Stop overthinking. It’s time to let those worries go.

It's time we stop overthinking… Done, that’s all I have to say.

If only it was that easy.

Let's try again. It’s time we stop overthinking the things we could have said better or done differently in the past. You know what happens – when you constantly replay those negative thoughts over and over again in your head, thinking about the time you accidentally said ‘you too’ to a cinema clerk after he waved you off with an ‘enjoy the film’ OR the time you were rude to the waiter for no other reason than you were having a bad day.

Isn’t it strange how those small behaviours stick with us years later. Despite the ridiculousness of the thoughts that run through our heads which constantly make us question our moral compass – am I a horrible person? Is this bad karma? Should I own being a total bitch? – it’s often women who suffer from internalising these behaviours and re-structuring them into worries and anxieties. Women’s Health mentions that we as women are more than twice as likely as men to get an anxiety disorder in our lifetime. 

So where do we go from here? How do we resolve these worries overnight? Well, it’ll take time to release anxiety’s hold over your thoughts (‘screw you anxiety,’ shouting to the sky with fist in air), but with the help of a professional, you can learn ways that may lessen the severity of it and eventually overcome your overthinking sentimentality.

In the meantime, try channeling the energy that you would use on worrying on an activity or thought that distracts you. Look up recipes for your favourite meal or chant a few meditative phrases as the Buddhists do.

Remind yourself that what happened in the past cannot be taken back. I too wish we were Adam Sandler in the crappy film Click, able to pause and rewind life at a switch of a button. But news flash this isn’t a poorly scripted comedy and your wife is not the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale. YOU CAN’T CHANGE what has happened, so stop worrying about it, and start channeling that built-up frustration and anxiety toward something that brings you joy – no matter how big or small. 

As a highly anxious person myself, I’ve learnt over time to forgive myself for trying to be a perfect human being and to accept the silly mistakes of forgetting someone’s name or holding up the line in a grocery store – things that we shouldn’t even be mulling over in the first place. Accept the anxious thought but don’t hold a grudge over it. It’s time to alleviate yourself from the past. After all, the past doesn’t define you and as the sun rises each day, so can a new you with acceptance and positivity.