea. Ultimately it’s the root of jealousy and negativity.
No one starts at the same position. Therefore there is absolutely no way you can compare yourself to someone else.
It’s not about beating others. It is about doing your own things and living a life that makes you happy.

Remember that it doesn’t matter:
I don’t want to be pessimistic here but one of the Stoics principles was facing death.
At the end of the day our time on earth is limited.
Is there really anything that truly matters then?
I’d say most things don’t.
Why worrying about it in the first place?

In conclusion

Most things we worry about never happen. It’s not things that make us worry. It’s thinking about what potentially could happen that makes us overthink.
Insomnia and anxiety are almost always due to thoughts and not to things that have happened.
There is no need to worry about every possible outcome.
Try to focus on the things you can control and don’t allow the future to trouble you too much. Eventually, you will get to it and a calm mind will always help you make better decisions.
Being emotional is never a good idea.

Thank you for reading.