Overthinking can take three forms: rumination, overanalyzing, and future tripping. Here’s how to spot and handle each one—before they cause you to spiral, stress, and ultimately burn out.
RUMINATION
This is a mental loop where you dwell on past events, particularly negative or distressing ones. If you tend to fixate on negative feedback, bring up past failures in conversation with others, or you’re overly cautious about work, you might be a ruminator. To diffuse your rumination, set aside 15 to 30 minutes to grapple with these negative thoughts. This will help you compartmentalize and stop yourself from ruminating constantly throughout the day (I call it ‘scheduling worry’ and find it works a treat).
overanalyzing
Procrastinating, over-relying on others’ approval, and experiencing difficulty prioritizing are all tendencies of overanalyzers. To break the cycle, shift your aim from “perfect” to “good enough.”
future tripping
If you spend excessive energy planning for every possible scenario, or you find it hard to celebrate your successes because you’re always thinking about what’s next, you’re likely a future tripper. To address it, use your forward-looking tendencies to your advantage by projecting yourself into a future where the stress of this moment is behind you.
This tip is adapted from “3 Types of Overthinking—and How to Overcome Them,” by Melody Wilding in Harvard Business Review.
As always, please reach out to me with any questions or thoughts on this article or mindfulness in general. With gratitude to www.hbr.org for the original “Management Tip of the Day’ which I have used in its entirety.
With metta and deep breaths
Nicci
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