Have you ever been stuck in the loop where your mind is the loudest in the room you’re in, Let’s say that morning you wake up with a clear plan, you want to do the things you have planned say post the video, send the message or try the new idea. But an hour passes, then three, and suddenly your brain is swimming in thoughts.         

             If you feel this, lets go through Practical mindset shifts that  will help  you build unstoppable confidence and help you go from overthinking  to owning your mind.

WHEN YOUR OWN MIND BECOMES THE LOUDEST ROOM YOU’RE IN

“What if its wrong ? “

“How will I be perceived ?”

“What if I mess things up ? “

 

        And just like that your day feel heavier you start shrinking yourself you doubt yourself these feelings emerge not because you are incapable but because you mind has become the noisiest and the most critical in the room you are in .You are not alone, I know the feeling and many of us do especially women and creatives, these feelings are common in people who feel they plan and want to live life with intention but does can not.

         Well there is a good news ,"over thinking isn't who you are its simply a habit your mind has practiced", and by that constant repetition you simply developed it as a daily routine , so all it takes now is to unlearn it

WHY WE GET STUCK IN LOOPS AND WHY IT IS NOT A WEAKNESS

        First let's go through something very important, if you someone who tends to overthink it doesn't mean that you are broken lazy or someone who is lacking will-power is just means that you are someone who is sensitive, perceptive and has been constantly wired for caution.           

       These are the traits that one's kept human beings alive. So, naturally due to your habits your mind has evolved to predict certain outcomes ,scan the rooms you're in or people around you for risks, you essentially try to solve problems in advance.

          But modern life especially the one surrounded with social media floods us with far more input then our nervous systems were designed to handle.

          For example : A single Instagram scroll exposes us to 100  different opinions, a simple video can trigger worries about being perfect or enough. The culture of constant comparison makes it feel unsafe to just BE YOURSELF, so you naturally revert back to overthinking your brain, does what it thinks is helpful - it loops the same negative thoughts over and over again ,"If I just think this ,maybe one more time ,I guess I will feel safe ,I guess things will be alright".......but the more you think this way the more you doubt yourself.

THE REAL COST OF OVERTHINKING

          Usually overthinking is associated with wasting time, but it's more than that....It robs you of your own joy, even moments that are supposed to make you feel beautiful makes you feel heavy & bitter ..because your mind won't quite down.

          It kills your creativity, you hesitate to engage in your creative work because you doubt yourself ,all the "what if's" drown out all the inspiration. It fades all the self trust, you start believing you can't handle things, yourself....so you stay small

 

        And here's the hardest pill to swallow...OVERTHINKING is a never ending loop, "the more you do it, the more you feel the need to do it", the more your brain wires itself to believe you need to do it. But just like any other muscle in your body, you can always train your mind in ways to move differently, change is always possible.

HOW I STARTED REWIRING MY OWN MIND

       This is something very personal, I was an avid overthinker ,I used to spiral over everything - from small choices to big decisions. It wasn't that I did not know what I wanted ,it was that I doubted whether I deserved it .I would rewrite the same thing over and over, I would film videos and never post them, I'd stay in situations that don't benefit me at all because, "what if it's worse if I leave" is always what came to my mind

          But here's what I finally learned, the mind will always think ,we are always flooded with thoughts. The goal here is not to stop thinking - it is to stop entertaining or believing every thought, it is to take ownership over your thoughts, rather than automatically looping the negative thoughts. loop "You are the master of your mind" ,And you don't have to get there at once, practice things that will help you change, slowly and eventually you will be able to break that loop forever.

       Now, let's go through some practices that helped me break the loop and which I believe might benefit any of you reading this, always remember take what resonates to you and leave what doesn't.

TOOLS TO SHIFT FROM OVERTHINKING TO OWNING YOUR MIND

1)You have to be aware and catch the loop early

     The sooner you notice yourself caught in the spiral, the easier it is to interrupt that thought, don't feed it ...when you catch yourself looping unnecessary things, say to yourself," this isn't true, this is just a random thought". Take a break, pause.......be mindful of your surroundings ,be present ,even 10 seconds of stillness breaks the auto pilot of unnecessary thoughts .Ask yourself "is this way of thinking helping me ?".Your awareness is always 50 % of  the shift.

2) Bring the body back

        Most overthinking stems when your detached from the body ,stay with me here... meaning you are fully living in the mind but in a negative state, completely disconnected from you body. You now need to bring back your awareness to you body and re-grounding the body will help you do that .Let's go over an exercise that might help you do that

     -Firstly do three rounds of slow breath ,inhale 4 seconds and exhale 6 seconds, longer exhale signals safety to your body. Now place your feet on the ground and press then gently to feel rooted. Place your hand on your chest and feel your heartbeat ,remind yourself "I AM HERE,I AM SAFE "when your body feels safe, the mind will no longer take safety into existence 

3) Choose action over thoughts 

       Chasing perfectionism fuels overthinking, instead ownership fuels confidence .Keep telling yourself ,"Done is better than perfect" ,"Moving is better than pondering", "I can handle whatever comes - even if its not perfect". Give yourself permission to take that imperfect action daily- post the things, say what you feel, try new things even if it gets messy. Every small act like these will help you rewire your brain towards trusting yourself.

4)Journal to release

        When your caught up in the spiral and your mind won't stop spinning with those thoughts, trying to suppress them- usually is going to backfire. Instead let's dump it all out. Open a notebook or a journal and free write anything and everything that comes to your mind ,no editing no need to to maintain a certain handwriting or anyway ,no one's going to check this . After you're done writing ,close the book, Thank yourself and your mind for getting that all out, it's done. You have consciously helped yourself move on. Writing removes these looping thoughts from the mind into the physical world ,and they loose power over you.

5)Curate a calming inner ecosystem 

        Just as your body responds to what you eat, your mind responds to what you always consume. If your days are mostly filled with -
Social media posts and videos that triggers comparison that is what fuels the panic in you. Your nervous system will always stay on edge, keeping you stuck . Instead, consciously shift to gentle and uplifting videos ,content that celebrates courage ,change and imperfection, stories of women  and people who own their minds and love freely ,boldly and with ease. Your constant mental inputs shape your inner narrative, so choose them wisely.

6)Loop what you want to believe by using affirmations/visuals or more

       Here let's talk about affirmations as one of the rewiring tools. The truth most people miss is that "Overthinking is not the problem- it's what your overthinking about that essentially drains you ".Your mind or brain loves to loop things, so instead of wasting your energy, let's say fight the negative thought or loop , why not use the loop to your benefit.

       Now Instead consciously loop empowering, loving or any natural thoughts that make you feel good / safe until they become your default mindset because after that your unconsciously going to keep repeating them. Here's how do it, pick 1-3 or more statements of your choice, the one's that feel natural to you, can even be in your mother tongue they don't essentially have to be in English.
        Examples: I am safe, I am secure, I am loved, I am creative, I trust myself, I  can do this, I can do anything I set my mind to.
So keep repeating them, or if your a visual person use visuals that represents your ideal life and rewire your brain rather than imagining negative circumstances.

         It's going to be difficult in the beginning because you are used to the unfavorable overthinking, so naturally when you flip back to the negative ,bring your awareness back and repeat the affirmation or visuals corresponding to your favourable life. [What if this ? -> nope ,I'm good, I'm safe, I always do it, I'm determined /What if they judge me? -> No, it's safe for me to be seen and heard.]

        So, keep shifting until the new thoughts be your default one. Consciously repeating them will help you overwrite the old loop with a new pattern that will benefit you immensely. Overtime it will be your default thinking. Remember : Your mind loves to repeat, so you get to  choose what it repeats ,Let it repeat courage, love ,trust and confidence and these become the motto of your life.

        One of the biggest truths I've discovered is ,"Overthinking is just a habit, it's not an identity". You are not an overthinker, you are someone who has practiced it over the years. So now instead practice ownership .You own your mind ,your mind doesn't own you.

OWNING YOUR MIND IS UNCONDITIONAL SELF LOVE

         When you begin to own your mind, your creativity feels more freely, decisions feel lighter ,your joy returns because you are living and not performing, you eventually build confidence - because now you trust yourself to move forward even when things are uncertain.

        When you constantly shift and choose to trust yourself more than your fears, to create more than to consume, to live more than to loop - This is self love at the deepest level.

TREAT YOUR MIND LIKE A TOOL,NOT A MASTER

       To wrap up, remind yourself your mind is a tool not your master , your are never meant to live trapped in loops ,you are not meant to doubt yourself ,it's something you have practiced due to circumstances, situations ,toxic environments and society. You are meant to create , connect and move through life boldly, knowing that even if fear arises you now own your response to it

So the next time your mind starts wavering -pause, breathe, stay-calm, bring back your awareness to what serves you, trust yourself again and again and again and take ownership over your life ,your thoughts becomes your new normal.
And when it does? That's when confidence stops being something you seem and starts being who you are.