Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a book that explores the ways in which the human mind processes information and makes decisions. In the book, Kahneman discusses the concept of “System 1” and “System 2” thinking, which refer to two different modes of thinking that the mind uses. System 1 thinking is fast, automatic, and unconscious, while System 2 thinking is slower, more deliberate, and more logical. The book is presented in a very straigtforward, matter-of-fact manner, without the usage of too much psychological jargon. It's also short enough that it probably won't have trouble holding the reader's attention. Mindfulness is one of our top suggestions. Practicing mindfulness exercises may encourage you to live in the present moment and remain grounded. Mindfulness may also help to reduce anxious thoughts. When you focus on the present, you are no longer fixated on the past. A few mindfulness exercises are: practicing gratitude, mindfulness journaling, and meditation. Adding mindfulness activities doesn’t take a lot of time either – even 5 minutes of meditation in the morning. the more decisions you have, the more likely it will become a bigger piece of a pie you can’t chew.” If you do have a gut feeling, be honest. Explain how you feel to those around you. There's nothing wrong with seeking validation, if that's how you heal.

One way of challenging the belief that overthinking is outside your control is to explore whether you’re able to postpone worries and ruminations. Set half an hour a day at a specific time where you can freely worry and ruminate. When trigger thoughts occur earlier during the day, instruct yourself to leave the thought alone, like an itching mosquito bite, and postpone engaging in it until your set time (you might tell yourself: ‘I’ll deal with this later’).

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Whatever someone fears is real to them and should be looked at with appreciation and never forced to overcome.” A problem features goals and barriers. We have goals we want to reach, and then there are these hills or mountains, called barriers, that stand in our way to reach these goals. Problem solving is about overcoming these barriers so that we can reach our final destination: Our goals.”

This realisation created a tsunami of thoughts within my own mind. For years, through CBT, I have helped my clients spend more time on their negative thoughts, but what if there were better ways I could have helped them? True, many of my clients felt CBT had helped them (and it certainly is beneficial to many), but I no longer believe it’s the optimal approach. For the past 10 years I have completely changed my methods and I exclusively use metacognitive therapy to help people think less and, in so doing, cope better with their mental health problems. Guru will give you a mysterious smile and will eventually disclose that he had been meditating in a forest full of other monks who themselves either left their homes earlier or are orphans.

Those aren’t tasks at all, they are leisure activities. You might as well say “completing your paid work is more urgent than going for a swim". True, and entirely unhelpful. Rewire Your Anxious Brain is a self-help book written by Catherine M. Pittman, a clinical psychologist and author, and Elizabeth M. Karle, a clinical neuropsychologist. The book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and overcoming anxiety, panic, and worry by using the latest findings in neuroscience. Even though I'm a positive overthinker, I'm not claiming that negative thoughts or worries do not pop up in my mind. They do sometimes, but now I've learned how to deal with them.

If you’re a mental healthcare professional and are interested in MCT, you might find the following treatment manual useful: Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression (2008) by Adrian Wells. In my daily work as a metacognitive clinical psychologist, I encounter many people who, in trying to find answers or meaning, or in attempting to make the right decision, spend most of their waking hours scrutinising their minds for solutions. Ironically, in this process of trying to figure out how to proceed in life, they come to a standstill. So far, I have talked about overthinking on the premise that it’s something that most of us would rather be without, and therefore we’re likely to be highly motivated to reduce it. However, you might be one of the many people who hold more ambivalent views toward your lifelong habit of overthinking – deep down, you might believe that there are some advantages in thinking or worrying excessively. If so, not only will it be challenging for you to change this habit, you might also find it a little scary to let go of what for you has felt like a crutch or coping mechanism that has helped you through life. Despite the problems of overthinking, perhaps it feels safe because this is the strategy you’re familiar with – it’s what you’ve always done. Maybe you see overthinking as both a problem and a solution.Here is a guidebook to self-compassion. In the book, Germer discusses the role that overthinking and negative thought patterns can play in causing suffering, and how self-compassion can help to change these patterns. Rewire your thought patterns: Negative thought patterns are behind almost all overthinking. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you identify these thought patterns and replace them with more positive attitudes why will improve your mental health significantly. You need to identify the different cognitive distortions you might be falling prey to like all or nothing thinking/ overgeneralization/internalizing or externalizing/favoring the negative/emotional reasoning. We also need to discover our triggers: people or surroundings. Think of a rational thought to replace it (create a chart). State your negative thought or belief. Form a hypothesis where you consider the possibility of it being false. If you find reasons to doubt your original belief analyze them and make changes to your thought pattern accordingly.

If you’re used to boarding most trains rather uncritically – that is, continuously engaging in trigger thoughts and starting to worry and ruminate for long periods of time – then, unfortunately, you’re well on your way to developing an unhealthy pattern. If you repeat this pattern over and over again, it might begin to feel as if it happens automatically. You might, understandably, come to believe that it’s outside your control. Smith explains how overthinking can become a habit that our brains default to in response to stress and uncertainty. She describes how the constant stream of thoughts and worries can consume our attention, leading to rumination, self-doubt, and negative emotions. This was an audiobook from NetGalley and I listened to it doing that most mindful of things, an enormous jigsaw puzzle. I found it really great to listen and contemplate the way I worry, to take notes and later mull over some of the learnings. The stark truth is that you can’t worry and ruminate extensively about everything that’s gone wrong, or will go wrong, and at the same time stay emotionally balanced and without burdensome symptoms. Naturally, you’ll sometimes need to thoroughly think things through. So, what to do? My advice is that, if you want the best of both worlds – fewer symptoms and room for contemplation – then set yourself the worry/rumination time, as I described in the ‘What to Do’ section, and postpone your worries and ruminations to that specific time. Bob Miglani used to be anxious about his life, overwhelmed with work, and in constant worry about his finances.

Rather than being fearful of your mistakes, try making mistakes on purpose, just to see what happens.” While the other person is explaining how they see things, you are in your head, thinking about your response. And that is not where the solution, or the best way forward, will be found. Those will present themselves in the moment, in the actual conversation, in the interaction with the other person. Puiman: ‘By not being present, you really prevent yourself from finding those unexpected, unforeseen solutions that come up when you really hear the other person’s perspective’.