Analysis Paralysis: Stop Overthinking and Start Taking Action

Analysis paralysis is overthinking things that can lead to paralysing inaction and uncertainty. It leads to holding on to worry and magnifying a problem in our heads unnecessarily. Occasional worrying and relaying past moments or experiences is normal. However, overthinking can spiral out of control, leaving you with a destructive thought pattern that fills you with fear and the inability to move forward.

Chronic overthinking starts when judgement, reason and problem-solving functions of the brain are channelled on the negative, which is often caused by some sort of trigger. Once triggered, the spiral into overthinking leads to one of two things:

1. worrying about the future
2. dwelling over the past

Constant worrying and ruminating can escalate feelings of depression and anxiety. The paralysing feeling of overthinking will affect your mental health and relationships. It can result in addictive behaviours, insomnia, panic attacks, low self-esteem and eating disorders.

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Understanding why you overthink

Let’s face it, we all go through times of intense stress and worry. It’s as easily frustrating not knowing why you’re constantly in overthinking mode as it is being stuck in the loop of analysis paralysis. Overthinking can be caused by obsessive behaviours, perfectionism or low self-doubt.

Analysis paralysis is constantly overthinking decisions that need to be made and then eventually not taking action. It’s a paralyzing inability to take action and mulling over various scenarios but failing to decide on what action to take.

Constant fixation on the past or future

A lot of what we’re doing when we’re overthinking is worrying about past events or the uncertainty of the future. We’re caught in a world of ‘what ifs’ and speculation. This is why it’s crucial to get back into the here and now.

Unreasonable fears

What are you worried about most often? Is this a reasonable worry? Sometimes all we need to unwind is a quick reality check. Your overthinking might be leading you to overcatastrophise events. If you’re not sure if you see the situation clearly, this might be a good time to talk to someone else about what’s going on. Is getting a different perspective enlightening?

Past trauma

There are some things you’re not going to be able to change about what happened in the past. It is important to find ways to heal from trauma so that it doesn’t consume your daily life. Talk to a professional or seek some coaching or counselling to work through your trauma. Remind yourself that whatever happened is another piece of this part of your life. You will get through it. You’ll find it easier to think more clearly if you can release what is out of your control.

Rigid thinking

When we’re worried, we fall into the trap of thinking things are very black and white. Generally speaking, things are seldom as we imagine them to be. Take a deep breath and let the situation unfold as it will without trying to predict the future.

Negative self-talk

Sometimes we get in the habit of seeking out the negative, especially when it comes to ourselves. Could it be you’re worried about something which isn’t even true? Consider the words you use when talking to yourself. Negative thoughts will only lead to deeper hole of overthinking. If you’re using more negative than positive phrasing, start changing the dialogue to more positive statements.

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How to break the cycle of analysis paralysis

The idea of unwinding at all in these circumstances can feel impossible. At the same time, it’s these bad days where we need to unwind more than ever.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at several tips designed to help you unwind and break the cycle of analysis paralysis even when you’re worried.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Don’t fight your feelings. Allow yourself to feel and think through those moments. Then let it pass. Mindfulness and meditation can help you focus on where you are right now. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Don’t allow thoughts to intrude. Instead, allow yourself to drift, thinking about what you hear or smell. It doesn’t have to take long. Even a few minutes of mindfulness will help you to unwind significantly.

Reframe your thoughts

Ask yourself if your thoughts are a true reflection of reality. Are they doing you any good? To be decisive give yourself no more than three options. Plan for the unexpected and take action. Be accountable and know when you’re doing it so you can tune your thoughts to more positive ones.

Self-awareness

Be attentive to your thoughts and feelings. Pay attention to what triggers those emotions. You can further develop coping mechanisms to help you deal with future patterns of overthinking. Increasing your self-confidence will help you overcome self-doubt, worry and fear of things not going according to plan.

Writing down your thought patterns

Writing down your thought patterns will help you dump them out. Then you can address the thoughts that keep repeating themselves and you’ll start to work on balancing your mind.

While these tips might not necessarily solve the crisis in your life, they’ll help you to put even difficult times into a better perspective, allowing you to at least take some time to breathe and figure out the next steps.

Trust me, you’ve got this!

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6 Key signs of analysis paralysis you shouldn’t ignore

Have you ever considered you might be overthinking?

While carefully considering a new idea can be an excellent thing, there comes a time when your ideas and thoughts need to be put to action. Sometimes, though, we stall ourselves by getting so involved in our thoughts, that we never act at all.

At what point does serious planning become obsessive overthinking? Ask yourself these questions:

How many times have you gone over this in your mind?

Considering a new thought or question a few times is natural. If you’re thinking about this constantly over several hours or even days, you’re probably getting too caught up in your thoughts.

How many times have you gone over that conversation?

Overthinkers can’t let anything rest. If you find yourself revisiting past discussions to the point where you have every piece of dialogue memorized and even analyzed, you’re overthinking. If you often find yourself thiking about what you have said better over and over again you need to let go.

Where are the grey areas?

People who overthink tend to concentrate on absolutes – everything is either one way or the other, with no room for anything in between. There’s never any middle ground. You’re overthinking things if you can’t find the shades of grey.

How important is what other people think?

This goes back to the idea of repeating conversations in your head. Typically, we obsess over what the other person says because we’re worried about their opinion of us. If you’re concerned about how the world sees you, you’re already in trouble. The truth of the matter? At this point, you’re thinking about them, far more than they’re thinking about you.

What is the motivation?

If you’re spending a lot of time trying to figure out why people are doing something, you’re venturing into dangerous grounds. Unless you want to find out something positive (such as how they did something you want to emulate), you’re wasting your own time. What does it matter if they choose to do a sure thing? Unless it impacts you directly, don’t concern yourself too much about it.

Is analysis paralysis giving you sleepless nights?

If racing thoughts are keeping you up at night, you’re overthinking, plain, and simple. Bedtime is when you’re supposed to let go and allow yourself to rest.

Whenever you allow yourself to be caught up in a spiral of worry and anxiety, you’re allowing your thoughts to take control of your day. Over time, your thoughts can take over your life, keeping you from the things you desire. When this happens, it’s time to take a solid step back so you can restore the appropriate balance once again.

Let’s recap on reigning in on our throughts…

Be aware to make small choices quickly. It’s good to think about your decisions but not until it comes to a point where it’s hindering you from taking a step forward. Don’t let fear of failure or not doing the right thing by taking the right decision paralyse you. And lastly listen to your gut feeling. Nobody knows you more than youreself, if something feels right and it aligns with you go with it.

Focus your thinking and be kinder and loving to yourself.

Love, Everyday

Ntha

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