Photo by Keisha Riley Lemons on Unsplash
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the best-known artists in history, but his genius came at a hefty price. He famously suffered from mental health issues, which manifested in many ways, among them his obsessive doubts over his own abilities. “I feel a failure. I feel that this is the destiny that I accept, that will never change,” he once wrote to his brother, Theo.
Anyone who has laid eyes on Van Gogh’s work knows his self-doubt was misplaced, but the artist, sadly, was never able to get out of his own way. Who knows what he would have accomplished if he had?
Everyone suffers from bouts of self-doubt and overthinking from time to time. The key is not to let it derail you. Here are some of my favorite ways to avoid going down the rabbit hole.
Understanding Overthinking
Overthinking is incredibly common—around 57 % of women and 43 % of men say they are immobilized by their tendency to think too much. But not all overthinking is created equal. According to Harvard Business Review, there are actually three distinct types: Rumination is a mental loop where you dwell on past events; future tripping entails worrying excessively about what lies ahead; and overanalyzing involves diving deep into a topic, thought or situation, to the point of excess.
Each of these categories calls for a slightly different solution, which I’ll get into below. But figuring out which type you’re suffering from is an essential first step. After all, if you don’t understand the root of the problem, it’s impossible to find a solution.
Set Boundaries
I’ll admit, I have a tendency to ruminate—did I make the right hire? Did we launch that new feature too soon? It’s a hard habit to break, especially when the decisions you make have high stakes for your business. But I try to follow a piece of advice I was once given, which is to set aside time each day to focus on my worries.
It may seem like a strange calendar item, but I assure you, it works. Block off 15- or 30-minutes to get all of your worrying, hand-wringing and existential dread out of your system—and then let it go. Personally, I like to purge those worries in my morning pages, where I write, without judgment, every anxiety and concern drifting around in my mind. There’s something about transferring those thoughts from my mind to paper that’s strangely healing, and frees me up to focus on other things.
Practice Mindfulness
When you’re constantly living in the past or the future, practicing mindfulness can help re-anchor you in the present.
You’re probably aware of the concept of mindfulness, defined by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center as “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and the surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens.”
Of course, understanding mindfulness and practicing it are two different things. But you don’t have to be a lifelong yoga practitioner to start reaping its benefits: If you find yourself spinning out about the future, try taking a deep breath, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do it again, and as you do, check in with your body—what sensations do you feel in your head? Your neck? Your shoulders? Make your way down through your chest and stomach, through your legs and knees, all the way to the bottoms of your feet, focusing on the rise and fall of your breath.
Revisit this exercise whenever you find yourself getting sucked into the past or future. You might be surprised by how effective it is at allowing you to regain your focus and even out your emotions.
Know When You Know Enough
There’s nothing wrong with being prepared. But there comes a point when it becomes too much—when studying, researching and analyzing are actually keeping you from taking action.
How to know when you know enough? Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg adopted what she calls the 70% solution. Rather than holding out for complete knowledge, she gathers 70% of the information she needs, and feels 70% sure she’s making the right choice—then she acts.
A large part of Sandberg’s 70% solution boils down to trusting your instincts. Agonizing over every decision can lead to decision fatigue, which can actually result in making a worse choice than if you’d just gone with your gut. My advice? Don’t hold out for perfect. Settle for good enough, and go from there. Remember, while you’re wasting time overanalyzing, your competitors are out there doing.
There’s a difference between being a prepared, analytical thinker and spiraling down a wormhole of obsessive thoughts. It’s important to identify overthinking before it gets in the way of your productivity, or worse, cripples you completely. Figure out whether you’re over-analyzing the past, the future, or the present, then take action to break free of the cycle. Remember, even the greatest minds can be plagued by self-doubt. The key is to recognize it, challenge it, and move forward.