I have had quite a few things bumping around in my head lately. I am taking this opportunity to “declutter” my mind, for lack of a better term. Best case scenario is that it flows nicely. Worst case is that I end up trying to edit a bowl of word salad.

Overthinking:

I have spent a lot of time lately on the subject of overthinking. Which is slightly ironic. Overthinking about overthinking.

Clearly I think too much. I would guess that most of us do. Overthinking has no benefit that I know of. So why does my mind tend to chase its own tail around so much? More importantly, what can I do to calm my racing mind?

People tend to put too much trust in their minds. They identify with what is currently happening in their mind. The problem here is that the mind is not consistent. Frankly, it is all over the place. Therefore the mind cannot give an accurate representation of who we are, as it is constantly changing and blowing with the wind. Strongly identifying with your mind can be incredibly damaging, especially to those of us who are prone to negative and intrusive thoughts.

The biggest help for me is being able to stay present in the current moment. Most of the thoughts in my head are dealing with either the past or the future, they do not directly affect who I am in the moment. When I am able to see that, I can step away from the noise of my mind, and I am able to see my thoughts for what they are. I am able to observe my thoughts, rather than be consumed by them. This allows me to detach from the stress and pain that is being caused by the thoughts in my head.

I would be lying if I said that being present is easy for me. I struggle a lot with the thoughts in my head. I have spent a lot of my life being wrapped up in negative thoughts, rather than detaching from them or even challenging them. It is a work in progress but I feel like I am slowly improving. When I am able to step back from negative thoughts, these thoughts lose much of their power.

Two ways of looking at difficult situations- micro vs macro:

The simplest definition of these two terms is that micro refers to small things, while macro refers to big things. I have used these two terms to create different strategies to deal with hard times in life.

Micro management- This applies when the big picture or long term outlook is causing you stress and pain. The strategy is to keep the focus on taking care of the little things, controlling what you can control. Small victories.

Macro management- Applies when you are having trouble keeping up with little tasks. Trouble with motivation, fatigue, frustration, etc. The strategy here is to remember some of the big picture things that are inspiring and worth fighting for. Remembering to be grateful and holding on to hope.

Thanks for reading. Keep fighting.