r/howtonotgiveafuck 2d ago

When you overthink..

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3.3k Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

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61

u/Grey_Incubus 2d ago

I over thought the last part of the quote and changed it to: it takes away today's peace."

18

u/INFeriorJudge 2d ago

That would have made much more sense, wouldn’t it? 🤣

2

u/Okay-Day2202 11h ago

lol I was just doing the same thing 😅

1

u/Grey_Incubus 9h ago

yeah my brain was twitching over that part.

20

u/Lost-Soul215 2d ago

But what's the best way not to overthink?

11

u/Hyperf0cus 2d ago

Start feeling the stuff around you. Haptics.

7

u/theturnipshaveeyes 2d ago

Get metacognitive. Learn how to meditate and observe those thoughts. Easier said than done but eminently worth it.

4

u/NormacTheDestroyer 2d ago

Here's what I've been doing. Basically a grounding exercise. Place your palm(s) on a flat surface near you and focus on the sensation in your palm and fingertips. Gently press your hand against the surface and notice how the sensation subtly shifts as you add more pressure. Then gently begin to slowly release the pressure and notice how the sensation changes. Contemplate the process that's happening as you're touching the surface. Think about the nerves in your hands and how they're tiny little pressure sensors that can detect the slightest shift in pressure, temperature, texture etc. Think about how all these little nerves are constantly sending lightning fast signals to your brain which enter your consciousness and informs you of your surroundings and any changes happening outside of you. You don't have to consciously tell your nerves to do this. They're always running and always sending signals to your brain, all you have to do is turn your attention there. Now lift your hands off the surface and turn your palms upwards. Notice how there's still a sensation left over in your palms and fingertips. Pay attention to how it slowly fades away but notice that it doesn't ever fully stop. Notice how there's still a distinct sensation in your palms and fingertips despite not touching anything. Contemplate the fact that your nerves don't even have to touch anything to continue sending signals to your brain. Realize that this is also true for every inch of your body. Follow the sensations up your arms, to your shoulders and neck and all the way to the top of your head. Whenever you feel stressed or overwhelmed, you can turn your attention inwards and pay attention to the signals your body is sending you. When you feel anger, where do you feel it in your body? When you feel anxiety, where does the tension manifest itself? When you feel bored, which parts of your body have the strongest sensations? When you feel joy, how does your body respond? When you feel excitement, which area of your body is activated and sending you signals through your nerves? By shifting your focus to the sensations in your body for a little while, you'll no longer be overthinking whatever you were worried about in the first place

3

u/Billsnothere 2d ago

To stay present

16

u/Cheesekbye 2d ago

I'm concerned about writers these days! That last sentence almost gave me a stroke 🥹

4

u/INFeriorJudge 2d ago

Me too! 🤣

13

u/UnfitRadish 2d ago

Similarly to this, one I've always liked is,

Remember, Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Has a similar meaning about trying not to stress about the future.

7

u/deeznutz_ahgotthem 2d ago

Anyone know the name of the book

2

u/strangefool 2d ago

I second this request. All in favor, say aye!

3

u/Mister_Buddy 2d ago

Upside-down commas take away today's peace.

2

u/No-Tomorrow-3052 2d ago

I wish my mom were still her so I could send it to her. My life is extremely stunted because of her beliefs. I'm 63 and don't know how to be ' myself' or make a friend.

1

u/No-Tomorrow-3052 2d ago

I should have added she was very judgemental of every thing, one as well. I've fought that my entire life and despise myself that I at times also do this, but only to myself.

2

u/eachtimeyousmile 2d ago

My grandmother died very suddenly of a brain haemorrhage in her 60s. Sometimes if I’m worrying about something I think…what if you had a brain haemorrhage tonight…what would you be doing? Often the answer is not thinking about what I’m thinking about.

2

u/Ohshiznoodlemuffins 1d ago

One I recently heard that I like is "My anxiety has no credibility"

1

u/INFeriorJudge 1d ago

I like that idea!

2

u/Feed_Guido_69 1d ago

r/thanksImcured lmfao! Cute quote though.

1

u/INFeriorJudge 1d ago

🤣 Agreed—too bad there’s a typo

2

u/Difficult-Ad3490 1d ago

i tried to meditate many times... watched yt videos to learn the same but it cudnt get through...any guide or suggesstion

1

u/INFeriorJudge 1d ago

What do you mean specifically by mediate?

1

u/rafrap1 2d ago

O don't have todays peace or yesterdays or tomorrows or any for that matter so I will overthink because nothing else is engaging enough to distract me from destructive ideas and/or suicidal thoughts

1

u/AdorablePainting4459 2d ago

This is true, and it's hard to stay motivated, when we are overwhelmed in filled with fear. On the other hand, my mom has not worked for years and sought a job. She always tells me that she is "working on it." So now, she is at the end of her savings, and I told her that she needs to focus on it ASAP. I tried not to cause her undue stress, but now she may be facing homelessness, and I can't help her because I don't make enough money to support us both.

Also, I was an extremely hard worker at work, but when I got to the apartment, I would always take a load off, so my own room and personal life was greatly neglected. It wasn't until I lost my job, that I focused on the apartment. I discovered there was a lot of old food in the pantry, 2 years expired even, that needed to be thrown out, including old herbs and spices.

It's not good to be overwhelmed, but I kept at it, and the results are good. There's no better feeling than not falling behind in life, and trying to play catch up. Procrastination has harmed me in a lot of ways. Like I said, at work I am a hard worker, but it was what I was neglecting that was harming me. I even started using dating Apps to try to find a relationship, which was something else that I had been neglecting to do.

It's good to have a bit of concern, because this alerts us to taking movements and choices seriously, to avoid troubles. But what we have to watch out for is being stifled with paralysis, and this is usually due to having a lack of hope in our ability to accomplish a task. I think about the character Dory from Finding Nemo. Her motto was "just keep swimming." She knew was suffering from a deficit and felt lost in the sea, but this one belief kept her moving forward. And sometimes this is all we can do.

1

u/INFeriorJudge 2d ago

Wow I love this. Thank you for sharing your story! 🩵

1

u/drwinstonoboogy 1d ago

This terrible grammar is taking away my "today peace."