You're not alone in overthinking

And while you don't want to stay in it, it's not all bad

In the last few weeks, I’ve become hyperaware of how much I need physical movement to clear my head when I’m overthinking,

running the same idea through my mind repeatedly rather than taking an action that could pull me out of the loop.

Overthinking is one of the most common frustrations founders and their teams bring to coaching, although I’ve had the same leaders quietly ask me to not to mention it in my marketing because they “don’t want people to think I need help with that.”

Overthinking can be frustrating because:

• It’s not irrational!

• You might feel like no one sees or understands you.

• It’s hard to take in new perspectives, even when you want them.

Overthinking can be helpful because:

• You can pinpoint where you’re stalled.

• It’s a signal that you’re falling into “this isn’t possible” territory.

• The mounting pressure can motivate you to be creative to release it.

But when we choose to stay in our loop, the tension starts to look bigger than it is, we may plug gaps in information with assumptions, and we may lose sight of our goals.

So if you catch yourself in overthinking, engage with your environment, the physical and the imagined. Here are five ideas of actions you can take on your own:

• Document the frustration points to get them out of your head

• Take one radical action in the short term in an area where you feel stuck

• Drop into your imagination to what’s on the other side of taking action

• Tap into your senses mindfully, rather than gathering more information

• Change your physical environment, to disrupt the familiar and routine

Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash

What helps you to disrupt your overthinking, and move you into clarity and action?

If you prefer talking out your overthinking, hit reply on this email and we can chat to get you out of your loop and back on track.