And on and on it'll go until I feel completely stressed and overwhelmed about the thought of going. Suddenly something I initially wanted to do has become something I dread doing because I've made it terribly stressful in my own mind.

I cause a lot of my own overwhelm simply because I overthink things.

I want to think through every little detail and have a backup plan for every possible obstacle that might happen. But, by doing this, I'm making it so I end up never doing a lot of things because it ends up feeling like it's too much to deal with.

So, the answer to this is really simple. Ready for it?

The solution is to "Just Do".

Right after agreeing to go to the event, file it in your head as something you're going to do. And, that's it. No more overthinking every minute detail. It's now become something you're going to do on a certain day at a specific time.

So, at this point, there's no second guessing yourself, no trying to figure out whether you should cancel or not, and there's no doubting yourself that you'll be able to handle it. You know when the time comes, you'll "Just Do".

And, guess what? It works great. The traffic turns out to be completely manageable, you find somewhere to park, you found something to wear, and you did it all without overwhelming yourself and causing yourself a lot of grief to yourself by overthinking it.

Sounds too simplistic to work, I know.
But as Bethany Brookbank says, "The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step, while the dull win the race with eyes closed."

Yes, you're still going to need to make certain decisions along the way but you'll tackle them one at a time instead of all at once beforehand.

Have faith in yourself that you'll be able to tackle each part as it comes. You don't have to have every single detail planned out beforehand.

For example, if you're worried about not finding the place, on the day of the event, find it on Google maps and print it out, or use your GPS on your phone, or maybe even take a taxi and be dropped off right at the door so you don't have to stress about finding the place or parking but the point is, you don't agonize about it for the whole week before worrying what you're going to do. You also only handle one situation at a time.

It's when we try to do all of them at once that it becomes too much to deal with. When we overthink beforehand, we also add on a lot of tasks that we'll probably never need to deal with as we start to imagine the absolute worst that might happen.

This technique is great for a lot of different areas in your life.

Feel overwhelmed with your To Do list? Well, if there are any items on there that are items that have to be done on a regular basis, take them off your list and "just do" them. For example, laundry. If I put laundry on my To Do list, it'll become overwhelming to me. So, now when I see that laundry needs to be done, I "just do" it and throw a load in. I don't overthink it anymore.

Same with working on a project or other job around the house. I don't think about whether I'm tired or if I'd rather do something else, I "just do" it.

And, for overthinkers, this really is a huge weight off your shoulders. It's the overthinking that bogs you down and gets you into procrastination mode or dreading upcoming events or even turning down events because you've got yourself so worked up imagining all the obstacles about doing it.

So, give it a try. You'll be amazed at how much calmer you feel about things because you don't drive yourself crazy overthinking.

"Just Do".

Read the full article online

Additional Resources to Help "Just Do"

A great technique to deal with anxiety is something called The Weekes Method which is basically allowing yourself to fully feel your emotions instead of trying to control them or stuff them down. It sounds scary the thought of allowing yourself to fully feel an emotion because you won't be in control but it's actually the fastest way to deal with emotions like fear or anxiety or even anger. It works great for most emotions.

You allow yourself to fully feel your emotion and it runs its course through your body quite quickly so you can get back to thinking clearly about what you need to do.

You can read full details on this method here, "The Weekes Method".

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Motivational Quote

Take time to deliberate,
but when the time for action comes,
stop thinking and go in.

Napoleon Bonaparte

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Have a good week

I'll talk to you again in two weeks.

Catherine
www.Life-With-Confidence.com

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