As a self-employed woman, you juggle everything; your business, your home and your well-being.
All this juggling can result in you feeling trapped in a cycle of overthinking, which can lead to exhaustion and self-doubt causing you to feel overwhelmed. If this continues it can lead to you experiencing burnout.
Even though life keeps moving, you may still feel stuck as your overthinking becomes more negative and self-doubt increases. These negative thoughts swirl in your mind, making it hard to focus or take action.
You might find yourself:
- Struggling to make decisions because your mind feels overloaded
- Feeling physically and mentally drained, no matter how much you rest
- Becoming more emotional than usual, sometimes at the worst moments
You push these feelings aside because there’s always something else to do. But deep down, you know you should find a way to break free from this cycle and regain your sense of clarity and confidence.
The good news? You don’t have to stay stuck. Here are five simple steps to help you move forward.
1. Find a chat buddy
It’s good to talk. Talking to a friend, a family member or a therapist will help you to share and release your thoughts and feelings. This will stop them from continually going around in your mind and slow down if not reduce your overthinking. Sharing how you feel with a good listener will help you make sense of your thoughts and put them into perspective. Choose a chat buddy who has a positive, uplifting attitude. They may have experienced something similar and have some good advice for you.
2. Move your body
When you exercise, your brain releases hormones called serotonin. Serotonin is a naturally created chemical that relieves stress and creates positive feelings. So, get your body moving and generate some feel-good hormones. Go for a brisk walk (preferably in nature), go to the gym, for a run or do jumping jacks in the living room!
3. Move your mind
Your thoughts create your reality. Constant negative thoughts lead to negative feelings. Positive thoughts lead to positive feelings about you and your world. Start observing your thoughts and what you’re feeding your mind through books, TV programmes, conversations with friends etc. Ask yourself: –
- “Are these thoughts true for me?”
- “Are these books, magazines, newspapers or TV programmes serving me well?”
- “Are these conversations raising my vibration?”.
If the answer is no, then move your thoughts onto things that do raise your vibration.
4. Start journaling
A journal is a good tool to use daily as it allows you to: –
- recognise things that cause you to overthink
- reflect on how your thoughts affect your actions and feelings
- record things that are going well and that you are grateful for.
Get yourself a notebook, and a pen and give journaling a try.
5. Breathwork
Breathing exercises have been proven to help reduce feelings of anxiety. There are many different breathing techniques, many are designed to give you specific results. However, they all allow you to stop and move your focus from what you are overthinking to how you are breathing.
The next time you notice that you’re overthinking try this:
- stop, and with your eyes open or closed
- breathe in through your nose for the count of five
- then breathe out for the count of five through your nose or mouth.
Do this five times and notice how you feel. You should feel much calmer and more in control of your thoughts.
For more tips on taking care of yourself, take a look at my blog on getting help to reduce stress.
Here’s what Sharon had to say about having treatments with me…
…My course of treatments has definitely had a positive effect on me as I now don’t overthink things so much, I have more self-confidence and I’m feeling more positive…
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and would like some help shifting your stuck energy, contact me for a FREE chat to see how working with me could help you.
About Sharon
Sharon lives with her partner, Geoff, in Warwickshire and they have two adult children. She worked for over 25 years in an office environment, gaining qualifications to degree level in finance, business and management. While there she witnessed and experienced many stressful situations and suffered stress-related illnesses.
Sharon was advised to make some changes to her lifestyle which included trying complementary therapies. After experiencing the benefits of complementary treatments, she decided to retrain and share her knowledge and experiences to help others recognise and manage their own physical and emotional stress and anxiety levels.
Sharon has been working as a complementary therapist for over 15 years now, and she loves helping people to feel uplifted, focused, positive and empowered about their lives.
