Are your exams close and you are worried? Are you want to study but are unable to concentrate on your study due to overthinking and stress? Then stay with us because I will share the solution to all these problems in this article.
If you are getting exhausted and overwhelmed due to overthinking during the study. Then close your eyes take a deep breath and just relax for some time. By doing this all negative thoughts in your mind will disappear and you feel fresh.
But this is not a permanent solution. For this, you would have to follow the tips regularly on daily bases that I will share next until you get rid of overthinking permanently. Before going to the tips you should know what are the causes and effects of overthinking.
What Causes Overthinking during the study?
There are many causes of overthinking like lack of clarity, having no goal in life, not taking proper sleep, thinking negatively, etc. But the main reason for overthinking is stress for a long period of time.
When we are in stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released into our bloodstream. These hormones are designed for fight or flight.
But when we remain in stress for a long long time then worrying becomes our habit. As a result, we are stuck in the never-ending spiral of “what-ifs” that come and go with life.
What if I failed my exam, What if I can’t actually afford this? What if they reject me for the job? What if this change makes things worse? And so more.
A psychologist (Ashley Carroll) says when we overthink certain thoughts, it can snowball into bigger, more extreme negative thinking. She also says overthinking becomes a problem when it starts to affect everyday life.
What are the biggest disadvantages of overthinking?
By the way, there are many disadvantages of overthinking like depression, anxiety, mental health declines, headaches, body aches, sleep problems, etc.
But in this article, I will tell only the four biggest disadvantages of overthinking which destroys our life. So that you can understand how dangerous is overthinking to our health.
It delays the decision-making process
The biggest disadvantage of overthinking is the delay in the decision-making process.
As we know to achieve any goal taking action is very important. But the overthinkers never achieves anything because he always keep thinking and never take any action.
Sometimes a life-changing opportunity comes into our life for a short time in which a fast decision is needed. At that time an overthinker doesn’t take any action and kept thinking. As a result, he loses the opportunity and blames his fortune.
Besides this overthinking also waste our time and energy and causes procrastination. So don’t waste your time in think much, as 99% of our thoughts never come true.
It causes Lack Of Confidence
Overthinking cripples your willpower and paralyzes you with fear. An overthinker always thinks negatively about every scenario. He always thinks of the worst possible outcomes for every situation.
Due to the fear of failure, an overthinker never takes any action to achieve his dreams, and his self-confidence decreases. He feels like a failure.
Overthinking always keeps us from enjoying the present moment and drains our energy which we need to handle daily stressors. As a result, our self-esteem decreases because we lose many opportunities due to overthinking in our life.
An over-thinker not only destroys his life but also stops others to take action. He always demotivates you by telling possible whispers of your incompetence.
Overthinking leads to anxiety and depression
Different studies and scientific research shows that overthinking itself is not a disease or any mental disorder but it can cause serious diseases like depression or anxiety.
Mainly most of the overthinkers are pasimistics, they see the negative in everything. They live in fear of bad things that can happen to them which gives them constant anxiety and depression.
As a result, the overthinker feels sadness, loneliness, and feelings emptiness in life.
“Studies show that ruminating on stressful events can, over time, lead to anxiety and depression,” warns Dr. Fowler.
9 Tips to get rid of overthinking during the study
When I was a student I also face this problem during my study especially when exams were close. I researched a lot to find the solution to this problem.
And my research was completed on these 9 steps. Follow these 9 steps to get rid of overthinking during the study.
1: Decide your goals
The main cause of overthinking is a lack of clarity. Write your goals on a paper. What are your dreams, and what do you want to become in the future?
Maybe you want to become a doctor, engineer, teacher, or pilot. Or maybe you only want to pass your final exam. Whatever your goal is write it on a paper with a deadline.
At this time be realistic. Don’t write such goals that are impossible to achieve. Like achieving 90% marks in final exams by studying 2 days before exams, etc.
After this break your goal into small chunks that you can achieve easily in one go. And write down one action you can take today that will put you one step close to your final goal.
2: Identify Your Fears
Identify what are your fears. Most of the time our irrational fears lead to overthinking. Whatever your fears are write them on paper.
We fear what others might think, we fear making a mistake, we fear having less knowledge, we fear failure, and we fear not being good enough to succeed. And living in fear will tangle us in a well of indecision.
When I was in this situation then I thought about the worst scenario that could happen to me if I fail. And I prepared myself for that. This simple technique boosts my confidence five times.
The best strategy to beat your fear is to face it and take action to achieve your goals. So, face your fears with confidence.
Roman Stoic and Philosopher Seneca said:
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
3: Think positively and be grateful
Always be grateful and think positively. Because we can’t have a positive thought and a negative thought at the same time so why not spend the time thinking positively?
Every night make a list of good things that happen to you on that day. By doing this you can see how lucky you are. And it will make you more gratefull.
Always be positive and don’t observe too soon. If something bad happens to you then don’t be negative and see the other perspective of that situation. It’s all about perspective.
It’s always easy to make things bigger and more negative than they need to be. So, always think positively and be grateful.
4: Create a study timetable
Make a timetable for study. A study timetable reduces your stress and avoids procrastination. By a study timetable, we can track that how much time we spend on different activities.
It gives us clarity and saves our energy from thinking about what to do next. With the help of a study timetable, we have a clear path to our goals and we feel that our goals are not too far. Due to this our confidence level increases.
If you don’t know how to make a study timetable then don’t worry. I have written a detailed article on ‘How to make a study timetable. You can read that article by clicking on the green words.
5: Study daily
Baby steps are better than taking no steps. Make a habit of a daily study routine. It is better to study 2 hours every day instead of 14 hours on a single day in a week.
By studying every day, no matter how long or short, you are creating a habit it reduces stress.
A survey held by an American College Health Association in 2015 found that stress was a major part of life for the majority of students.
According to that survey, 45% of American college students claimed to undergo “more than average stress during exam time,” while 33% of students reported “average stress” and 12.7% said it is “tremendous stress.”
6: Stop being a perfectionist
Taking action toward your goals will increase your confidence and overcome overthinking. Start your journey now. Most people wait for the right time to take action. But it never comes.
So, stop waiting and don’t be perfectionist. Accept that you don’t know everything. And you can’t control everything. Just believe in yourself that you can do it.
According to a journal published by Forbes Magazine, perfectionism can hamper your progress. You will still hit challenges and roadblocks no matter whether you start your journey or not.
So don’t be afraid, change doesn’t happen without action. You don’t lose weight without changing your eating habits and working out. You never build a business thinking about it you have to take action for it.
7: Give yourself study breaks
If you have read my other articles then you may be noticed that I have included this point in many articles. By this, you can know the importance of taking breaks. Breaks are important no matter they are short breaks or long breaks.
To follow this tip effectively you can use the Pomodoro technique. In the Pomodoro technique, we study in sessions of 25 mins and take breaks of 5 minutes after every session.
It is a brief definition of the Pomodoro technique. For more detail about this technique keep reading this article. Because I will share complete detail about it next.
During break make sure you leave your study table. You may go outside for a walk, drink water, eat something, go to the bathroom, or do whatever you want.
8: Make the habit of Meditation
In a psychological study, it is discovered that an average person will have more than 6,000 thoughts in a day. Due to this, Psychologist Dr. Donna Rockwell refers to the mind as “like a monkey or a wild horse.”
So we should track over thoughts. The best way to observe your thoughts is by meditation. A key component of meditation is you can observe your thoughts and the origin of that thought.
Thoughts are like passing clouds and if we can come to observe them that way, they don’t have control over us. Through meditation, you can easily choose your thoughts and stop overthinking
So make a habit of meditation for at least 15 minutes a day.
9: Do Exercise
Make a habit of exercise. As we know exercise is very important for our physical as well as mental health. But did you know it is also one of the simplest ways to get rid of overthinking?
Our body always remains in the present moment but our minds always wander in the thoughts of the past and future. When we do exercise we don’t have time to overthink.
As a result, our mind stays in the present moment and we enjoy that situation due to which our anxiety decreases. Doing exercise also increases our self-confidence and self-esteem.
So, you should make a habit of daily exercise. I ensure you this one habit will bring a very positive impact on your life.
Tips to stay focused during the study
Here are the three simple tips to stay focused during the study. If you follow these three tips then you see clear results in your productivity during the study.
By following these tips not only your focus will increase but you can learn things fast and remember them for a long time.
Watch videos about the study material beforehand
The fastest way to learn any topic is by watching some helpful videos about that topic before starting to study.
When you study after watching a video your mind will recall the things and you remember that topic for a long period of time.
But if you are easily distracted by social media and your phone then it’s better to not watch videos. In this case, you should turn your phone off during your study. So that, you can focus on your study without any distrauction.
Learn the art of avoiding thoughts
During studies, overthinking disturbs you and wastes your time, and causes stress. So, every student should learn the art of avoiding thoughts.
According to different studies an average student is distracted for at least five out of every 15 minutes they set aside to study.
But don’t worry because these thoughts can be avoided with practice. When you find yourself overthinking then shift your attention to something else to avoid these thoughts.
Take a short study break, go for a walk, drink water, listen to music, or do anything that you like.
Use the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique was discovered by a university student name Francesco Cirillo in 1980 when he was struggling to focus on his studies.
It is a time-managing technique based on 5 simple steps.
- 1: Make a to-do list.
- 2: Set your timer for 25 minutes, and focus on a single task only until the timer rings.
- 3: Mark the one Pomodoro as completed when your session ends.
- 4: Take a five-minute break.
- 5: After four sessions, take a longer break of about 15 to 30 mins.
By splitting the task into short pieces the long tasks become doable. And by giving a timeline our brain works fast and stays focused on one thing.
The best part of this technique is after every Pomodoro you have the feeling of accomplishment and your confidence increases.
For more detail, about this method, you can visit my other article by clicking on the green words. In which I explained the Pomodoro technique and seven other best study techniques in detail.
Top 5 stop overthinking quotes
1: “Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”
– Erma Bombeck
2: “Majority of people who are easily stressed are the ones who think too much about the problems instead of solutions. Always focus on solutions.”
– Subodh Gupta
3: “The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step, while the dull win the race with eyes closed.”
– Bethany Brookbank
4: “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”
– Les Brown
5: “I have realized sometimes I do better working under a crazy schedule. It gives me less time to overthink things and forces me to be present.”
–Torrey DeVitto
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Here are the answer to some frequently asked questions about overthinking.
Q1: Is it normal to have thoughts while studying?
Yes, it is normal to have thoughts while studying. As I told above, In different Psychological studies, it is discovered that an average person will have more than 6,000 thoughts in a day.
So, it is easy to get distracted during studying by thinking about anything else. In this situation, you should take a break of 5 to 10 minutes to think about what thoughts are distracting you.
Q2: How to stop worrying about exams while studying?
The simple way to stop worrying about exams is the first you should have clarity that which grade you want to achieve in the exam.
Then study about exams. You should know what is the pattern of the exam, what are the main chapters from which maximum questions come, etc. After this make a study timetable and study on a daily basis.
Q3: How do I stop daydreaming while studying?
Don’t worry too much about it. It is a type of distraction like a phone nothing else.
When you find yourself daydreaming during studies then write all of your thought on paper immediately and stop thinking. And think about these thoughts after your studies in your free time.
Q4: Are Overthinkers smart?
If you overthink due to the curiosity to learn new things it can mean you are intelligent and creative. One of the scientific studies also shows that people who overthink tend to score high in the neurotic department.
Overthinking within a limit is good but when we make it a habit then it causes serious diseases like anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
As I told above overthinking is not a disease or mental disorder. But it causes serious diseases like anxiety and depression. So, when find yourself in this situation do these activities.
First, sit down and write your thoughts and fear. Then find what are the origins of that thoughts. Why you are worrying about them? After this, if you can control the circumstances then find solutions to your fear and take action to overcome your fear.
Or if you can’t control the situation then stop worrying about them and ignore them. But in every situation, you should be positive and grateful.