How do you live more in the present as an overthinker?
Overthinkers can be prone to constantly shifting through different mindsets. A certain image, activity or even a scent throws you off and reminds you of something that happened in the past, a so-called deja vu moment. Or the opposite happens when you’re in the middle of something, and you can only think of all the other things you still have to do, or you can’t stop thinking about the life you want to live in a few years. Finding the right balance between living in the moment, reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future can be difficult. In this article, I advise you on how to live more in the present as an overthinker.
Stick to routines
Routines can help you live more in the present by focusing less on what you have to do and more on how. What is a routine? A routine can be as simple as your wake-up ritual, and in which order you have breakfast, shower and get dressed. It can be a healthy habit you set for yourself, such as taking a walk on your lunch break every weekday or drinking a glass of water every two hours. It can even be a mantra you tell yourself every time you are going to do something new or daunting.
How does this work? Say, you have to give a presentation at work for a large group of colleagues. You don’t like giving presentations, and you’re already looking for excuses to procrastinate this task for as long as possible. The easiest way to get started is by making a list of things you have to do, and then start with the quick wins and slowly work your way through them. The next time you have to give a presentation, you can start thinking of what you did last time and go from there. That way, you have to spend less time worrying about everything that you have to do and have to remember. You can spend that time thinking about what you want to say and how you want to get your message across, instead. If you need more advice on how to not feel overwhelmed at work, read this article.
So, a routine is finding a way of doing certain tasks or activities in the easiest way that works for you. All you have to do next is repeat it when the same situation occurs.
Take breaks
As an overthinker, I know how many times a day you can spend thinking. It doesn’t necessarily have to worry, but you can also think of things to do, reminders, dreams for the future, wondering how your family or friends are doing, etc. No matter how useful all that thinking often is, sometimes you just feel like your head is about to burst, and you need a break.
How do you take a break from thinking? Different things may work for different people, but you can think of:
- Getting away from your desk, go for a short walk. Depending on your preferences, you can choose to listen to music/a podcast or walk in silence.
- Intense physical activity, such as running, weightlifting or High-Intensity Interval Training.
- Spending time on your hobby.
- Turning off your phone, move away from any electronic devices. You can also try to disable certain apps, such as news apps, social media or e-mail, if these distract you.
- Write down your thoughts. There are multiple ways to do this, you can think of a diary, use a bulleted list or use an app with pre-programmed questions you can answer.
Listen to yourself
If you have a “loud” inner voice, e.g. you talk to yourself (mentally or out loud) and comment on your behaviour and actions, it can be difficult to live in the present. You may be so busy paying attention to what you do, how you do it and how it might come across to others that you can’t live in the moment.
How do you deal with this? Try to make a difference between how you feel and what you tell yourself. For example, when I get anxious about something new or difficult I have to do, I can hear myself thinking loudly “You’re going to fail! You’ll look stupid!”. That’s far from helpful in that situation, and it only causes my panic to increase. Instead, it can be more helpful if you change your inner voice and try to describe how you feel. For example: “I feel nervous about doing this, but I’m going to try.”
Sometimes, I randomly think about doing or saying something and then dismiss that thought because I worry it sounds weird, because I’m tired, etc. If you know it’s going to bother you for hours later, try not to procrastinate and just do the thing! For example, every time you walk by the trash can, you tell yourself you should put a new bag in. You can repeat this ten times a day, or you can just change the bag the first time the thought pops up.
In summary
What you should remember from this article is the following: being present as an overthinker can be difficult. There are some easy things you can try to live more in the moment, such as creating the routines that work for you and sticking to them, taking enough breaks from thinking and finally, staying in touch with how you feel and listening to your inner voice. Try to stay positive, and best of luck!
Overthinkers can be prone to constantly shifting through different mindsets. A certain image, activity or even a scent throws you off and reminds you of something that happened in the past, a so-called deja vu moment. Or the opposite happens when you’re in the middle of something,g and you can only think of all the other things you still have to do, or you can’t stop thinking about the life you want to live in a few years. Finding the right balance between living in the moment, reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future can be difficult. In this article, I advise you on how to live more in the present as an overthinker.
Featured image by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash
