 Popcorn. Check. Lights. Off. It's the weekend and you are all set to watch a movie, so you browse through every film genre on Netflix. You pick a title, wing why you should watch it against why you shouldn't, and then you browse some more. There's comedy, romance, mystery, and action to choose from. And you're still browsing. Now you can't seem to focus on the titles scrolling by as completely unrelated thoughts begin to stream in. You can't seem to decide on any one name, and before you know it, minutes have turned to hours. Your excitement dies and you fall asleep. Do you have a tendency to overthink even the most minor details? And then regret wasting your time because you didn't make any progress. If that's the case, here are 8 things you can do to stop overthinking. 1. Notice when you are overthinking. Do you often feel stuck making a decision? Are you always second guessing a decision you've already made, wondering if it's right for you? This could mean you've fallen into the trap of overthinking. Overthinking is a sneaky habit that may be difficult to notice when you start obsessing over a single thought. You feel so anxious that you can't even sleep. The key to breaking this habit is awareness. The sooner you realize you're overthinking, the sooner you can control your thoughts. 2. Book an appointment with yourself to just overthink. You may not have the energy to complete your tasks, but your brain appears to have the energy to overthink. Sound like you? Overthinking can negatively impact your productivity and concentration. As a chronic overthinker, you don't need a specific reason or time to overthink. It happens whenever. If that sounds like you, it might be difficult to stop overthinking entirely. Instead, you could try allocating some time each day to just overthink and worry. A study found that setting aside a specific time each day to overthink can reduce worries and thoughts. So, whenever your mind begins to overthink, you can remind yourself to focus on those thoughts during your thinking hour and finish your work for the time being. 3. Try to distract yourself. Here's the catch, psyched goers. Telling your brain to stop overthinking can sometimes backfire, making those thoughts even more likely to resurface. It works like a spring. The more you compress it, the more forcefully it returns to its original shape. So more can be done. Distracting yourself with happy positive alternatives is one way to help you replace negative thoughts. Dancing, painting, cooking, playing video games, or even just calling up your best friend can help you shut down those racing thoughts. 4. Live in the present moment. Yesterday's history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present. Know who said that? In which movie? Comment your answers below. Ruminating over your past or worrying about what might go wrong in the future will only keep you from taking action right now. To break free from overthinking, try returning your attention to the present moment. If you find yourself overthinking during lunch, try focusing on how the food looks, tastes, and smells. It will require you to consciously pay attention to your activities at first, but it will become automatic over time. The only moment you have is now. 5. Focus on what you can control. Are you nervous about your exam results? Or is an old conversation in your head playing on a loop as you imagine how it could have gone better? Apart from realizing when you are overthinking, it's also important to know what you're overthinking about. If you don't, you quickly lose sight of the variables under your control. You can't change what happened to you in the past, and you can't predict what will happen in the future. Instead, it's always a good idea to examine what's within your control or can be changed with your efforts right now. 6. Aim to be solution focused. Do you go back and forth over the same options before you decide? And when you're stuck, do you Google it and weigh the pros and cons of both options only to end up with no decision? Shifting your attention from the circling thoughts in your head to creating an action plan for yourself can be a very difficult feat, but when you can start implementing it, doing so is the best way to ensure you're set free from overthinking and make progress. 7. Try to relax yourself. Did you just catch yourself overthinking? That's okay. Take a few deep breaths. Simply observe and focus on how you breathe. Relaxation can also help you manage your stress and worries by reducing overthinking. A study found that practicing relaxation on a daily basis can reduce overthinking in the long run. Unfortunately, meditation alone can't entirely silence your thoughts, which brings us to our next point. 8. Challenge your thoughts. You ever tried asking yourself these questions? Are these worrying thoughts going to help me solve my problem? How likely is it that the worst case scenarios in my head will come true in the future? What could be the best case scenario? By challenging your thoughts in this manner, you can prevent yourself from believing that your negative thoughts are true and instead see the brighter side. Research suggests a combination of relaxation and critical stance against your negative thoughts can put an end to overthinking. Overthinking affects how you interact with others and mentally exhausts you, blocking you from being productive. You may feel as if you've lost control of your life. So the next time you catch yourself overthinking, you can give one of these methods a try to get back in the driver's seat. If you found this video helpful, be sure to hit the like button and share it with other overthinkers out there. Don't forget to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more new videos. Thanks so much for watching.