In the age of big data, trusting your gut often gets a bad rap. Intuition — the term used to refer to gut feelings in research — is frequently dismissed as mystical or unreliable. While it’s true that intuition can be fallible, studies show that pairing gut feelings with analytical thinking helps you make better, faster, and more accurate decisions and gives you more confidence in your choices than relying on intellect alone. This is especially true when you’re overthinking or when there is no single clear-cut, “correct” option.

If you’re prone to overthinking, try the following strategies the next time you find yourself slipping down the slope of rumination.

Put things into perspective. It’s always easy to make things bigger and more negative than they need to be. The next time you catch yourself making a mountain out of a molehill, ask yourself how much it will matter in five years. Or, for that matter, next month. Just this simple question, changing up the time frame, can help shut down overthinking.

Eliminate fear. In many cases, overthinking is caused by a single emotion: fear. Whether you’re afraid because you’ve failed in the past, or you’re fearful of trying or overgeneralizing some other failure, remember that just because things did not work out before does not mean that has to be the outcome every time. When you focus on all the negative things that might happen, it’s easy to become paralyzed. Next time you sense that you starting to spiral in that direction, stop. Visualize all the things that can go right and keep those thoughts present and up front.

Start by making minor decisions. Taking quick, decisive actions with small consequences gets you comfortable using your intuition. By starting small, you mitigate feelings of being overwhelmed and can gradually step your way up to larger, higher pressure decisions with greater self-trust. This approach is effective because it builds your ability to emotionally regulate in the face of discomfort.

Set a timer. Give yourself a boundary. Set a timer for five minutes and give yourself that time to think, worry, and analyze. Once the timer goes off, spend 10 minutes with a pen and paper, writing down all the things that are worrying you, stressing you, or giving you anxiety. Let it rip. When the 10 minutes is up, throw the paper out and move on–preferably to something fun.

Fall back on your values. Your core values represent what’s most important to you. Your core values can help you pinpoint the source of your frustration and understand it more clearly. Using your values, you can check-in to figure out what feels off internally and gain perspective on the situation.

Accept your best. The fear that grounds overthinking is often based in feeling that you aren’t good enough–not smart enough or hardworking enough or dedicated enough. Once you’ve given an effort your best, accept it as such and know that, while success may depend in part on some things you can’t control, you’ve done what you could do.

 

References:
Harvard Business Review (2022, March 10) Melody Wilding: How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut
Forbes Health (2022, January 11) Mara Santilli: What Causes Overthinking – And 6 Ways to Stop
Inc. (2016, January 4) Lolly Daskal: 10 Simple Ways You Can Stop Yourself From Overthinking