Overthinking Could Be Stressing You Out!

How do we lose control of our thoughts and find ourselves in stress and anxiety? Why can't we control these little anxiety triggers and let them take the best of us? Most of all, how can we stop letting our thoughts give us stress, panic attacks, and depression?

There is a very simple explanation for all of this. Our thoughts create our reality, it is a scientific fact. When we focus on negative thoughts our brains interpret everything that is in connection with us as a negative energy source. The more we harbor negative thoughts, the more we expose ourselves to negative circumstances, and hence, negative outcomes.?

Unfortunately, many people are prone to ambush themselves with destructive thoughts that are now a pattern of behavior for them. The sneaky enemy, that is the stress-triggering thought, waits in the dark corners of our unconscious mind and peaks out when we least expect it.?

What are these destructive negative thought patterns that cause stress, panic, depression, and anxiety in all of us?

• Fear of not being good enough. This is what imposter syndrome is. We don't value ourselves and our expertise and abilities enough to sell ourselves in the professional world. Socially, we don't feel worthy of love, and it affects our friendships, our relationships.
• Negative self-talk is also another destructive thought pattern that creates a lot of stress. There are many situations in life when we set the negative thought forth before we even take action. Negative self-talk is assuming you will not manage to do things right, or something will go wrong, you will not get enough praise or approval from others, you will disappoint someone. You use negative self-talk when you force yourself to make everything perfect when in reality perfect does not exist.?
• Avoiding problems or responsibilities is a result of destructive thinking patterns as well. When we focus too much on the problems and responsibilities we shut ourselves down and avoid them instead of facing them. Because the thought of it creates too much stress that the reality of facing it scares us to no end.?
• Focusing on the worst-case scenario and acting as it has already happened is something most people who have negative thought triggers do often. We focus too much on the negative results and we cloud our vision and block our opportunities in life.?

So how do these thought patterns create stress?

When we think positively, we are more open to finding solutions, we can see the options and opportunities around us. We have a clear vision and we know how to get to where we want to be. Our brains respond to our thoughts accordingly. It is important to understand that the way we feed our brains is the way our habits will form. It is easy to develop habits, but it is harder to kick them.?

Destructive or negative thinking is the biggest hidden cause of stress. Our thoughts send messages to our brains that control our bodies' emotional and physical responses. When the brain gets any information, it processes it accordingly and delivers it throughout the body.

For instance, people who practice positive thinking, or meditation, yoga, or similar activities, send positive signals to their brains, and hence they feel less stress, less anxiety. But most importantly, their physical health gets better. They feel less pain, their immune system becomes stronger, and their mood is enhanced.

On the contrary, when we keep thinking negative thoughts, our brains receive these signals, and in return, not only do we feel stress and anxiety, but our physical health suffers. People who are constantly under stress have more aches and pains all over their bodies, they suffer from frequent headaches, migraines, they have muscular and joint pain.

Stress also has a direct effect on the gastrointestinal system, our guts are our second brain.?

How to kick the habit of negative thinking?

Once we get into the habit of negative thinking, we feel stuck, as if there is no way out. But it is not true. There is always a way out, and we can always change our situation. The first thing to do, and the best thing you can do now for yourself is to believe that and accept that there is a way out of this situation and it is easier than you think.?

• Becoming aware of your negative and destructive thoughts is the first step. When you catch yourself repeating the same destructive pattern, take a moment to pause and reflect. Becoming aware of your thoughts is a way to detach yourself from them. This way, you pull yourself out of the situation and look at the situation from an outside angle. This alone will help you bring your stress levels down immediately.?
• Accept criticism and don't take it personally. When things don't go your way and you receive criticism from others, take it with a grain of salt. Not everyone has bad intentions. In fact, most people don't have bad intentions. Just accept the fact that you are not perfect, just like everyone else. Take others' thoughts into consideration and see this as an opportunity to better yourself.?
• Don't try to stop your thoughts, instead acknowledge them and be aware of them. Trying to stop them is only sweeping them under the rug. They won't be visible from the outside, but they are still underneath the surface. The more you become aware of them, the better you get at detaching yourself from them.?
• Keep a progress journal. Writing is one of the best ways to heal yourself mentally and emotionally. And it also helps you visualize and materialize your thoughts. This is important to get in touch with your subconscious mind and hear the messages it is sending you. Don't read back what you wrote for about a month, and when you go back one month later, you will be able to see the difference between your current state and the state you were in a month ago.?

Lastly, it takes about 21 to 60 days to break bad habits, and negative thinking is nothing more than a negative habit. It is just like smoking, drinking, gambling, and anything you can think of. That's all there is to it in reality. So practice these steps regularly, every day to get the best results. When you look at where you are two months from now, will be much more different than where you are today.?

Need more help? Let me walk you through 10 outside-the-box strategies to beat the overwhelm, and help you get back on the path

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