ADHD - How To STOP Overthinking - Jim Livingstone - ADHD Optimist

ADHD - How to STOP Overthinking

Overthinking: The art of creating new problems from ones that never existed.

It is like sitting in a rocking chair; it is movement, but you don’t go anywhere.

It’s a bit like using a fire hose to wash your car.

The problem isn't your ability to think deeply. It's your ability to stop.

It is your desire to do the right thing, to make the right decision and avoid hurting others. You try to imagine every possible outcome and assess every risk.

Overthinking also stems from your desire for certainty and to overcome doubts stirred up by fear of should-haves and what-ifs.  In most cases, it makes the situation worse.

You need to take back control of your amazing ADHD mind and use it for creating, not causing imaginary problems.

Here are some strategies to try:

1. Deep Breathing Exercises: Engaging in deep breathing can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming your mind and body. Techniques such as box breathing or diaphragmatic breathing can be particularly effective.

2. Grounding Techniques: These are excellent for bringing your mind back to the present moment. By consciously engaging your senses, you create a distraction that interrupts the flow of overthinking.

3. Physical Movement: The importance of movement can't be overstated. Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally elevate mood and energy levels, making it easier to break out of negative thought loops.

4. Immediate Task: Tackling a simple, quick task can create a sense of accomplishment, which can counteract feelings of being overwhelmed or stuck 

5. Change Environment: A change of scenery, even if it’s just a few steps away from where you were, can help shift your mindset and interrupt the cycle of repetitive thinking.

6. Mindfulness App: Apps offer structured, guided meditations and techniques that can help quickly centre your thoughts and reduce anxiety, providing a fresh mental outlook.

7. Limit Time on Decisions: Setting a timer helps prioritize quick decision-making over perfectionism, teaching your brain to trust in swift, reasonable choices.

8. Challenge Your Thoughts: By discerning whether a thought is based on reality or assumption, you can deflate worries that are abstract or inflated.

9. Sensory Input: Utilizing tactile resources can focus your thoughts on a physical sensation rather than abstract worries, grounding your mental state.

10. Quick Creative Challenge: Creativity activates different parts of the brain than those engaged in overthinking, providing a mental diversion and emotional outlet.

11. Quick Journaling: Writing thoughts down can externalise them, making them feel less stuck in your head and providing clarity once you later review them with fresh eyes 

13. Throw it Away: Physically discarding a written worry can reinforce the concept of letting go and helps psychologically separate you from repetitive thoughts.

14. Use “What If” Questions: This helps transform overthinking from a source of stress into an exercise in problem-solving and mental flexibility.

15. Feature-Positive Approach: Shifting focus from avoidance to action empowers you, creating a constructive mindset over a limiting one.

16. Listen to Music or a Podcast: Tunes and spoken-word media provide auditory stimulation that can drown out the mental noise of overthinking.

17. Affirmations or Mantras: These serve as mental resets, providing positive reinforcement that interrupts negative self-talk and redirects focus.

18. Immediate Gratitude: Gratitude shifts your perspective from what’s worrying to what’s uplifting, which can quickly break a cycle of negative thinking.

19. Break Frame: Recalling positive memories or envisioning future joys draws you away from current worries by engaging emotions related to happiness and anticipation.

20. Play a Quick Game: Puzzles and games engage problem-solving skills and provide a short-term diversion, often resetting your mental state.

These expanded strategies, when practised regularly, can help strengthen your ability to combat overthinking in real-time effectively.

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This site is not intended to provide and does not constitute medical, legal, or other professional advice. The content in this newsletter is designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional help if you believe you may have Mental Health Issues.