Stop thinking too much… its ok not to have all the answers…. they will come to you when you least expect it.
For so many of us “Over thinking” a situation usually ends up in failure! We have this great idea, we get excited about it, we imagine the happiness we will feel, the boundless opportunities that will come from it…. then we start to see things going wrong, what if this happens, and then that and then what if they don’t like it, what if I fail, will i look like a fool and so on the thinking goes. Before you know it we’ve given up on the idea and moved onto something else. Sound familiar.
Over thinking is real. Too many of us talk ourselves out of doing things thanks to over thinking the situation. I’m the first one to say I’m an over thinker. I have had a million great ideas but unfortunately thanks to my over analysing the situation I have conceded defeat on so many occasions because I have talked my self out it before it even began.
Worse thing is my over thinking turned into anxiety too. Couple those two things together and you end up getting no where!
How do you over come over thinking? Well I’d say its simple because in theory it is. It is actually hard as you have to be disciplined in your thoughts and control how you had thoughts and emotions as they come into your head.
I read this fantastic book which helped me, called “The Happiness Trap” by Dr Russ Harris http://www.thehappinesstrap.com. It focuses on bring about some control in your life and getting you to live in the moment rather than in the future which hasn’t happened yet.
I use these techniques every day.
Heres an example which I’m sure a lot of people can relate to:
You want to get fit, be stronger, get the body back into shape – you think to yourself, I’ll get a trainer, they will whip me into shape, I’ll eat better, the body will change shape, I’ll eat more natural foods, my body will look its best, ill be able to buy more clothes I want to wear, ill be able to do the things I’ve been missing the most in my life…… Then the thoughts take over…… The PT will probably look at me and think how lazy must I be to be needing to join his classes, what will the other people in the group think, I won’t be as fit as them, they will probably get angry, how much is this going to hurt my body, what if I injure myself, it will take years to lose all this weight, I’m far too old to be worrying about this… ah who am I kidding I don’t need to do this. Give me another donut and a can of coke I’m going back to the couch where its nice and warm!!!
Strike a cord with anyone? I know I probably was a little over zealous in my commentary there BUT I can tell you those are some of the thoughts that people have and it shows how over thinking can be sabotaging something that you really need and want to do.
How would you over come this. Break it down into smaller steps and don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Work on just finding a trainer and a group to train with, make nutritional changes slowly and methodically. Go easy on yourself. You’re the only one who can change you. Praise yourself when you achieve some milestones and don’t be too harsh when you don’t. Most importantly LIVE IN THE MOMENT! Not in six weeks, twelves months – live now and take small steps as these will add up to much larger ones and you will get to your goal. Just be patient!