Stop Overthinking and Make Faster Decisions

Overthinking isn’t actually thinking: it’s obsessing over a particular moment, idea, outcome, or fear. Unfortunately, this behavior traps you in your thoughts, so you’re unable to make decisions and actually make positive, productive changes.

You need to shift from overthinking to critical thinking. In this article, we’ll look at the signs that you’re being sucked into an endless mental loop—and how you can break free, shift into problem-solving mode, and move forward.

Contents

1 Signs of overthinking

2 Overthinking vs Critical Thinking

3 How to Shift to Critical Thinking

3.1 Acknowledge feelings – but give a time limit

4 Identify the goal

5 Go from “What if?” to “What now?”

6 Gather facts

7 Be flexible

8 References

Signs of overthinking

Overthinking may actually be a disguised form of over-feeling. You are afraid, worried about the future, or are insecure about your abilities. So, your thoughts become a defense mechanism, so you can avoid mistakes and the perceived consequences.

You are constantly worrying, even about things you can’t control or change. You often dwell on worst-case scenarios, and tend to over-exaggerate the problem.
Your mind often replays negative events, like embarrassing experiences or conversations where

you wish you had said something else.

You spend too much of your time over-analyzing situations and the hidden meaning behind other people’s words or actions.
You always ask “what if” or “I should have” or “maybe I should have done something else.” However, rather than getting insights about what you can do better, you wallow in feelings of self-doubt and regret.
You can’t “turn off your brain” – your thoughts interfere with your ability to sleep or focus on work.
You spend so much time thinking about the past and the future, that you aren’t able to enjoy the present.

Overthinking vs Critical Thinking

Overthinking helps you avoid or delay decisions; critical thinking enables decisions. You reflect on the past and analyze your motives and behavior, but for the sole purpose of finding a solution to the problem.

Overthinking dwells in emotions; critical thinking puts emotions in the proper context. Replaying experiences or worst-case scenarios can intensify feelings of embarrassment, regret, or anxiety. Critical thinking forces one to take a step back, and ask: “Are these fears real or imagined? Am I basing my judgment on feelings or facts?”

Overthinking is based on failure or perfectionism; critical thinking believes you can always grow. People over-analyze because they think they will fail miserably, or they set impossibly high standards that leave no room for error. Critical thinking sees life as a process. You grow from mistakes, make better decisions, and benefit from experiences.

How to Shift to Critical Thinking

Overthinking can become a comfort zone. The only way to break free form it is to to recognize it’s a problem, and then train yourself to shift your thought patterns.

Recognize the problem of “Paralysis by Analysis”

Honestly ask yourself if your thoughts are helping you or holding you back. How much time have you spent dwelling on this problem? Have you arrived at any concrete plans of action, or is it just intensifying your fear or other negative emotions? Are your thoughts causing problems or delays that are already affecting your health, quality of life, productivity, or relationships with others?

Acknowledge feelings – but give a time limit

Many people who overthink are actually trying to suppress feelings, which ironically makes these feelings more powerful. It’s like a dam of emotional energy that eventually breaks and floods your entire life.

So, create a “safe place” for you to acknowledge your emotions without drowning in them. You can write in a journal, find a stress-relieving hobby, or allot yourself one hour a day to vent to someone else. If necessary, seek counseling—sometimes it’s easier to open up to a stranger than to a person you know.

Identify the goal

You can’t find a solution if you can’t define the problem, or create a specific and concrete goal. For example, you may be worried about losing your job. This fear makes you overreact when you’re scolded by your boss, or be overwhelmed by work pressure and fear of failure.

The first step is to turn the negative feeling (i.e, the fear of “What if I lose my job?”) to a productive action (i.e, “How can I be better at my job?”) Then, you can set more specific goals and tasks, like taking online courses, speaking up at meetings, or asking your supervisor for feedback.

Go from “What if?” to “What now?”

Critical thinking is always action-driven. You may go through the same process of reviewing past mistakes or analyzing what other people said, but it shifts from focusing on the past to focusing on the future.

When feelings of regret or embarrassment wash over you, take a step back. Remind yourself that everybody makes mistakes, and mistakes help you grow. Then, rephrase shame, guilt, or frustration into action plans.

For example, instead of blaming yourself by saying, “I wish I answered all my boss’ questions during the meeting…he must think I’m an idiot!” you can think, “How can I prepare for the next meeting?”

Gather facts

Feelings can fly out of control. Facts ground you, and give you a solid basis for action. If you’re worried that you’ll get fired, then research on the most relevant skills in your industry and where you can get training. If you think your boss hates you, ask for a one-on-one feedback session instead of over-analyzing his facial expressions.

Facts can also help you put problems in perspective. When you find your fears taking over late at night, and you can’t sleep because of worst-case scenarios, ask yourself: “What is the likelihood that this can really happen? What can do if it does?” Instead of worrying, you’re troubleshooting—and you will feel calmer and more in control.

Be flexible

Overthinking often comes with the assumption that there is only one right answer or way of doing things. The “all or nothing approach” increases the standards and stakes, to the point that you’re afraid of taking a step forward.

Critical thinking looks at different possible solutions, and weighs the pros and cons. There may be compromises, especially if you lack complete information or resources, but you believe that even small steps forward are still steps in the right direction.

These small, positive baby steps lead you towards your goal, and help you grow as a person. While you may make mistakes along the way, you are still gaining more ground than if you are trapped in your thoughts.

This helps you make faster decisions — and ultimately, helps build your confidence, and facilitates your personal growth.