The human mind is constantly working; it continues to generate endless streams of thoughts every second. Your brain processes thousands of thoughts a day. According to studies, not all of these thoughts fall on the positive spectrum. Over 90% of these thoughts are repetitive, while 80% are negative.

If you have ever wondered why I think too much, know it is human to get caught up in these thoughts. It is easy to get distracted, fret about little things in life, worry, or critique yourself. But just because it is easy doesn’t mean you let repetitive or negative thoughts rule over your day.

You will have to make a genuine effort to manage your thoughts. It is not an overnight process you can implement. With practice, you can learn the art of using thoughts for your benefit.   

This article will highlight different methods you can explore, when your thoughts overwhelm you. 

Listen To Your Thoughts – Be Self Aware

The human brain is capable of creating several lines of thoughts in a few seconds. Even if you do not pay attention, these thoughts will keep running through your head, making an impact on your subconscious mind. For example, if you worry about the past, present, future, or about little things like getting work done on time, without even realizing your day is run over by fear.

Instead of mindless thinking, pay attention to your thoughts. Once you know what kind of thoughts are running through your mind throughout the day, you could understand the reason behind them. Are you stressed about work, are you being too critical of yourself, are you frustrated, do you need a break? Listen to your thoughts, don’t let them pass mindlessly.   

Interrupt Your Train of Thoughts

If negative thoughts dominate your day, then you could try the interrupt technique to bring a sense of semblance to your life. For example, if you, yourself, are your harsh critic. You keep on finding faults in the work you do, the food is not well prepared, or the presentation could have been better. You are constantly trying to stand up to unrealistic expectations.

When you listen to your thoughts and realize you are being critical of yourself, interrupt that thought. You could say stop, I am good enough, I did my best, or I am in control. Once you gain control of your thoughts, replace them with positive affirmations.

Practice Meditation

With meditation’s mind and body practice, you could bring calmness, relaxation, and balance to your everyday life. Try to include meditation in your routine. You could start by finding a quiet place with minimal distractions, sitting in a comfortable position, and focusing all your attention on a word or your breathing, letting thoughts come and go.

You could start meditating for a short time of 5 minutes if that is what you can afford. Several studies have shown that meditation could help manage stress, pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The aim of meditation is not to stress why I think too much but to understand and live in harmony with your many thoughts.   

Focused Distractions

Repetitive actions tend to calm the mind. If you find yourself overwhelmed with thoughts, indulge in an activity that does not force you to think too much. For example, knitting is a practice that requires repetitive motions, does not require you to think about the next step; your hands operate on muscle memory. The same goes for activities like coloring, mandala drawing, working out, or listening to music.  

Thoughts can sometimes get overwhelming. If you find yourself in the rabbit hole of why I think too much?, take a deep breath and step back, you are human. Listening, interrupting, focusing your energies on hobbies, meditation are different ways you can try to manage your thoughts.