Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash
How often do you spend your evenings thinking about work? Perhaps you have issues sleeping because you can’t ‘let go’ of the thoughts that persist in your head. Even when you’re on holiday, you will find yourself checking your emails ‘just in case’.
These are all symptoms of overthink.
Last week, someone asked me how I was so productive in my life. I hadn’t thought about it consciously, but it was true – I do a lot of additional activities outside of my full time job, and this is also the most sociable I’ve ever been in my life.
This was not some magical gift I was born with. If you met me a few years ago, I would have spent my evenings sitting on the sofa feeling exhausted after a day of work. My weekends were spent hibernating. Simple tasks like groceries and doing the laundry felt like an insurmountable chore.
The biggest change has been this shift in my thinking. Without realising, my whole life was being driven by my thoughts. Every musing needed to be understood and rationalised, even if it was absolutely banal. A pleasant walk outside could quickly be tarnished because I would have an intrusive thought.
This would prompt a large internal monologue about a situation that was well in the past. I was too busy spending my time in this world to notice the clear blue sky and the smell of the beautiful flowers.
One of the reasons I’ve been drawn to coaching is because I’ve seen how big a transformation we can make by changing our relationship with our thinking. I’ve had several conversations this week with clients about how much of their predicaments – work, relationship, money – ultimately stem from the propensity to overthink. The irony is that the worry our thinking causes us makes us less effective in dealing with the issues that we are facing.
I know they aren’t the only people experiencing this. In a world where we are bombarded with emails, news alerts and social media notifications, our stimulation is at an all time high.
In November, I am setting up a month-long online programme. This will be for anyone who finds themselves spending far too much time in their own head and not enough time in the present day.
By unwinding the reliance on the mind, You will spend far less time stuck in thought. This will allow you to enjoy the current moment at a far greater level, whilst also giving you much more time and energy to create what you want.
If you are interested, drop me a message.