The next time somebody talks you down, don’t let it get to you. Stop worrying about criticism and take it as a compliment! However, the study also showed that stress only occurred if the individual engaged in negative over-thinking about the events, and it showed that people who did not do this did not become as stressed or depressed, “even if they’d experienced many negative events in their lives.” Better than confining your decisions to your own biases, perspectives, and mental filters, commit to seeking support from loved ones.

We all have this tendency to plan ourselves into a knot. Why do we do this? We believe that if we think of every single detail, then we will be able to control the outcome. Wrong! How many times have we been to a wedding and it starts raining? Or we plan our kid’s birthday party, and they throw a fit, or we lose our luggage or phone? That’s not to discount the struggles you’re going through, but helping others will restore balance and harmony in your life. 10. Remember that a perfect decision is never a bold one, so get started. Now, the problem is that while knowledge (the ability to solve familiar problems) exists within your processing brain, wisdom lies out of the reach of your processing mind and somewhere deep inside your free-flowing mode of thinking.Thinking has, many a time, made me sad, darling; but doing never did in all my life….My precept is, do something, my sister, do good if you can; but at any rate, do something.” ~Elizabeth Gaskell Analysis paralysis] is a situation in which a person wishing to solve a problem uses repeated and intense deliberation in the hope of coming up with a viable solution. This is where you try to figure out, make sense of, and most specifically, analyze your problems. The major problem with analysis, however, is that as you think excessively about a problem, your problem-orientated thoughts will begin to lower your spirits. And, as we have seen, if there is one certainty in life it is this: when your spirits are low, your wisdom and common sense fly out of the window. You simply aren’t at your best, and you don’t see life clearly when you are feeling low. Since your feelings follow your thoughts, the more attention and emphasis you put on a problem, the worse you will feel and the less wisdom you will have access to.

This article was co-authored by Liana Georgoulis, PsyD. Dr. Liana Georgoulis is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 10 years of experience, and is now the Clinical Director at Coast Psychological Services in Los Angeles, California. She received her Doctor of Psychology from Pepperdine University in 2009. Her practice provides cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based therapies for adolescents, adults, and couples. What most people mean by “over-thinking” is ‘unproductive thinking’. Essentially spending far too much time thinking about things you do not or should not need to, to a point where it causes mental fatigue and presents possibilities most people wouldn’t worry about. Over-thinking often comes from the notion that you will make a grand finale decision that will never change and must be correct. Ha, Amorita-sa! So true! I've done the same thing… had to ask "did I just think that or did I actually say it?!" The dialogue in our heads is so rich 🙂 P 19 if you can begin to see that your thoughts are not the real thing – they are just thoughts and thosethoughts they can't hurt you– Your entire life will begin to changeWhen you’re criticized, it often means you’re accomplishing something noteworthy. In fact, let’s take it a step further and consider this: the more you’re criticized, the more influential and important a person you likely are. Because we’ve acquired, through our lives, a set of behaviors which have raised a wall between ourselves and our “healthy psychological functioning.” Sometimes, some events are objectively negative; it is inevitable that, at some point in your life, you’ll have to deal with a broken relationship and, at another, even with the loss of a loved one. Today I choose to let go of things that no longer serve me. This includes… (your overarching thought).