Getting The Most Out Of Your Time – Stop Analysing & Start Living!

am one of the worst people I know for over analysing situations. I just can’t help myself sometimes, I find myself wide awake at 3am running over a conversation I had during dinner in my head or I’ll spend half an hour in the shower just simply standing there replaying a situation that didn’t go to plan. We are all guilty of it to some degree, but it’s hardly healthy especially when it comes down to dating and relationships. It’s really difficult to fall for anyone if you’re constantly second guessing everything they’re telling you.

Your time is one of the most precious things you own and over thinking your life is an excellent way to waste a whole lot of it, the easiest way to get that time back is to just start doing all the things you want to do – don’t think about them, just get them done! You simply have to stop thinking about every last little thing you should or could have done and just do other amazing things instead.
Arrange to go on a date, maybe two, maybe even three but don’t think about it just do it. Turn up have a wonderful time and then leave, it’s as easy as that. Don’t sit at home for days after your date thinking what you could have said that would make the date go any differently because no matter how hard you think about it you never will actually be able to change whats already happened, unless you have a time machine in your spare room that you’re not telling us about.

An excellent example of this sort of behaviour would be the time during a date that I poured most of my drink down someone who I was actually getting along incredibly well with. I’m such a clumsy person that this is something that happens regularly to me but I was still understandably embarrassed. Luckily for me they were fine about it and the rest of the evening went okay, however we didn’t arrange to see each other again. The old me would have chalked this up to me spilling that drink and played that situation over and over again in my brain, I would have reassessed the way they reacted when it happened and twisted some of the things they said. I probably would have gotten really angry that they hadn’t called but decided that it was all my fault for spilling that drink anyway. That evening would have replayed over in my brain for at least a week, maybe two and what a total waste of my time that would have been.

The new me however simply said it was a great evening and moved on, went for dinner with someone else and didn’t think about it again. That is the difference between over thinking and just being, you have to allow yourself to move on from a situation that didn’t go how you planned and keep moving forwards. The power of simply accepting things that haven’t gone to plan is a great one, learn from any mistakes of course but know that spending your time thinking things over is simply a complete waste of your time.

So how to stop it when it’s all your brain wants to do? It’s 3am and you’re wide awake and you could just cry because your can’t stop going over the same situation in your head, if this sounds like you then here’s what to do:

Just let go

Do whatever you need to do wether it’s writing it down, painting a picture about it or singing a made up song about it, just get it out of your system and forget about it. Sometimes it helps to actually visualise the thought drifting away from you and being replaced with a new more productive one so try this and kick that thought out of your brain.

Keep busy

It’s difficult to over analyse when we have a million and one other things to be getting on with so keep yourself busy, write that blog post, walk the dog or just dance around your bedroom.

Make a thankful list

The best way to get your brain on your side is to shrink all your negative thoughts into submission and one of the nicest ways to do this is to fill your body with positive ones. Keep a list of all the things you are thankful for, all of the things you do well, all of the great dates you have had and everything else great about your life and next time you find your brain trying to negatively over analyse a situation call on that list for some more positive thought replacements.

Talk to a friend

Sometimes it’s the only option, we often need that second opinion or just someone to tell us we are being stupid so if you find yourself replaying a situation over in your brain and you just can’t stop call up your best friend and talk it out. Make sure you don’t do this all the time though as that can get a little annoying but having a support network when things go a little wrong is never a bad thing.

Allow yourself to sleep

The worst part of being someone that analyses situations is that the brain has a hard time switching off especially at bed time so the most important thing to do is relax, have a lovely bath an hour before going to bed, read a book and turn off the television get yourself to that relaxing place mentally before getting into bed and remember never try and go to sleep when you don’t feel tired this is when you’re most likely to start going over your thoughts.

Keep all of this in mind the next time you find yourself over analysing your life and wasting your time and try some of it out, you’ll find those fears and worries slowly floating away and hopefully you’ll be having an amazing time in no time at all!

Photo by Hugh Lippe

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