There’s nothing wrong with thinking things through. But for some, thinking takes over and we end up feeling worried, overwhelmed and stressed. Not exactly the feelings you want, right? Plus, overthinking is a good way to get stuck in a rut – which is not a great place to be either. So, if you’re a natural worrier, or you just tend to overthink everything, here are five tips to help you stop.

Be mindful

The only way to stop overthinking is knowing when you’re actually doing it in the first place. So, learn to mindful of your thoughts and feelings. This way, you can identify when you’re overthinking. Then, you can try the other four tips.

Get it out of your head

As long as you keep your thoughts safely hidden in your mind, you don’t always see how unreasonable they are. But get them out of your head and you’ll probably see them in a whole new light. You can journal or talk with a close friend.

Distract yourself

Overthinking is like getting trapped in a vicious cycle. So, once you become aware of it, make the conscious decision to stop. Then, do something else. Go for a run, play your favorite music, clean your office space, etc.

Control what you can

In any given situation, there are things you can control, and things you can’t. So, identify exactly what you can control (tasks, thoughts and emotions) and then sit in the driver seat. For everything else? Try to let it go.

Focus on what you what to achieve

With overthinking, it’s easy to project fear and worry into the future, but we don’t really know what will happen, so it’s sort of a waste of time. Instead, focus your attention on exactly what you want to happen. It’s easier to move forward when you have a positive goal ahead of you, right?