How do I stop overthinking?
I've always struggled to motivate myself to do any work and my procrastinating has led me to question things in my life. Recently I've been trying to figure out why that is. Why does doing any homework feel begrudging and impossible to do? What sends me into these endless rabbit holes of thought?
I also stumbled across some tumblr posts about the feeling of suddenly realising your existence at random moments and tried to look for an explanation for it. I found this website here -->https://www.theloop.ca/work-weird-moments-existential-dread/ and I realised what I was experiencing was existential dread or just getting way too deep in thought. It sounds pretty obvious now that I think about it but saying that i'm having an 'existential crisis' is usually something I say jokingly.
So in my flurry of panic about not being able to finish my homework and worrying about whether I'll ever be able to stop procrasting, I end up taking myself through existential crisis mode about why i'm doing any of this at all. What does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Is this really how I want to live my life and does it all make any difference in the slightest anyway?
It's nice to realise how I'm feeling in these moments isn't unnatural but I need a way to stop myself from retreating into my thoughts every time I try to be productive. Even now as I'm writing this, my introspection is drawing me away from finishing my work.
Every minute that passes I'm filling myself with more dread about what I have to do that i'm not doing. The only way to cut off these thoughts is to distract myself with social media or a youtube video.
I've never seen a therapist before, I've only gone to a counsellor once and that was a brief meeting. For years I've questioned whether I might have anxiety or depression but usually I brush it off and think that my problems aren't that big and I need to deal with them on my own. But these thought processes have been getting worse and much harder to ignore in the last few months, maybe years. I think I need to stop thinking to myself and start asking for other people's opinions on this. I don't know how much it can help me but it would certainly be better than keeping it to myself.
Hello @chanpe207
It sounds like you are struggling with procrastination and existential dread. I'm sorry you have to go through this, it sounds really tough <3 You mentioned that you have thought about therapy but never did it. It is okay to go to therapy, especially if you are having problems that are affecting your everyday life or preventing you from getting work done. If you think you would benefit from seeing a therapist, then maybe you should try it. Here is a website that will help you find a therapist near you in case you choose to seek it. You don't have to deal with this on your own. If you want to connect with a listener and talk about what is going on, then please do so. We are here for you <3
@chanpe207 How to stop overthinking and stress? you may not see it now, but being able to linearize your issues and being able to attack them in a single-file line, rather than to address/think of all possible ways for all of your problems is a great way to put it. Address your concerns one-by-one, and you will see that your stress is very easy to manage if you simply folllwed that :)
@chanpe207
I am by no means an expert on these issues, however I did experience the same thing for 2-3 years. I was sceptical about psychology for a long time until I couldn't function with the rambling of my brain anymore and decided to look into it. Really accepting the fact that this was something that was going to happen to me regularly was the first step I took and probably the most difficult. I tried a multitude of methods to stop my brain from trailing off down a path of hopelessness, including yoga, meditation, music among others. The method that I found the best however, I believe is called the three senses method. It is based on grounding yourself in the moment. It has also helped me with anxiety attacks and general panic. When brain rambling or panicking, I close my eyes and concentrate on three different sounds that I can hear and name them. Then I focus on three textures I can touch, describe them and try to name them. Finally, I open my eyes and name three things I can see in my current surroundings and describe them. This has helped me come down from some of my most severe anxiety attacks and is definitley worth a try.
I would say however that different things work for different people and you just have to keep trying until you find the best method for you. As far as thinking you have anxiety and depression, talk to a therapist or your doctor as just talking to them or the diagnosis itself can be massively relieving knowing you are finally being heard.
I hope this helps you and reinforces the fact that you are not alone in this and it is completely normal.