Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life

by Anne Bogel

Her studies over a twenty-year period showed that overthinking makes life harder, hurts our relationships, and may contribute to mental disorders like depression, severe anxiety, and alcohol abuse.

Women are twice as likely as men to become severely depressed or anxious, and our tendency to overthink appears to be one of the reasons why.

When we’re overthinking, the easiest thing to do is keep overthinking. To stop the cycle, we need to interrupt these thought patterns, and we can do that by taking a small step in the right direction. Then it becomes easier to take another right step, and another.

We lack the perspective to see our own behavior clearly; we’re too close, too caught up in it, to recognize when our own thought patterns become problematic.

When faced with a decision, intellectually curious people habitually seek more information about the matter at hand. They’re eager to learn more for the sake of learning and find the pursuit of new knowledge inherently interesting.

It’s one thing to value high standards, but there’s a difference between high standards and perfection.

Creating an imperfect product helps developers determine if pursuing a perfect version is even worth it. Not everything is worth doing perfectly.

When a decision touches on our values, we have little to think about. With our internal world in order, we can move outward in the right direction. These values can guide our lives in the big pieces and the day-to-day stuff.

We may say one thing, but if we actually do another, then we don’t really value what we say we do.

If you complete your cycles, your spaces will probably look tidier, but tidiness in and of itself isn’t the point. By streamlining your spaces, you can streamline your thought process, and your brain won’t have to work so hard to tend to life’s details.

Our strategies don’t have to be complex to serve us well.

When we put off doing something we don’t want to do, we keep the unpleasant thing right in front of us for much longer than we need to. As long as we’re contemplating the issue, we’re dwelling on the negative.

Our lives reflect what we persistently think about. Where we choose to place our attention directly affects the way we experience the world around us and the people we become.

Attention is powerful, and we can use ours for good or ill. Our thoughts can be our allies or our enemies.

By reinforcing new and healthier patterns of thought, these strategies literally rewire your brain.

It’s a mistake to give all your thoughts equal weight. Some thoughts do not deserve to be taken seriously, so don’t dignify them with a response.

Predictability can be exactly what we need, because the purpose of routine is not to limit us but to clear away the mental clutter.

When we perceive the stakes to be high, we’re more likely to freeze—especially if we’re prone to perfectionism. When spontaneity strikes (ha!), it’s helpful to purposefully adopt a low-stakes mindset. Instead of striving to choose the ideal option, we can aim to choose a good one, reminding ourselves that the best memories often start with something going wrong.

When we have wiggle room in our schedules, we can choose to be there in the moments life presents us with.

Ritual is something we do with a higher purpose in mind.

ritual unites the rhythm of routine with focused attention—a powerful combination for avoiding overthinking.

Rituals deliberately support our priorities, our health, and our relationships. They make our small world a better and more peaceful place. When we’re grounded and healthy, we overthink less. When we’re connected to people and feel supported, we’re less likely to flounder.

Simple abundance is a frame of mind, not something you can buy; that feeling of plenty doesn’t even have to carry a price tag.

Overthinking is not just a nuisance; every minute we spend overthinking is a minute not spent on the things that matter.

With each action you and I take, we vote for the kind of people we want to be and the kind of world we want to live in.