A psychotherapist shares the 3 exercises she uses every day 'to stop over... https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/a-psychotherapist-shares-the-exercis...

H E A LT H A N D W E L L N E S S

A psychotherapist shares the 3 exercises she uses

every day 'to stop overthinking'

Jenny Maenpaa, Contributor

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Overthinking is an anxious tendency that I encounter often in my psychotherapy

practice. There are many ways we tend to overthink, such as rehashing the past —
replaying the same scenario over and over in our head. Worrying is another form,

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A psychotherapist shares the 3 exercises she uses every day 'to stop over... https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/a-psychotherapist-shares-the-exercis...

in which we obsess over what the future might bring.

I can empathize. When I was younger, overthinking decreased my quality of life.

Research has shown that overthinking can decrease energy, limit creativity and
cause sleeping problems.

Eventually, I knew I needed a healthy way to cope, and I created a career out of
helping other people do the same. Here are three strategies I use every day to
stop overthinking:

1. Positive reframing

This is often confused with "toxic positivity," which asks people to think positively
— no matter how difficult a situation is.

Positive reframing, on the other hand, allows you to acknowledge the negative
aspects, then asks you to evaluate whether there's another way to think about the
situation. Perhaps there are benefits or things you can change about it.

Example:

You constantly find yourself complaining: "I hate being a boss. On top of all these
deadlines and responsibilities, it's hard to manage so many complex personalities.
It's emotionally and mentally exhausting. My job just sucks."

Venting might feel good for a second, but it doesn't solve anything. And you'll
likely continue to dwell on how much you hate your job or how bad you think you
are at managing.

To practice positive reframing, replace the thought above with: "Things are
challenging right now and I'm feeling disconnected from some things on my plate.
I wonder if I can change anything about this situation or my expectations about
it."

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A psychotherapist shares the 3 exercises she uses every day 'to stop over... https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/a-psychotherapist-shares-the-exercis...

This thought pattern gives you the power to change your situation. You could start
small by examining what important tasks needs to get done first, then either delay
or delegate the rest until you are feeling less anxious. The key is to take a step
back and deal with things one at a time.

2. Write down your thoughts once, then distract yourself for 24 hours

When our brains think we are in conflict or danger, a built-in alarm system goes
off internally to protect us.

One thing I have found success with is writing down my feelings and waiting at
least 24 hours (or just a few hours if it's an urgent matter) before replying or taking
any sort of impulsive action.

Then, I put that draft away while I distract myself with another task.

Example:

You just received an email about something that went awry. You are upset, your
heart starts to race, your breathing gets shallow, and you become hyper-focused
on what's going wrong and why it's your fault.

If you respond to the email while your brain is in "alarm mode," you might say
things you'll regret later on, which may then fuel the vicious cycle of overthinking.

Writing negative thoughts down takes the power out of them; I often don't feel the
need to take action based on my anxious thoughts once I've written them down.

3. Practice 'specific gratitude'

In psychology, we know that expressing gratitude can increase our happiness. It

can help us contextualize our frustrations against what we love and help us
connect to something larger than ourselves — whether that's other people,
animals, nature or a higher power.

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A psychotherapist shares the 3 exercises she uses every day 'to stop over... https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/a-psychotherapist-shares-the-exercis...

But I find that repeating the same gratitude practice over and over again can
become rote and diminish the returns. For me, it can start to feel like a
meaningless chore instead of a mindful practice. So, I like to practice something
that I call "specific gratitude."

Example:

Instead of writing in my journal every day that "I am grateful for my health," I'll
write something like, "I am grateful that I woke up today without any back pain
and have the ability to do today's workout."

This helps me stay focused on the here and now, rather than overthinking on
general abstractions. Tomorrow, I might still be grateful for my health, but I might
specifically be grateful that I have enough energy for a long run.

Jenny Maenpaa, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and founder of Forward in Heels, an

intersectional feminist group therapy practice in New York City that empowers all
women to stand tall and own their worth.

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A psychotherapist shares the 3 exercises she uses every day 'to stop over... https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/a-psychotherapist-shares-the-exercis...

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