Insights from the book “Stop Overthinking” by Nick Trenton
If you analyze past events and worry about upcoming events to the point where you cannot focus on a simple task ‐ you are overthinking.
It’s nearly impossible to think your way out of overthinking ‐ even if you devise a perfect plan, your mind will continue to race if your anxiety remains elevated.
Here are three powerful methods to rapidly reduce your anxiety and regain control of your mind when your mind is racing:
Method #1: 5‐4‐3‐2‐1
The 5‐4‐3‐2‐1 method will distract your mind long enough for you to regain a sense of control. Doctors use this method to help patients overcome panic disorders.
Here is how the 5‐4‐3‐2‐1 Method works:
Slowly count down from five to one. As you count down, use each number as a cue to engage one of your five senses.
- Five - Look at five objects in your environment.
- Four ‐ Hear four distinct sounds.
- Three ‐ Feel three sensations.
- Two ‐ Identify two Smells.
- One – Identify one Taste.
Think of consciousness as a ball of awareness that moves in and out of your body. When you're lost in thought, your ball of awareness hovers inside your mind, bouncing around like a pinball with all the what‐ifs scenarios you're thinking of (“What if this happens? What if that happens? What if I'd done things differently?”). If you take a second to notice the fine details of an object in your environment, like the lines and colors of your wood desk, your ball of awareness leaves your mind and hovers over the desk.
Here is how it might work if you feel anxiety on the bench during a game:
- Five - SEE one of your teammates, the opposition goalie, the referee, a friend in the stands, and the ice.
- Four ‐ Hear the sound of players skating, the puck on sticks, fans cheering and players talking..
- Three ‐ Feel your hand on your stick, your toes in your skates and the inside of your gloves.
- Two ‐ What does the arena Smell like? How about your equipment?
- One – Take a sip of water from your bottle. What does it Taste like?
By performing the 5‐4‐3‐2‐1 Method, you keep your ball of awareness outside of your head long enough to lower your anxiety and regain a sense of control.
Method #2: Counter‐Belief Experiment
Behind every ‘overthinking episode’ is a debilitating belief. For example, if your mind is racing before a presentation, you must believe you are unprepared and will bomb. You can stop overthinking by taking the following steps to challenge an anxiety‐inducing belief:
- Clarify the belief by asking yourself, “What must I believe about myself, others, or the future to justify my anxiety?”
- Invert that belief to form a counter‐belief → If you believe “I'm not prepared for this presentation,” the counter‐belief is, “I am well prepared for this presentation.”
- Conduct a counter‐belief experiment by test driving the counter‐belief ‐ spend at least one minute living as though the counter-belief is true → Live the next sixty seconds believing you are adequately prepared for your presentation to see how that affects your anxiety.
- Look for evidence to support your new belief → Reflect on your pre‐performance practice to support the belief that you are well prepared.
When you discover evidence to support a counter‐belief, you begin doubting your original belief, which lowers your anxiety and calms your overthinking mind.
Method #3: Worry Postponement
When I am consumed with worry and find it hard to focus on work or enjoy my time with a loved one, I pick up my iPhone, hold the side button and say, "Hey, Siri, create a 15‐minute appointment at 8:00 PM to worry." When my worry appointment pops up at 8:00 PM, I usually forget what I was worried about.
Most of the time our worries just want to be acknowledged. By creating a set time to worry, we acknowledge our worry and confine it to a short block of time so that it doesn’t leak into all hours of the day.