How to beat overthinking?

Overthinking is a curse.

There is no better word for it. Overthinking can talk you out of:

• Starting a new project.

• Opening up to a new person.

• Moving to a new city where you have a bigger potential.

The more time passes by… It can become even worse.

Why it’s happening?

Well… Our brain is trying to protect us - to keep us in the “status quo”.

But for a solopreneur, it can be a disaster.

Solopreneurship involves taking risks, thinking outside of the box, and going against the crowd. And the hardest of all: unpredictable lifestyle…

At least until you have something stable that generates an income.

All this uncomfortable.

It's much easier to convince yourself that it's not a good idea from the start.

So when you think about a new idea, a new move in your project, there is always going to be a thin line…

A thin line between overthinking and brainstorming.

So If you catch yourself most of the time talking, thinking, and writing stuff on the whiteboard instead of testing, trying, failing, and learning from your actions, then you're in "overthinking mode".

I was acting in that way for years…

I didn’t give too much attention to overthinking and how I communicate with myself until I read the book "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself," by Joe Dispenza.

There is a controversial opinion about Joe Dispenza's work, especially about health testimonials. I will put that aside and just share my personal changes.

Joe Dispenza's book is about how you can change yourself with meditation practice.

Now, before you stop reading because you think it's another email about how meditation is good for you, it's not…

Okay, maybe yes, but it's different 🙂. Perhaps because I have nothing to sell you connected to meditation.

I’ve been meditating for 4 years. It’s my morning ritual.

What has changed since then?

A significant change that I noticed after some time was my ability to catch my pattern of thoughts. I can notice when my thoughts are going in a specific direction.

Before, I could walk on the street and imagine some situation that would make me worried and disturb my internal state.

I could make myself angry about some situation that happened months ago…

After the practice, I would still imagine the same situations, but this time, I had more control over whether I wanted to continue the story I was telling myself or prefer to think about something else.

We are talking about milliseconds here, something that is happening in our brain all the time, every single day, and in many cases without our control.

And how come that meditation can help with this?

When you meditate, your brain is like a stubborn animal.

It will rebel…

You will feel pain in your body, and you would like to think about anything else in the world except the thing you are trying to do - nothing.

And each time, you catch yourself losing focus - this is when the magic happens.

This refocused moment - when you again push your brain to focus on what you want - develops a new skill. The skill of being present.

The magic skill of being able to control your pattern of thoughts.

And if you can control your thoughts, you can beat your overthinking.

Meditation has been scientifically shown to reduce the tendency for overthinking by influencing the brain's structure.

It increases the density of grey matter in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, regions in the brain that are crucial for reducing repetitive and obsessive thought patterns associated with overthinking.

So… Each time when you meditate, you invest your time in changing your brain chemistry. A change that can help you stop overthinking and being in control of your own mind.

Take care,

Alex