I struggled with anxiety and overthinking in the past. Anything that anyone said or did in relation to me would affect my thoughts in some way. I was having trouble moving forward with my life.
I remember the crippling ways anxiety would affect me. For too many times that I could count, I would think about troubling situations over and over again. I was having a lot of trouble dealing with difficult circumstances. The more I thought about it, the worse it made me feel… but I couldn’t keep the thoughts away.
My mental health affected many things in my life – including how I reacted to certain situations. Anger consumed me. I remember feeling the need to justify myself so desperately. I remember how helpless I felt. Although I didn’t notice it at the time, I was hurting myself by overthinking.
I was able to get my mental health back on track with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy. It came to me that I could train my brain and stop this. I realized I could control my thoughts in a way that they could no longer hurt me.
This did not happen overnight.
It was a long ongoing process that I had to commit myself to. There were still times where I felt anxious. There were still times where I thought I might be overthinking certain situations. I still had my moments of self-doubt.
By replacing my overthinking with critical thinking, I corrected my thinking errors. I realized how counterproductive it was to replay events in my head over and over again. I started thinking about the things I could do, instead of the things I couldn’t control.
If you could imagine, I still feel anxious about certain things. I still find myself analyzing difficult situations, but doing so in a more logical way.
Now, my thoughts are based on facts and reason. I take care of myself, and pick up on the red flags. I notice the things that are hurtful to me and take action to change that. Now my thoughts are on my side.
I’ve changed my mindset, my thought processes, and my reactions to unfortunate events. Finally, I no longer feel that sense of self doubt. No longer do I feel the need to justify myself. I lay in bed at night, fearless, as my thoughts can’t hurt me anymore. Nobody can hurt me anymore.
I’m in charge of what I accept in my life. Now, I can choose where my energy goes. I can decide whether certain situations are hurtful to me. Setting boundaries for myself helps immensely.
I improved my mindset by improving my surroundings and retraining my thoughts. As my mental health has improved, my general well-being has improved, and the overall quality of my life.
