[Music] hello everyone and welcome back to podcast and chill on the learn English podcast Channel I'm Leo and I'm Gwen it's wonderful to see you all again today we have a topic that touches many of us in our daily lives that's right Gwen we're diving into a behavior that's quite common particularly among the youth overthinking overthinking is when we think too much about something it can make us worry more than we should so why do we overthink what makes us get stuck in our thoughts let's unpack these questions together join us as we explore why
do we think we are overthinking and try to find ways to calm our busy [Music] Minds today we're going to talk about something that many of us struggle with overthinking that's right Leo overthinking is when we think too much about a situation problem or decision it's like our minds get stuck going over the same thoughts again and again exactly Gwen overthinking can be really harmful because it can lead to stress worry and even sadness it can also stop us from making decisions or taking actions I know what you mean Leo I've experienced overthinking myself and
it can be really frustrating sometimes I spend hours worrying about a small problem that doesn't really matter in the long run that's a common experience Gwen overthinking often involves worrying about things that we can't change or Imagining the worst outcomes that are unlikely to happen but how can we recognize when we're overthinking it's important to be able to identify the signs so that we can take steps to manage it absolutely Gwen one of the most common signs of overthinking is having a constant stream of thoughts running through your mind yes it's like your brain won't
stop thinking about the same thing over and over again even when you try to focus on something else another sign is feeling worried or nervous about things that are out of your control or unlikely to happen overthinking can also lead to physical symptoms like headaches muscle tension or trouble sleeping that's a good point Leo when we overthink our minds and bodies can become stressed which can show up in physical ways overthinking can also cause us to spend a lot of time analyzing and reanalyzing every decision or situation even small ones yes we might find ourselves
going back and forth trying to consider every possible outcome or scenario even for relatively minor choices now let's discuss what kinds of things can actually Trigger or cause us to start overthinking in the first place one big trigger for overthinking is stress when we're feeling overwhelmed or under a lot of pressure it's easy for our minds to start racing and worrying about everything that's right stressful situations whether it's at work school or in our personal lives can definitely lead to overthinking another common trigger is uncertainty or a lack of control over a situation when we
don't know what's going to happen our minds can start overthinking all the possible outcomes I've experienced that before Gwen even small things like not knowing the plan for the day can make me worry a lot low self-esteem or self-doubt can also contribute to overthinking if we are not confident we might overthink because we worry about making mistakes those are good examples of things that cause overthinking Gwen by knowing what makes us overthink we can try to stop it before it starts so far we have talked about what overthinking is some signs of it and what
can cause it that's right Leo now it's important to discuss how overthinking can negatively impact our mental health if it becomes a habit or isn't managed properly I think overthinking can lead to depression if we always think negatively and get stuck in bad thoughts it can make us feel worse over time constant negative thoughts from overthinking can make it harder to feel happy and enjoy life right that that's why it's so important to learn ways to manage overthinking before it affects our mental health and well-being decision meaning a choice or judgment you make after thinking
about what is best example I think I've made the right decision scenario meaning a description of what could happen in the future example let me suggest a possible scenario tension meaning a situation where people feel unfriendly or distrustful towards each other which may cause conflict example family tensions and conflicts may lead to violence outcome meaning the result or effect of an action or event example their strategy produced the desired outcome depression meaning a medical condition where a person feels extremely sad anxious and hopeless sometimes with physical symptoms like trouble sleeping example she suffered from severe
depression after losing her job why can overthinking be harmful answer overthinking too much is unhealthy because it can cause negative feelings like worry fear and sadness it can also stop us from making decisions or doing things this happens because we get stuck thinking about every possibility again and again what are the signs of overthinking answer one big big sign of overthinking is having the same thoughts repeat in your mind constantly it's like your brain can't stop thinking about the same problem even when you try to focus on other things another sign is feeling anxious or
worried about things you can't control or that are very unlikely to happen we all know how overthinking can negatively affect our mental health but the good news is there are ways to break free from the overthinking cycle that's right Gwen with practice and the right strategies we can train our minds to stop repeating negative thoughts before they become too much one helpful technique is mindfulness meditation this involves focusing on the present moment and allowing thoughts to pass without holding on to them mindfulness is excellent for managing overthinking Gwen it helps you become more aware of
when you're overthinking allowing you to focus on the present absolutely another effective strategy is to write things down putting your thoughts on paper can provide perspective and make them seem less overwhelming I like that tip Gwen writing also helps us recognize unhelpful thought patterns that might be causing us to overthink setting time limits for overthinking can be beneficial too for example you could allow yourself 20 minutes to think about a problem but after that you need to move on and let it go for the day otherwise it's easy for our minds to just spin endlessly
if we don't consciously break that cycle of repetitive thoughts definitely Leo talking to others can really help too sharing your thoughts and getting views from others can make you feel better and stop the overthinking valuable tips Gwen the key is finding which techniques work best for you and making them a regular practice to rewire those overthinking habits one powerful method we talked about for breaking the cycle of overthinking is mindfulness but what exactly is mindful and how can it help great question Gwen mindfulness means being completely involved with what is happening right now it involves
paying attention to your thoughts feelings and what you can sense right now instead of getting lost in the past or worrying about the future by practicing mindfulness more we can notice when we start to overthink and focus our attention back on the present moment this stops us from falling into negative thinking patterns exactly mindfulness allows us to look at our thoughts from a distance without judging them or getting too involved we can just let the thoughts come and go there are many mindfulness exercises that can help reduce overthinking one easy exercise is focusing on your
breath paying attention to the feeling of breathing to help you stay in the present focusing on your breath is a great way to calm a busy mind when just a few minutes of paying close attention to your breathing can help reduce stress and anxiety from overthinking in addition to mindfulness another good way to handle overthinking is to improve your time management skills right bad time management can make overthinking worse when we feel rushed or behind it's easy to start worrying a lot absolutely but by getting better at planning organizing tasks and using our time well
we can reduce much of that worry a simple time management tip is to use a daily planner or calendar to organize your activities and deadlines this helps you see clearly what you need to do and when prioritizing tasks is important it stops us from spending too much time thinking about small tasks that are not that important exactly Gwen good time management helps us feel in control and organized this reduces the need to overthink as a way to handle chaos or uncertainty planning and organizing our days ahead of time can prevent a lot of unnecessary worrying
later let's look at some emotion related words mental health meaning the condition of someone's mind in terms of how healthy it is example volunteering can improve your mental health and help you live longer meditation meaning the practice of clearing your mind and relaxing sometimes for Spiritual reasons example she found peace through yoga and meditation repetitive meaning doing or saying the same thing many times which can be boring example travel sickness is caused by repetitive movements perspective meaning the way you see something or think about something example recent events seem less serious from an international perspective
prioritize meaning to decide which tasks are the most important so you can deal with them first example you should list your tasks and prioritize them and that brings us to the end of today's podcast episode thank you all for joining us today remember the key to a fulfilling life is balancing love and career don't forget to check the free pdf in the description for more useful vocabulary goodbye and we look forward to seeing you in the next episode [Music]
