Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] You gotta be bold. This story gotta be told on your fierceness gon and glow this the Sonja Empowers Show.
[00:00:13] Stay on go like a lion who on the prowl Sonja Sells help you get it. We doing it and doing it now.
[00:00:30] Hey empowered disruptors. Welcome back to the Sonja Empowers show where I ignite your online business and help you own your fierceness. Embrace your unique beauty, talents and strengths. Rise above fear and step into your destiny as you build empires and shatter expectations together.
[00:00:52] Ever found yourself lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, Unable to escape the endless loop of worry and doubt?
[00:01:00] You're not alone.
[00:01:03] I have been there plenty of times, and at one point in time, I can say that I was a chronic overthinker. And it really cost me so much. It stunted my growth and I literally would just spend hours lost in my thoughts. And then at the end of my workday, I looked and I'm like, what did I get accomplished? And the answer time and time again was nothing.
[00:01:32] And I did this for several years and I was wondering, why wasn't I getting the breakthrough in my business like I desired? And I had to realize that I was the bottleneck. I had to realize that I had been trapped in my mind all behind Overthinking so today we're diving deep into the often overlooked cost of overthinking.
[00:02:01] Overthinking, that mental habit of replaying the past and anticipating the future can significantly impact our mental health, relationships and overall, well, being.
[00:02:17] Overthinking is more than just pondering. It's a cycle of pondering where our minds become trapped in a loop of negative thoughts and anxieties.
[00:02:27] It's the habit of worrying excessively about things that are often beyond our control.
[00:02:35] In this episode, we'll explore the hidden cost of overthinking and discuss practical strategies to break free from this mental trap. So let's dive in.
[00:02:46] Let's talk about the cost of overthinking.
[00:02:50] There are a number of costs associated with overthinking.
[00:02:54] Some of the most common include stress and anxiety.
[00:03:00] Overthinking can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety.
[00:03:04] This can manifest physically in the form of headaches. And not just minor headaches. I'm talking about those tough migraines, stomach aches, and even insomnia. It can also manifest emotionally in the form of feelings of worry, dread and hopelessness.
[00:03:26] Wasted time Overthinking can take up a lot of your time and energy.
[00:03:33] This can lead to missed opportunities and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
[00:03:39] Poor decision making when you're overthinking. It's difficult to make clear and rational decisions. This can lead to making bad choices that you later regret. Okay? And I remember a time where it could have been like my breakthrough moment, you know, in the speaking arena. And I had got invited to speak at like, this major event with a lot of city officials.
[00:04:12] And I literally overthought to the point where I was sick to my stomach. I had anxiety, I was. All those negative thoughts came about. I feel inadequate. I didn't have it all together. Oh, my gosh, I wish I would have disciplined myself more to work out so I could look my best. It was all those irrelevant negative thoughts that was invading my mind because I was overthinking it.
[00:04:43] And it led me to making a poor decision and I declined it. And that was one of the things that I looked back when I do a life in review, and I'm like, gosh, that was a missed opportunity.
[00:04:58] Also, the cost of overthinking can lead to impaired relationships. Overthinking can damage relationships with others. It can make you seem insecure, needy, and even overly critical.
[00:05:13] Mental health problems. In some cases, overthinking can lead to the development of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
[00:05:25] So how to stop overthinking? Let's take a deeper dive.
[00:05:30] Overthinking can be a real drag. Let's just be real. But it is a common human experience, so never feel like you're alone. Here's a more detailed look at how to break free from its grips.
[00:05:46] 1. Identify your triggers.
[00:05:49] Pinpoint the patterns. Notice what situations, thoughts or emotions tend to trigger your overthinking. Is it a specific task? Is it a social interaction or a particular time of day?
[00:06:06] Keep a journal on a regular basis. Jot down your thoughts and feelings, especially when you're overthinking. This can help you identify recurring patterns and triggers.
[00:06:18] 2. Challenge your negative thoughts.
[00:06:23] Ask yourself, is this really true?
[00:06:27] See, often our negative thoughts are exaggerated or is based on assumptions.
[00:06:35] Replace negative thoughts with more positive and realistic ones. Like, for example, instead of thinking, I'll never be good enough, try, I'm capable and I'm learning.
[00:06:50] See, when you rephrase and replace that negative thought with a positive one, you're also giving yourself the room and permission to grow and to learn and to become a better version of yourself.
[00:07:06] 3. And this is huge, y'all. Limit screen time.
[00:07:12] Excessive screen time can significantly contribute to increased anxiety and overthinking.
[00:07:19] So here's a breakdown of how this happens. 1. Blue light exposure blue light exposure can cause disrupted sleep. The blue light emitted from screens can interfere with your body's natural sleep wake cycle, leading to poor sleep quality, increased alertness. This disruptive sleep can lead to increased alertness and difficulty relaxing, making it harder to quiet your mind and reduce overthinking. And, you know, I'm gonna be real. I actually fell into this trap this morning. Like, I got maybe like an hour of sleep, and I was feeling uncomfortable in my body and I was tossing and turning, and I was like, okay, my mind is wired, and I don't know why I said, so let me go to my YouTube playlist and turn on some meditation.
[00:08:15] And I fell into the trap, the scrolling trap. Something on YouTube caught my eye. I watched it, and then the next thing I know, I started looking at shorts and I started looking at other things that was irrelevant. And the whole purpose of me going to YouTube was to go straight to my meditation list and to find something relaxing so I could fall right back into asleep. And that did not happen. So before I knew it, I was alert. And I'm like, I'm really awake now. So I decided that the best thing I could do was utilize my time and get a jump start on my work day. So it's 3:30 in the morning and I am recording this podcast. So that is a real live example of how easily we can fall back into old habits. So it takes discipline. And when it happens to where you're like, oh, I did something that can cause me, right, to have poor sleep quality, you just have to be kind to yourself, forgive yourself and learn from it and move on. 2. Constant stimulation.
[00:09:26] So information overload. We all can relate to this social media news feed. Other digital platforms constantly bombard us with information. Also, we just came off the Black Friday weekend, and I'm telling y'all, it was so overwhelming. Like, my personal email was so flooded with all these Black Friday sales, it literally stressed me out at a time where I should have been relaxing. And whenever I checked my business email, you know, I was like, on Monday, I was like, oh, my gosh. It was like constantly. Like, I had to delete so much because it was so many sales. And it was only maybe one or two emails where people had emailed and said, hey, I'm not doing a Black Friday sale. You know, they did theirs like before Black Friday started. But still, it was just so overwhelming. And all of that information overload, it can really. It can lead to a difficult time in focusing and it can increase stress and anxiety. You know, even if you're normally a calm person.
[00:10:46] So with that said, I had told myself that I would never like, it's just something that is personal. I told myself that no matter how big my company gets, I don't, I will not participate in Black Friday. I don't want people to have that buyer's remorse, you know, or feel overwhelmed or anxiety from or that pressure that they have to buy now or they're going to miss out. Which leads me to the next point of fear of missing out or fomo.
[00:11:18] This is like the conscious stream of updates on social media can trigger feelings of FOMO leading to anxiety and overthinking about social interactions and perceived opportunities. And that's the key word is perceived opportunities.
[00:11:34] 3. Reduced social interaction that can lead to isolation. So excessive screen time can lead to reduced face to face social interaction which is crucial for mental health. And I don't think that enough people realize that all of that excessive screen time can really reduce that critical factor of just having social interaction face to face that human connection.
[00:12:04] Social anxiety, lack of real world social interaction can worsen social anxiety and fear of judgment contributing to overthinking.
[00:12:16] 4. Negative self comparison Social media comparison.
[00:12:22] Social media often presents idolized versions of people's lives leading to negative self comparison and low self esteem and is really disheartening. But it's true unrealistic expectations. This can trigger feelings of inadequacy and anxiety fueling overthinking. You see this and I hear about it when coaching individuals, they literally, these emergent entrepreneurs, they come on the scene and they're so full of hope and life and excitement and then they begin to focus too much on what society called their competitor.
[00:13:03] That's why I don't call them competitors in my business. I call them advanced colleagues. So they start focus on their competitors and how pretty their, their social media posts are and all of these things and before you know it they have these feelings of inadequacy, these unrealistic expectations they're putting on themselves. And it all started from overthinking.
[00:13:28] So to mitigate the negative effects of excessive screen time on your mental health, consider these strategies.
[00:13:36] 1. Set screen time limits.
[00:13:39] Establish specific times for using electronic devices and stick to them.
[00:13:45] For me, I'm really getting into the habit of like my phone goes into do not disturb at 8pm and I want to get into the habit of not being on my phone at all, you know, past 8pm so that's just one example of how you can set boundaries and set time limits. You can say like okay, I'm only going to, you know, I'm a dedicate 15 minutes to this particular social media platform and that's it. That's my allotment for the day or that's my allotment for am. And then you can set a specific time limit for pm. There's all different ways to reduce that screen time. To create Tech Free Zones, designate certain areas of your home as Tech Free zones, such as your bedroom or it may be where it's your dinner table, you know, on family night. But create tech free zones 3. Prioritize real world social interaction. So spend time with loved ones, join clubs or groups, or even volunteer.
[00:15:03] All right? Lastly, limit social media use. Be mindful of the time you spend on social media and take breaks. This is very important. By taking these steps, you can reduce the negative impact of screen time on your mental health and develop healthier habits.
[00:15:22] So in conclusion, overthinking can be a very costly endeavor. It can lead to stress, anxiety, wasted time, poor decision making, damaged relationships, and even mental health problems. If you're struggling with overthinking, there are a number of things you can do to help. By identifying your triggers, challenging your negative thoughts, practicing mindfulness, and even seeking professional help if necessary, you can learn to manage your overthinking and live a happier, more fulfilled life.
[00:15:59] All right, you all know what time it is. It is time for your Fab assignment. Yes, your fierce action breakthrough this week. Fab Assignment is all about thought journaling.
[00:16:15] So what you need to do is take about 10 minutes each day and keep a journal to track your thoughts and identify negative thought patterns. This can be done by writing down your thoughts, identifying the emotions associated with them, and challenging the accuracy of the thoughts. Take it one step further and replace those negative thoughts with positive ones. Over time, this practice can help you become more aware of your thought patterns and develop more positive thinking habits.
[00:16:50] Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Sonja Empowers Show. If you enjoy this episode, please like, share and subscribe. For more business empowerment resources, visit SonjaSells.com and for additional resources on personal growth and Inspiration, visit chakeletdrapinspired.com that's C H A K E L E T D R A P inspired.com
[00:17:21] Until next time, Empowered disruptors own your fierceness.
