Strategies for dealing with paralysing overthinking

If you let it, overthinking will repeatedly stand in your way and hold you back from making tangible progress in your career.

- TIFFANY UMAN

It’s a common problem among professionals – and studies show that as many as 73% of adults aged between 25 and 35 are chronic overthinkers.

Imagine how many important career opportunities, actions and decisions have been avoided, missed or deprioritised completely because of overthinking.

As you grow in your career and in the responsibilities of your roles, you will be expected to think quickly and act on your feet. Elite professionals are precise and sharp – and rarely dwell on decision-making.

Inner dialogue

Your daily inner dialogue (how you speak to yourself) plays a critical role in overthinking. It shapes who you believe yourself to be, what you believe you can achieve, what limitations you believe exist for yourself and what you believe you can do on the basis of these.

Negative or fearful thoughts can therefore fuel the process of over-thinking as you imagine the countless scenarios that may or may not arise. This results in your path forward becoming unclear, which leads to even further questioning and indecision. This vicious cycle will keep you from making any real progress – and will ultimately paralyse your potential.

Fortunately, there are some practical strategies you can implement to help you rise above overthinking.

Identify triggers