Have you ever had so much going on in your brain that you wished you could just press a button and suddenly have it all stop? The human mind is prone to overanalyzing every single thing it’s subjected to, leaving many of us drained and exhausted.

Are you an overthinker? Chances are good you are. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema of the University of Michigan conducted research that discovered about 73% of people aged 25 to 35 consider themselves overthinkers. Also, women (57%) tend to identify with overthinking more than men (43%).

Our minds are powerful, powerful things. If we don’t learn to control it and use it to our advantage, there’s a greater risk of letting it control you.

Here are three ways to keep your brain from overthinking:

Reconnect with Nature

Spending time in nature is one of the easiest and best things we can do for ourselves. This is especially true for those who live in an urban environment. I know, it can be hard to find time to go wander around in the mountains or the forest, but find time for it in those small spaces of your schedule, like at lunch or after work.

Practice being mindful of your moments in nature. Feel the ground beneath your feet. See the colors of the grass, leaves and trees. Focus on living in that moment and space. Even just 10 or 15 minutes of this will clear your mind better than you ever thought possible.

Use positive reaffirmations and phrases to put your mind at ease

Take a second to just listen to what your brain is saying right now. What is it saying? These thoughts could obviously be anything, but they tend to revolve around things we have to get done today, things people have said to us, and things we’re thinking about ourselves (which are often negative).

We have a myriad of different thoughts floating in our minds at any given time, so it can be easy to get overwhelmed. If you’re feeling anxious and uncertain, try using calming phrases and mantras to relax your mind back to a peaceful state.

Simply focus on a word or phrase and repeat it to yourself over and over again gently as you breathe. Say things like, “Everything will be alright” or “Life is good, I’m good” or “I’m okay.” Even just saying words that remind you of peacefulness will calm you down.

Meditation

Meditation is something a lot of people are either unsure about or simply don’t understand. It’s a great tool we can utilize to achieve greater awareness of our thoughts, as well as a greater control over them. By meditating, you effectively stop the perpetual flow of thoughts that is always churning by moving your attention to a place of stillness.

When we meditate, we’re not shutting the brain off, we’re simply demonstrating control over our thoughts. Yoga is a great way to start meditating as the practice forces you into those moments of stillness within the mind.

Start meditating and you’ll notice increased clarity and mental fortitude faster than you could ever imagine.

This Creative Consciousness article was republished under Creative Commons licensing.

h/t POP

[Image Credit: Pixabay]