The Secret to Not Over-Analyzing Everything

Saren Stiegel, founder of The Glow Effect, offers three tips to avoid over analyzing.

We think our minds can solve all of our problems, problems of hate, fear, and anger. The mind tells us, “Keep thinking about this, analyze this further, you’ll figure it out”–as if hate, fear, and anger are made of logic.

I love logic. Logos, words and reason, are my forte. I’m a lawyer for goodness sakes! Unfortunately, when it comes to emotions, sensations, and experiencing, logic is not the answer. It can’t be–hate, fear, and anger are not made of logic, so they cannot be dissolved through reasoning.

I understand though, you’re smart–REALLY smart. Reason has worked for many things in your life. Your habit is to go straight to the mind when you have a problem. The issue is that when you’re dealing with emotions, over-analyzing can make a problem worse. You could create a scenario that didn’t even exist in the first place.

“The mind is a powerful force. It can enslave us or empower us. It can plunge us into the depths of misery or take us to the heights of ecstasy. Learn to use the power wisely.” -David Cuschieri

Here is the secret to kicking this over-analyzing habit: interrupt the pattern.

1. Identify the pattern.

Here you ask the question: “Is this something that must be solved now?” If so, what does your intuition say? Remember, there is no such thing as mistakes, only lessons.

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If this is not something to be solved in the near future, identify your effort to think through the emotion.

2. Shift your focus.

Move your awareness from your thoughts to your senses. Feel the air on your skin or your clothes on your body. Look at the space around you. Smell the smells. Hear the sounds.

By shifting your focus, you get out of your head. You see that logic won’t resolve anything. Your intuition has the answer. (Generally, hate, fear, and anger feel toxic. Letting them go is key.)

3. Reframe your perspective.

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The biggest issue with over-thinking is that we’re likely repeating the same thinking that got us into the situation. The mind is full of judgments, which are necessary in some situations, but not for healing.

For example, I used to think that I couldn’t write. I would agonize over every sentence, forcing a result. Of course, every word felt wrong–my mind said I couldn’t write in the first place! Then I reframed the perspective: I AM a writer. When my reasoning, judgmental mind got out of the way, the words flowed.

We can be our own worst enemies. It is our over-analyzing that blocks us from being and becoming everything that’s possible.

Speaker, life coach and founder of “The Glow Effect,” Saren Stiegel is a professional glow-getter by inspiring individuals to get their glow on through courses, lectures and workshops. During her career as an attorney, Saren realized fighting darkness both internally and externally didn’t affect positive change and decided to be that change herself. To receive “3 Tips to Go from Defeated to Feeling Alive Again and Loving Life,” check out www.gloweffect.com, or follow The Glow Effect on Facebook and Twitter.