How to Become a Relaxation Ninja: 36

Stress Relief Tips

by Henrik Edberg

If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is
avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didnt ask me, Id still have to say it.
George F. Burns

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.

Ovid

As you know, stress is no good or fun for you.

But what can one do to decrease the amount of negative stress in his or her life?

Here are 36 suggestions. You may not want to try them all right now. That would just
add to your stress. Try a few of them out and see what works for you. Ive put ten of the
tips that I think may be most useful at the top of the list.

1. Stay present.

Probably my favourite way to decrease stress. It works so well because when you are
present you feel centred and you arent thinking about the past or future (two major
causes of worry and stress). How can you reconnect with present moment and what are
the other very positive benefits of doing so? One benefit is increased mental clarity. One
way to reconnect is to focus on whats right in front of you right now. Check out 8
Ways to Return to the Present Moment for more answers.

2. Accept the situation.

Stress is often to a large part resistance to what already is. You may be in a stressful
situation and think to yourself that this situation shouldnt be, that you shouldnt be
here. But the situation has already arisen, is here, and so are you.

So to decrease the stress and resistance you accept the situation. With your resistance
gone or lowered you can now direct more of your mental energy and focus to finding a
solution in a level-headed manner instead of panicking. Check out this post on
acceptance for more on this topic.

3. Get off coffee.

In November last year I stopped drinking coffee for 30 days and I have drunk perhaps 4
cups since the beginning of December. Quitting coffee was especially hard during the
first week I felt really tired but became easier after that.
When I was drinking coffee my mind was racing quite a bit, but that wasnt anything I
noticed since I was so accustomed to it until I gave it up. Quitting this habit has
helped to relax more easily and think more clearly. Today I drink a cup or two of green
tea on most days, but it is nothing I need to function properly. You can read about this
in How I Quit Drinking Coffee and the Benefits Ive Experienced.

4. Prioritize, simplify and get organized.

One of the big problems with a life filled with stress is that its filled with too much
stuff to do and think about. Another big problem with a life filled with stress is perhaps
not that its filled with things to do but that a lot of those things are stuff you really
dont feel like doing. You may feel that its just something that you should do.

Do you really have to do all things in life? Or are some of them just things you do by
habit, not knowing really why you are doing them when you think about it?

I have found that using the 80/20 rule also know as the Pareto Principle to be
effective when trying to figure out whats important in your life and whats not really
that important. Basically what the 80/20 rule says is that 20 percent of what you do
accounts for 80 percent of the value you receive.

In your personal life or at work there are a few very important things that you can do.
Try to figure out whats really important in your life. What those 20 percent are. Then
do as much of that as you can.

Try to figure out what isnt that important of the remaining 80 percent. Minimize the
time and effort it takes or, if possible, remove it. Then use the new, free time to do more
of those really important things or to try new things.

Check out Prioritize with Pareto Principle, 3 Ways to Find Out if Something is Worth
Doing or the Productivity category on this blog for more information and tips. You may
also want check out Brian Tracys excellent book Master Your Time. Or this useful post
on the productivity-system GTD at Get Rich Slowly.

5. Take everything less seriously.

Taking things or yourself overly serious adds a lot of unnecessary negativity and stress
to your life. A minor situation may be blown up to a major one in your mind. If you just
learn to lighten up a bit, life becomes more fun and you realize that you get great results
even if you arent super-serious about everything. You can read more about what I have
learned about this topic right here.

6. Decrease or put a stop to negative relationships.

If someone is always making you more stressed or creates a lot of negativity in your life
you may want to consider decreasing the amount of time you spend with that person.
Some people almost seem to like to dwell in negativity and to a large extent that is quite
often their choice (there are of course exceptions). Its your choice if you want to
participate.
7. Just move slower.

You emotions work backwards too. If you slow down then while walking or moving
your body you can often start to feel less stressed (compared to if you move fidgety and
at a rapid speed).

This allows you to think more clearly too. A stressed mind tends to run in circles a lot of
the time. And slowing down to decrease stress goes for other forms of movement too,
like riding your bicycle or driving the car. This tip is a personal favourite of mine as it is
simple to implement and has worked well many times.

8. Exercise.

A simple and time-tested way to decrease inner tension. Regular exercise can do
wonders for both your mind and body. If you dont feel like going to the gym, I suggest
developing the habit of just doing it! It can come in handy in other situations too.

9. Dont be dependent on other peoples validation.

Or expectations (imagined or not). Its not a good plan to try to live up to everyone
elses expectations. Youll be stressed out and later on possibly burned out.

You need to replace your need for validation from others. You do that by validating
yourself. And you replace the expectations of others with your own expectations for
yourself. Then those imagined or real expectations that are imprisoning you will start to
lose their power.

How do you go about practically? You think about how awesome you are. You
appreciate how far you have come and the positive things you have done. You
appreciate your own value in the world. You set goals and you achieve those goals. This
builds confidence in yourself and in your abilities. These things will help you to build a
habit of inner validation.

And so you set standards for yourself and start to like yourself more and more. Instead
of seeking to be liked and needing validation so much from other people.

10. Hang out more with non-stressed people.

Who you socialize with, the human environment you live in can determine a lot about
your stress levels. One way to lower your stress levels is simply to hang out more with
relaxed and non-stressed people. Another is to watch and listen to such people. One
really relaxed is Eckhart Tolle. Just watching him for perhaps 20 minutes usually lowers
my stress levels and makes me feel more centred.

11. Go outside.

Just being out in the fresh air can clear your mind and make you feel more relaxed and
energized. This has been especially useful here in Sweden for the last few weeks as the
sun and warm weather has finally come back.
12. Belly breathing.

This is a really easy way to calm yourself down and for me it has worked pretty much
every time. If you keep your focus on your belly breaths going in and out then its also a
one good way to reconnect with the present moment. Heres how you go about it:

Sit in a relaxing position with your legs apart.

Put your hands on your stomach. Using your stomach breathe in slowly through
your nose. If you are doing it right your stomach will expand and youll feel it
with your hands.
Breathe out slowly through your nose and do it with some force so you feel your
stomach pull slightly inwards towards your spine.
Breathe in and out 30 times. Take slow and deep breaths.
After you have taken 30 breaths and focused on counting them you should not
only feel more relaxed and centred. Your body will also be able to continue
breathing in this manner without you focusing on it. And thats it. Continue with
your normal day.

13. Watch something funny.

Laughter is a great stress reliever. A simply and pretty much guaranteed way to laugh a
bit is to watch or listen to something funny. I like comedy shows on TV like The
Simpsons, American Dad, How I Met Your Mother and Futurama.

14. Balance your social life.

If you feel the need to be alone, be alone. If you feel the need to hang out with people,
do so. Decide for yourself, dont get too wrapped up in what you feel that you need or
dont need to do.

If you for instance work from home then you may need to get out in the evenings so you
dont get too isolated (sometimes you may even need to force yourself). And if you feel
like you have to spend too much of your time with other people without any time for
yourself then that can also add stress.

15. Take a bath/shower.

I dont have a bathtub, but I know that a lot of people really like to wind down and relax
by taking a bath. I have however found that something as simple as a shower can make
a difference too. It makes you feel fresh and relaxed once again.

16. Find five things you can be grateful for right now.

Being grateful and appreciating your life and surroundings is one of the most effective
ways to turn a negative emotional state to a more positive one. So find a few things you
are grateful for right now.

Perhaps its the sunny weather, that you feel healthy and energetic today, that you have
just eaten a delicious after-noon snack, that the guy/gal that just walked by had a great
looking jacket on and that tonight there is a new episode of your favourite TV-show to
enjoy.

17. Eat slower.

If you are wolfing down all your food in a few short minutes then that can really make
you feel like you are having a stressful day. Also, it takes about 20 minutes for your
brain to register that youre full. Thats because your stomach needs to begin
stretching before it starts to produce the hormones that tells your brain that you are full.
By slowing down your eating your brain can stop you before you eat unnecessarily
much. Eating slower can also help prevent digestion problems.

18. Learn to recognize a negative thought spiral.

You can gradually learn to be more alert to what thoughts are flowing in your mind. If
you notice that you are going down into a negative thought spiral then its time to either
to cut that thread of thought and move your focus to something more useful. Or to just
becomes present and observe those thoughts and through that zap away the power they
may have over you.

19. Listen to relaxing music.

I like to listen to some movie soundtracks, a few classical pieces and some vaguely new
agey pop songs (like Cocteau Twins) to help me relax. There are a lot of compilations
on CD with relaxing music. Explore those and other sources to find what works for you.

20. Listen to guided meditations.

Guided meditations like Paraliminals from the Learning Company have worked well for
me. A favourite at the moment is Perfect Health that pretty much always helps me to
feel more relaxed and clearheaded after listening to it for 20 minutes.

21. Change your job or living situation.

If you have a job or living situation that in some way creates a lot of stress for you then
you may at some point need to consider making a change in your life. This is of course
easy for me to say. It can be a lot harder to do. On the other hand, if your job or
something else is really stressing you out you may at some point need to look at your
options before you go into a tailspin and crash.

22. Get enough sleep.

When I dont get enough sleep Im more susceptible to and have a harder time
handling stress and other kinds of negativity. One tip to improve your sleep is to cut
down on caffeine. Another is to wind down before going to sleep. Read a fiction book,
watch a bit of TV or something that doesnt make you think too much. Avoid personal
development books, non-fiction or other stimulation that can make your mind overly
active. Otherwise you may spend an hour or two thinking and spinning in bed before
you finally fall asleep.
23. Eat a proper breakfast.

If youre already on a low energy level when starting the day then that can make it
harder to handle stress while commuting, while in morning meetings etc. Plus, if you
get off to a bad start then its easy to get stuck in that stressed and negative pattern for
the rest of the day.

24. Look for solutions.

When faced with a challenge that can cause stress, try to direct your focus to solutions
rather than to dwelling on the problem for too long. Dwelling only causes more stress
and makes your mind less open to finding a solution. Also, when trying to find a
solution, try to keep your focus on the abundance and not on a perceived scarcity. This
lessens inner tensions and relaxes your mind. You can read more on how to create the
very useful abundance mentality here.

25. Find the opportunity hidden within the problem.

One thing about problems/challenges is that we often focus on the bad part of them. But
there is almost always a good part too. Or at least an opportunity within the problem.
Perhaps it teaches us to be more patient, how to live more frugally or become more
empathic.

Finding this more positive part of the problem reduces its negative emotional impact
and you may even start to see the situation as a great opportunity for you. When you are
faced with a problem ask yourself: What is the good thing about this? What can I learn
from this? And what opportunity can I find within this problem?

26. Be prepared.

If youre prepared for whatever you are about to do then youll feel a lot more confident
and calm than if you are badly prepared or not prepared at all.

27. Be early.

Just be 10 or 5 minutes early for meetings etc. This very simple tip can cut down on
stress quite a bit.

28. Let go of the need to always keep the little things perfect.

You may not have to keep everything in perfect order at home all the time. You can also
simplify things like dinner plans, grooming and clothing. David B. Bohl wrote a good
guest post about this a while back called Lower Your Standards to Free Up Time and
Gain Balance.

29. Take a break.

Its easy to get wrapped up what you are doing. And before you know it fatigue and
stress may start to creep in. Prevent that by taking regular breaks. If your schedule is
really jam-packed, write down and schedule breaks to prevent forgetting or skipping
them.

30. Outsource and delegate.

If you have a lot to do, you dont have to do everything yourself. There are only so
many hours in a day and, at least sometimes, you cannot do everything yourself. Figure
out ways to get good people to exchange their time for your money (or some other value
like your time or knowledge) or delegate so you can do more of what you really like
doing. Or just get some more sleep.

31. Complete tasks.

Leaving a task incomplete may seem like a good way to slack off and do something
more fun. But not finishing a task can produce low-level stress during the time you are
not working on the task.

It nags somewhere in the back of your mind. Its a vague, uneasy feeling. Try to
gradually make a habit of completing your tasks. This also means you have to know
when a task is completed. So set that limit for the task before you begin. Or you may
feel like there is always more to do and that you never seem to get done (which causes a
lot of stress).

32. Do just one thing at a time.

Single tasking and focusing on doing just one thing at a time not only decreases stress
but from my experience gets things done a whole lot quicker than if you multitask.

33. Get off the internet.

Its easy to become a RSS/Email-junkie. Or a Reddit/Digg-junkie. Thats when you

check these endless information sources maybe 5, 10 or 20 times a day thinking:
Whats new?.

Get off the internet once in a while or as much as you can. Bunch emails/RSS-reading
and similar tasks. Disconnect your internet-connection for at least a while each day or
week. It not only calms the mind but also lets you get more of the most important stuff
in your life done quicker and easier.

34. Talk to people around you about it.

Perhaps they can offer you advice that has worked for them or just an ear and some
support. Just telling someone about something, just getting it out can often help to
relieve some of the stress.

35. Desensitize yourself.

If you find a particular situation for instance meeting new people or trying something
new stressful then one way to lower that stress is simply to get used to the situation.
By putting yourself in that situation over and over you become desensitized to it. And
the situation becomes more and more normal and less stressful for you.

36. Do what you really like to do.

It might be playing with your children, fishing, playing video games/board games/water
polo, collecting something, writing or painting. Or something entirely else.

Whatever it is, do it on a regular basis. And perhaps try to find time do it more and/or
in a better and more focused way than you do today. Immersing yourself in such a
joyous activity is a great and rewarding break from the stress of your life.
How to Overcome the I Dont Know
What to Say Syndrome
by Henrik Edberg

There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen
for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation.
James Nathan Miller

If you have an important point to make, dont try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile
driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time-a
tremendous whack.
Winston Churchill

One of the most common problems that people may run into in conversations based
on my own experiences, emails/comments I get and feedback from people in real life
is that their heads go empty and they dont know what to say next. The conversation
stalls and there is even perhaps an uncomfortable silence.

So how can you overcome this challenge?

Heres what I do.

Why does this problem even come up?

First, heres my short explanation why you might run into this problem. One reason
might be that you are simply not prepared or out of your regular world (meaning for
example that you go to a party to watch the finals in the world championship in rugby
but know nothing about the sport while the other people are huge fans).

But a more common reason why you may run into this problem is that you feel that you
need to say the right thing. You may want to not want to appear stupid by saying the
wrong things or asking the wrong question. Or you want to impress someone.

1. You dont have to be perfect.

Realize that you dont always have to have the best answer or say the perfect thing. No
one is expecting that except you.
Setting such ridiculous expectations just screws with your mind and improves nothing.
Instead it can lead to a sort of performance anxiety that winds up paralyzing your mind.
And so you dont know what to say next.

2. Dont think too much.

When you think too much you tend to have your focus inwards. You become self
conscious, start to question yourself and fear what the future may bring. You get stuck
between options for what to say and nothing comes out.

If you instead bring your awareness back the present moment you shift your focus
outwards again. You notice what the people you are talking to are actually saying, what
is happening in your conversation and around you.

This is the natural headspace stay in when youre in a conversation. Its a place where
you probably are most of the time with your closest friends and family.

So how do you get into this comfortable and social headspace?

Breathe or observe. The simplest way to reconnect with the now is to just focus
on your breathing or to observe and take in your surroundings with all your
senses for just a minute.
Assume rapport. Basically, instead of going into a conversation or meeting
nervously and thinking how will this go? you assume that you and the
person(s) will establish a good connection (rapport). How do you do that? Just
before the meeting, you just think/pretend that youll be meeting a good friend.
Then youll naturally slip into a more comfortable, confident and enjoyable
emotional state and frame of mind. In this state of mind conversation tends to
flow more naturally without much thinking. Just like with your friends.

You may want to do a combination of breathing to relax if you feel tense and stressed
and then you assume rapport to bring yourself into an even more positive headspace.
Going straight from nervous to assuming rapport successfully may be too big of a leap.

3. Tap into curiosity.

When you are stuck in some kind of negative emotional state then you are closed up.
You tend to create division in your world and mind. You create barriers between you
and other things/people.

Curiosity on the other hand is filled with anticipation and enthusiasm. It opens you up.
And when you are open and enthusiastic then you have more fun things to think about
than focusing on your nervousness or fear. So be curious.

But when you are curious, dont get stuck in the questions game where the conversation
turns into an interrogation. Mix the questions up with making statements. Instead of
asking what someones favorite film is just tell them what your favorite one is and the
let them continue from that statement.

4. Associate.

Find something in what you are already talking about to help you move into the next
topic. The topic of fishing lure commercials on TV can help you bounce over to the
time you and your uncle got trapped in boat without fuel while fishing. And then you
and the people in the conversation can go on to talking about family or the oil problems
the world is facing.
You can also find inspiration for topics by simply observing your surroundings.

5. Prepare.

The tips above should help you out but if you get really stuck anyway then you may
want prepare and have a few topics in your mental backpocket.

The person you are talking to. Again, curiosity is good because people like to
talk about themselves.
Passions. People love to share positive emotions and usually like to know what
makes the other person tick.
Watercooler topics and the news. It never hurts to be updated on whats
happening in the world.

6. Do the right thing.

This is more of a long-term solution but it makes conversations and just about anything
easier and makes your life flow in a natural way.

If your thoughts and actions arent in harmony then you dont feel so good about
yourself. You feel like you are disappointing yourself and your self esteem sinks. If you
on the other hand do what you deep down think is the right thing as much as you can
then you feel like you deserve good things in life (and so the need to impress anyone
significantly decreases). You feel confident and alive.

This does of course come through in a major way in any interaction.

5 Reasons to Slow Down Your Life
Today, and How to Do It
by Henrik Edberg

The time to relax is when you dont have time for it.
Jim Goodwin

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.

Lily Tomlin

Slow down and enjoy life. Its not only the scenery you miss by going to fast you also
miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor

The world is moving at breakneck speed. Information is overflowing 24 hours a day. At

work or in school we are busy, busy, busy. Lunch is wolfed down. When we get home
there is still so much to do, so much we want before finally falling into the bed.

Sometimes this works fine. Sometimes this can cause problem, feelings like its all just
too much and like you are not in control.

So I like to slow things down.

In this article I would like to explain why and how to do it practically.

If you are feeling like your speed in life is causing difficulties try one or a few of these
things and see how they work for you.

1. You can lose or maintain weight.

It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full. Thats because the
food has to reach the intestines before your body starts sending signals telling your
brain that you feel full. By slowing down your eating your brain can stop you before
you eat too much.

I have found that that if I eat too fast then I usually eat about 15-25% more before I feel
full. If you do this every day of the week those extra calories can quickly add up.

How to slow down:

Eat before you get ridiculously hungry. If youre really hungry it will be hard
to eat slowly. The best way to avoid this is to not wait for too long but to eat
 when you feel just a little hungry. Or to have your meals at specified times
during the day that you know from experience will be appropriate to avoid
getting too hungry.
Put down your fork between the bites. The classic advice is to put down your
fork and then chew. Then to pick up your fork again after youve swallowed,
take another bite and repeat the process. I like this tip because it forces you to
slow down. Instead of taking that stressed energy from your day and just letting
it power through the meal too as you quickly wolf down everything on your
plate.
Focus on the food and yourself. Not on what other people are doing.Its easy to
get drawn into someone elses pace while eating (just like when driving or
running). Be conscious of keeping your own pace instead of just unconsciously
eating as fast as everyone around the table might do.

2. You can lower your stress levels.

When you feel like life is going to fast then you feel like you are losing control over it
or barely hanging on. This, as you also probably have noticed, can cause a lot of
unnecessary stress.

How to slow down: Simply do the things you are doing slower. If you are moving
quickly then just take a deep breath and slow down your movement and your pace when
walking. Drive your car and ride your bike a little slower. As mentioned above, eat
slower. Take in life around you a bit instead of focusing on setting a new speed record.

3. You can gain clarity and find and do what is most important.

As everything moves a bit too fast it is easy to get lost. If you dont think about what
you are doing then you can easily get lose half your work day doing busywork. You
mind just think Hurry, hurry, hurry! What is the next thing? instead of What is the
best use of my time and energy?

How to slow down: When I get lost in such frantic and stressful activity I take a deep
breath. I just take in my surroundings for a minute or two to relax and reconnect with
this present moment. Then I ask myself:

What is the most important thing I can do right now?

Or I ask myself: If I only had two hours to work today then what would I spend those
two hours working on?

As you take a breath, slow down and reconnect with what is most important a calm and
focused energy and effectiveness replaces the frantic and stressed energy of a mind that
is going too fast for its own good. Then you can take action and start doing the most
important things one at a time.

This is not only helpful for daily decisions but for bigger decisions too. As you slow
down it becomes easier to find a healthy perspective and to think things through in a
clear and calm way.

4. You can get new ideas and let creativity flow again.
If your mind is constantly bombarded with new information, voices and sounds then it
will be very hard to find room for creativity and for getting new ideas. Influences are
good for creativity but a overload of input just makes you feel like your mind is
overstuffed and like you are just trying to keep up with it all.

So you may need to slow down and free up some space in that mind.

How to slow down: Take a break. Or take a walk. Sit down in nature and watch the
ocean. Or take a shower. Or take a while to just lie down on your bed and sofa and shut
out the world for that time. Just be there without much thought about what you want to
do or about the past or future. Just relax and be there and focus on the world around
you.

The thing is that when you dont focus on needing new ideas or on needing to be
creative then your mind starts to relax and work on its own. And soon ideas start to pop
up out of nowhere in your mind. Just be sure to write them down immediately as they
can pass and disappear out into the world quickly again.

5. You can connect with the present moment and just fully enjoy what is
happening right now.

When you are aligned with the present moment you tend to feel good and relaxed. Your
mood is optimistic. You do your work in a focused manner and the social part of your
life tends to go smoother and become more fun. You do things well without having to
think that much at all really. You are flowing.

This is a wonderful headspace to spend as much of your week in as you can. You feel
and work better this way.

This is also a good headspace to simply enjoy your life. It helps you appreciate the little
and big things in life fully because you are fully there when they happen instead of
planning for the future or reliving the past so intensely that you cant fully appreciate
and enjoy a meal, a conversation with a friend or a walk by the ocean.

How to slow down:

I usually just slow down what I am doing and go to a full stop. Then I take in my
surroundings fully as they are happening right now for a minute or two.

I listen to the cars going by the house. I watch my desktop and the glass of water next to
it. I may look out the window and see blue sky, the white snow and the cold air outside
standing still. I feel the slight chilliness of the floor, the warmth in the air in this room
and I feel the cold water in my mouth as I take a sip.

This is all I focus on as I slow down my day for a few minutes to move out of
confusion, stress and daydreaming and into this moment. It may sound a bit odd but it
makes a world of difference.
How to Focus Your Attention on What is
Most Important in Your Life
by Henrik Edberg

Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are.
Jose Ortega y Gasset

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.
Jim Rohn

Keeping your attention on what is most important in your life is one of the
most essential ingredients if you want to be able to:

Stick with your goals.

Achieve what you want to achieve each day.
Appreciate what you have in your life.
Clearly see how you can use your time here in the best way.

Like with most things, this is something that is of course easier said than done. Its easy
to get distracted way too much and to feel overwhelmed, stressed out and spread out too
thin.

But with some limits, with some barriers that keep much of the daily clutter out you can
become sharp and focused once again. So lets get started with that by establishing or
reminding yourself of a few very helpful habits.

Write down your top 4 priorities. Post them where you see them every day.

To keep your attention in the right place it is essential to remind yourself every day of
what is truly most important.

So what is most important for you this year? An important project at work? Your
family? Improving your social life? Your blog, photography, soccer or debt?

Think about it and reduce what is important in your life to the top 4 most important
priorities. Write those four things down and post them in your workspace or on your
bathroom mirror or on your fridge.

Work in a no-distractions zone.

When you work then do not work in a place filled with unnecessary distractions. Instead
take a few minutes and make a plan.
Ask yourself: what are the 3 most common distractions that keep me from doing my
work in a focused way?

Figure out how you can prevent those things from distracting you. A few suggestions to
help you limit your distractions are:

Shut the door to your office.

Shut down email, instant messaging programs and put your cell phone in silent
mode for an hour or more at a time.
If your place of work is busy and noisy use headphones with music or just noise
canceling headphones without anything playing in them.

Having trouble sticking with it in that zone and to not start procrastinating or distracting
yourself? Try using a timer on your cell phone or use an egg-timer and set it for 45
minutes. Then put in a drawer or somewhere where you cant see it. During those 45
minutes dive in and immerse yourself in the no-distraction zone and your work until the
clock rings.

This one works very well for me because I know that I do not have to stay focused and
un-distracted forever. I just have to make an effort for 45 minutes and then I can do
something else. If 45 minutes is too much at first then try a shorter time-limit.

Work with you have and use what you can from this list to make work much more
distraction free.

Limit your input.

Reduce the number of blogs, newsletters, magazines, book clubs, podcasts, twitterers
etc. you are subscribed too. Just keep the ones you are really getting something out of.

Limit your time in your favorite places online.

Many of us have favorite places where we get stuck online. It might be Facebook,
Twitter, your favorite forum or just checking the paper many times each day. A couple
of things that have helped me to not get too distracted by such places is to:

Remove them from any favorites list in the browser. Easy availability makes
it easy to go there when you want to escape. So make it a little harder to get
there. I have noticed that if I have to type in the address to that site then I usually
forget about it a lot more and I dont jump in there whenever I am bored or feel
like procrastinating. Instead, I tend to forget about the site for a day or several
days. It is out of sight and out of mind.
Use it in short bursts. After you have spent time working in your no-
distractions zone you can relax or reward yourself with 5 or 10 minutes on your
favorite website. If you cant seem to be able to keep that time-limit then use the
egg-timer or the timer on your cell phone to keep yourself in check.

Take a media- and internet-free day (or weekend).

I usually take at least one day during my weekend off from using the internet, reading
the paper, checking my email and so on. That break helps me to better focus my
attention on the most important things, to set clear limits between the workhours and the
homehours and it helps me to relax and recharge myself so that I am more focused
during the upcoming week.

Let the helpful sources influence you.

What you surround yourself with will be a big influence on you. Negative voices,
people and media will drag you down and can easily redirect your attention on to the
negative aspects of life.

Positive people, music, books, movies, quotes and surroundings etc. will on the other
hand help you not just to keep your focus on what is most important and what is
positive in life. They will also help you to broaden your horizons and let you discover
things and aspects of life you may not have found or paid much attention to before.
8 Ways to Return to the Present Moment
by Henrik Edberg

As humans we tend to spend a lot of time in the past or the future. We spend much time
thinking about what was and what could have been. And we spend much time
projecting into the future and wondering about what may happen.

This way of thinking is indeed a great way to make much of your life a lot more
miserable and limited than necessary. The key to solving this problem is of course to
live as much as you can in the only moment that you ever really live in and control.
This moment right now. The moment that is all there ever was and probably

will be.

There are more advantages to being in the moment besides being able to decrease
mindmade suffering. Some of those advantages are:

Clarity. When you are in the moment you have a much better focus and things
flow naturally out of you. This is very useful in conversations, at work, while
writing or while on the tennis court.

Calmness. You feel centred, relaxed and whatever you do you do more easily.
Since you are not projecting into a possible future or reflecting on previous
experiences there is very little fear holding you back.

Positivity. Since there is little fear, there are few negative emotions when you
are in the present. Instead you move around on the positive part of the emotional
scale.

Now, that sounds nice and useful.

But how can you step away from the thought loops that whirl back and forth through
your memories and fantasies?

How do you actually return to the present moment?

Here are 7 ways. But before we get to them Id just like to add that this is a skill. You
will slip back into involuntarily thinking about the future/past. But the more time and
effort you spend connecting with the moment the easier it gets reconnecting with it. And
staying there longer.
1. Focus on whats right in front of you.

Or around you. Or on you. Use your senses. Just look at whats right in front of you
right now. Listen to the sounds around you. Feel the fabric of your clothes and focus on
how they feel. For the last three days the dark winter seems to have left us here in
Sweden. Its been clear skies and sunshine all the time. So I have been using the
unexpected light and warmth of the sunshine on my skin to reconnect with the moment.

2. Focus on your breathing.

Take a couple of dozen belly breaths and just focus your mind on your inhaling and
exhaling. This will align you with the present moment once again. You can learn more
about belly breathing in this article.

3. Focus on your inner body.

This is a bit similar to focusing on your breathing. In both examples you focus on
whats inside you rather than the outside. What is the inner body? Well, I guess you
could say it is energy inside of your body. How your body feels from the inside.

A practical way to do this just to focus on your hand. To just put your focus there and
feel how the hand feels to you and how the energy is flowing through it. Yeah, this
suggestion may sound a bit weird to the mind. But if you actually try it a few times
youll probably find that inner energy within your hand.

4. Pick up the vibe from present people.

If you know someone that is more present than most people then you can pick his/her
vibe of presence (just like you can pick up positivity or enthusiasm from people). If you
dont know someone like that I recommend listening to/watching cds/dvds by Eckhart
Tolle. His books work too. But cds/dvds are better than books for picking up someones
vibe since the biggest part of communication is voice tonality and body language.

5. Surrender to the emotion that is already there.

Its easy to get stuck in a loop of old memories. You may want to move away from
them but there is a feeling there that brings them back over and over. So you need to
decrease the power that feeling has over you. And you dont do it by fighting it. You do
it by surrendering to it.

The feeling is a loop within your mind that you are feeding with more energy by
resisting it. When you accept the feeling then you stop feeding it and it vanishes.

Heres how you it:

Say yes to the feeling.

Surrender and let it in. Observe the feeling in your mind and body without labelling or
judging it. If you let it in for me the feeling then often seems to physically locate
itself to the middle of my chest and just observe it for maybe a minute or two the
feeling just vanishes.

As you can see, this way is similar to ones above. They are all about observing.

6. See things as for the first time.

This one pretty similar to the first way. But it can be useful when you have a hard time
just observing your surroundings.

Thats when you can look at things as for the first time. Imagine it like that, take that
role. Like someone who has never experienced this before. Like a child or someone who
has never been here before. I like this one and I have been doing it from time to time for
years (although back then I didnt really understand why it felts nice when I did it).

Note: These last two ways are certainly not the best ways to reconnect with the moment
and Im not really recommending them. They arent that healthy (especially in the long
run). But they work to some degree. Its up to you if you want to try them.

7. Punch your leg.

Try punching your leg. Or pinching your arm. Or have someone else do it. And focus on
that sensation to quickly bring yourself back to the moment.

8. Drink a beer or two.

Its Friday so I thought Id include this one. This is probably the most common way to
connect to the moment (at least over the weekend). You may have said or heard that its
nice to grab a beer or two after work to take edge off. What is this edge? I think its
the clutter of thoughts that can run around in your mind after a long and busy week at
work.

The alcohol quiets down these thoughts (and the decreases the number of thoughts in
your mind). And you feel more relaxed. You dont think about the past or future as
much. You just enjoy your beer and the company. You enjoy the moment.

Drinking a couple of beers or getting really drunk can remove the past or future
from your mind. It can add calmness and positive feelings. However, it throws the

clarity out the window.

So besides the health aspects of drinking, this isnt exactly an ideal way to be in the
present moment. Use it at your own risk. Or just try out a few of the more healthy and
effective techniques.

What other ways can you use to return to the present moment?
How to Stay in the Present Moment in
Everyday Life: 5 Simple Habits

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the
present moment.
Buddha

There is only one time and place where you can be and have any control over.

The present moment.

But most of us still spend a lot of our regular days lost in memories, reliving a sunny
vacation or maybe more commonly repeating an old conflict or negative situation over
and over in our thoughts.

Or we get lost in scenarios about what could happen in the future. Maybe through
wishful daydreams. Or maybe by building monsters in our minds as thoughts go round
and and round and create scary and dangerous mountains out of molehills or just air.

Or your thoughts may become split and unfocused between several different things and
tasks.

If you spend a lot of your everyday moments and time in the future or the past or you
have difficulty focusing and you feel this may have a negative effect on your life then
maybe you want to learn to live more in the present moment.

Heres what works for me to do that. Just a few simple things that I use in my normal
day.

1. Single-task not only your work.

I and many others have often written and talked about the importance of single-tasking
your work to get it done more effectively.

I have found that it becomes easier for me to stay present for more time throughout my
day if I single-task everything as best I can.

That means to not use tabs when I browse the internet but to just be fully engaged with
one thing online at a time. It means to not use my smartphone or my computer as I also
try to watch the TV. Or to use any of those internet-devices during a conversation.

Get a good start to your day and set the tone for it by doing one thing at a time as soon
as you wake up.

If you have to multitask, then try to set off some specific time for it during your day.
Maybe an hour or so in the afternoon.
2. Do it slowly.

When you wake up and starting doing your first thing of the day, then slow it down a
bit.

Do it and the next few things at a relaxed and calm pace. It will probably not take that
much longer than if you do it quickly. And youll be able to stay present more easily, to
focus on each thing you do and to find a simple joy or stillness in it.

Do that instead of increasing your stress right away and getting stuck in worries or
though loops about what may happen today before you even have had your breakfast.

And as you move through your day, try to do it slowly when you can.

3. Tell yourself: now I am

As I do something I simply tell myself this in my mind: Now I am X.

For example, if I am brushing my teeth, then I tell myself: Now I am brushing my teeth.

This habit is maybe most important when doing things where it is easy to drift away to
the future or past. It could be when you brush your hair or teeth or when you are taking
a walk to the supermarket.

I dont tell myself this line all the time, but I pepper it in a couple of times throughout
my day.

4. Minimize what you let into your head early in the day.

If I check the email, Facebook and other websites online early in the day then I have
found that I will have more thoughts bouncing around in my head. And so it becomes a
lot harder to concentrate on anything, to stay present and to not be dragged away into
some negative thought loop.

So the kind option towards myself has become to not check anything early in the day.
And to check things as few times as I can.

If I minimize such things then my day becomes lighter and simpler and I not only stay
present more easily but I also tend to get more things of importance done.

5. No, no, no + reconnect with the here and now.

The four tips above make it easier to stay in the present moment and to use it and enjoy
it fully. But each day I still drift into the past or the future. Or my thoughts become split
between different things.

If you have read any of my stuff on self-esteem then you know that I often use a stop-
word or phrase to quickly disrupt and stop the inner critic or a self-esteem damaging
train of thought. I do the same thing here.
As quickly as I notice that my thoughts have drifted away I say to myself: No, no, no.

Then I quickly follow that up with focusing on just my breathing or just on what is
happening around me right now with all my senses for a minute or two to draw myself
back into this present moment.
7 Awesome Reasons to Be Present, and
How to Do It

There is only one time that is important NOW! It is the most important time because
it is the only time that we have any power.
Leo Tolstoy

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.

Albert Einstein

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry
about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
Buddha

I have written quite a bit about being present and how it can help you.

Today Id like to list seven of my favourite benefits of being present. Many of them
relate to or blend into one another.

Now, being present is quite hard to keep up. You slip back into not being present. And
thats OK. Dont beat yourself up. Just accept that you are not present and youll feel
better and more relaxed. Then it will be easier to slip back into the present moment
again. Just like with anything, going for perfection often just leads to anxiety and
beating yourself up. Going for consistency and improving your consistency gradually
slipping back into old habits less and less is more useful.

Also, being present isnt a magic pill that will solve all your problems or fix you. But
like regular exercise, it can be helpful in several ways.

1. Improved social skills.

This may be one of the first things you discover when you start experimenting with
being present. It was for me. If you have the problem that you get nervous/shy and
dont know what to say in a conversation then presence is one solution.

When you are present your head is no longer filled with past scenarios (what did she
mean when she said that?) or future scenarios (what will they think if say this?). You
let go off self-consciousness.

You are just here. With your attention focused outward towards the person(s) you are
interacting with. You just let things flow out of you.

And in a way tip of assuming rapport is a way to tap into your presence in
conversations. Assuming rapport means that you pretend that you are meeting one of
your best friends. Then you start the interaction in that frame of mind instead of the
nervous one.

When youre with your best friends you are probably not thinking ahead that much. You
are just enjoying the interaction, the present moment and all of you just let things flow
naturally.

Presence can also help you with listening. It helps you to decrease the bad habit of
thinking about the future and what you should say next while trying to listen. If you are
present and really there while listening then that will also come through in your body
language, which gives the person talking a vibe and feeling that you are really listening
to what s/he has to say. Being present also improves your focus and allows you to better
tune out possible interruptions or distractions in your surroundings.

2. Improved creativity.

If you write or do some other creative work you may have found that your best work
flows out of you when you are not thinking that much. You just write, paint, play. You
enter a state where things just come to you. Then later you can come back and edit your
work.

This one is similar to the first reason. Writing is for instance similar to a conversation.
When you are present in a conversation or while writing things its often best to not
think to far ahead or you start to get self-conscious and second-guessing yourself. You
create mental blocks that stop your creativity from flowing unhindered.

3. You appreciate your world more.

One of big advantages of becoming more present in your everyday life is that you
decrease the amount of analysing and labelling you do to the things/people in your
surroundings. You dont judge as much.

This might sound strange but in the moments when you are present the ordinary world
becomes more interesting and wonderful. Colors can seem brighter. Your see more
aliveness in trees, nature and in people. You see the wonder of all your man-made
gadgets and stuff. Things that most often seem common, routine and boring become
fascinating and something you can appreciate.

Its like you are observing your world with more clarity and curiousness. Like a little
kid again, discovering things while they still feel fresh. Before they have just become
walking, talking and growing labels with years of associations and thoughts attached.

Before you actually use this tip though if you just think about it in your mind it may
not make that much sense.

4. Stress release.

When you are present there is a certain stillness and centeredness inside. You calm
down. If you are feeling stressed during your normal day then one of my favourite ways
to let that go is to take belly breaths and just focus on them for a minute or two.
This pretty much always calms me down. The breathing with belly seems to calm one
down in a physical way. And by focusing just on the in and out-breaths you connect to
the present moment instead of the past or future scenarios that are making you feel
stressed.

5. Less worry-warting and overthinking.

If you are a chronic overthinker that goes round and round in circles in your mind
before you ever get anything done then being present is a great release from that habit.
Im not saying that you wont slip back into overthinking. But being present just for a
while can help you. It can allow you to stop worrying about what may happen and just
take some action to get started. To actually see what happens. If youre an overthinker
you may find 3 Good Reasons to Stop Thinking So Much, And How to Do It helpful.

6. Openness.

This is perhaps the best benefit. Being present removes the labels you put on people and
things temporarily and opens you up to see and experience things without your
preconceived notions. I think this is a big part in how being present helps you in
conversations and with your creativity. You are open to new things as you are without
many of your barriers within your mind. Things can flow easier through you without all
that stuff in the way.

You make things easy on yourself in way. And you often get better results at the same
time.

7. Playfulness.

As you are present you may feel a playfulness arise. This makes it easier to just do
things. When you see things from a playful point of view things become less of a
struggle created from within. You let go of that heavy, overthinking frame of mind.

Everything wont become super easy to do. But many things become more enjoyable
and easier to do. They become lighter. Less of a burden.

Kids are often more present and playful. You can return to that playfulness by
connecting with the present.

Top three ways to slip into the present moment.

There are quite a few ways to return to the present. You can try a bunch of them out and
see which one(s) that works best for you. My three favourites at the moment are:

Focus on your breath.

I mentioned this one above. You can find a quick guide to belly breathing in this article.

Focus on whats right in front of you.

Or around you. Or on you. Use your senses. Just look at whats right in front of you
right now. Listen to the sounds around you. Feel the fabric of your clothes and focus on
how they feel. You can for instance use the summer sun or rain and how it feels on your
skin to connect with the present.

Pick up the vibe from present people.

If you know someone that is more present than most people then you can pick his/her
vibe of presence (just like you can pick up positivity or enthusiasm from people). If you
dont know someone like that I recommend listening to/watching cds/dvds by Eckhart
Tolle like Stillness Speaks or The Flowering of Consciousness. His books work too. But
cds/dvds are better than books for picking up someones vibe since the biggest part of
communication is voice tonality and body language.
3 Good Reasons to Stop Thinking So
Much, And How to Do It

What is stopping people from getting the results they want?

Well, for one Id say a pretty common and self-imposed roadblock is thinking too
much.

In fact, one of the best tips for getting things done that I have learned so far is simply to
stop thinking and start doing.

I think this problem of overthinking things is nothing that Im alone with in the personal
development community. I think it may be one of the problems that draw people to
books and websites on self-help and one of the things that still keep them from
achieving what they want even after they have picked up on a lot of helpful advice.

Because after having read five books you think and plan and think a little more. You get
lost in thinking. At least thats what I did. If youre an overthinker then getting your
hands on personal development information becomes just another way to creatively
procrastinate. But now you can label it as making progress and get an emotional kick
out of it.

Now, Im not saying that educating yourself or thinking is something bad. But
overdoing it wont help you either.

Here are a couple of good reasons why.

1. Thinking cant replace action.

I sometimes think there is some kind of wish when overthinking that thinking will
somehow replace action. A wish that if you just think enough you can find some easy
way out or get what you want without having to actually do something.

Without taking action youll most likely not get what you want. Thinking is however
seldom as scary or uncertain as taking the leap into the unknown and taking action.

So it can become a place where you hide from taking action and then rationalize to
yourself in different ways how all this thinking will help you. Even though you know
deep down that what you really want and need is to take action and get going.
If youre having trouble taking action then you may also want to check out Do You
Make These 5 Mistakes When You Try to Take Action? and How to Take More Action:
9 Powerful Tips.

2. You may overcomplicate things.

Are things hard and difficult? Yeah, they might be. But you may also want consider that
its you that are making them even harder.

By overthinking things you make them more and more complicated in your mind. You
can turn something fairly simple into a really complicated and big mess. And so it goes
from something you can do with some discomfort and persistence into an epic battle
where you keep moving inch by painstaking inch.

A problem here is that when what you are doing is difficult and complicated then you
and others think that it must be important. And so you feel important. You derive a
sense of importance from making things into big struggles.

Such a thing can form into an identity where you are struggling and keeping on moving
forward while you imagine other people lying at home in the sofa lazily watching some
TV. It can strengthen you. It can make you feel negatively about other people. It may
feel good in a sort of way to feel like an outsider or some kind of misunderstood
underdog thats up against so much. So it has its upsides.

However, you may also want to consider not making things to so hard for yourself. You
dont have to be a rebel thats going against the world. You can just accept what you
choose to do. And that other people choose to do other things.

Upsides such as a feeling of importance or of being the underdog may make it hard to
give up the notion that what you are doing may not be that difficult and complicated.
But I have found that when I do that then I become more relaxed and things tend to be
easier to accomplish.

You can to some degree control how difficult something will be. Much of your struggle
is up there in your head. Just try letting go of the notion of how awfully difficult
something is and see what happens. You may be relieved. And surprised at how you
have been making your life more complicated than it needs to be.

3. Youll perform worse.

If you overthink things you may overcomplicate them. And so you become nervous and
start to second guess yourself all the time. It also becomes harder to focus on doing
something when you have a have a habit of thinking a lot. You may often slip into
possible future scenarios in your mind instead just focusing on what you are doing right
now.

All of this can cripple your performance and produce results that are worse than they
could have been.

How to stop thinking so much

So, I used to be a big overthinker. Still am. From time to time. But I have made
progress. Here are three things I use to cultivate a habit of not overthinking things.

Be aware of the problem.

The most important thing is to be aware that you tend to overthink. And to keep being
aware of that in your everyday life. You can for instance do that with post-it notes that
say Dont overthink things. Act! or something along those lines.

By just being aware of your habit you can often pick up on when you are doing it, stop
yourself and do something more helpful instead. Over time it also becomes easier to
step out of the loop of thoughts and not get stuck back in it a half an hour later.

Set deadlines for decisions.

Instead of thinking about something for days, tell yourself that you have for example
30 minutes to think. Then you will make a decision.

Be present.

Focus on whats in front of you instead of flying off to the past or Tomorrowland for
long periods of time. A tennis player will for instance not think much while playing.
She just trusts in her own subconscious and stays with flow. Her body will after years
of practise know what to do automatically.

The same goes for many things in everyday life. You dont have to think a lot about
everything. You can just stay present and let the right actions naturally arise.

This may sound a bit wonky, but if you just do things while being present you may
discover that the results are often better than if you put in a lot of thought. Like the
tennis player, you know what the right thing to do is and how to do it well from years of
experience and practise. You just have to let go of all that thinking that can cripple you.
And have trust in your capabilities.
How to Stop Overthinking Everything: 9
Simple Habits

What is holding people back from the life that they truly want to live?

Id say that one very common and destructive thing is that they think too much.

They overthink every little problem until it becomes bigger and scarier and it actually is.
Overthink positive things until they dont look so positive anymore.

Or overanalyze and deconstruct things and so the happiness that comes from just
enjoying something in the moment disappears.

Now, thinking things through can be a great thing of course. But being an overthinker
can result in becoming someone who stands still in life. In becoming someone who self-
sabotages the good things that happen in life.

I know. I used to overthink things a lot and it held me back in ways that werent fun at
all.

But in the past 8 years or so I have learned how to make this issue so small that it very
rarely pops up anymore. And if it does then I know what to do then to overcome it.

In this article I would like to share 9 habits that have helped me in a big, big way to
become a simpler and smarter thinker and to live a happier and less fearful life.

1. Put things into a wider perspective.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of overthinking minor things in life.

So when you are thinking and thinking about something ask yourself:

Will this matter in 5 years? Or even in 5 weeks?

I have found that widening the perspective by using this simple question can snap me
quickly out of overthinking and help me to let that situation go and focus my time and
energy on something that actually does matter to me.

2. Set short time-limits for decisions.

If you do not have a time-limit for when you must make a decision and take action then
you can just keep turning your thoughts around and around and view them from all
angles in your mind for a very long time.

So learn to become better at making decisions and to spring into action by setting
deadlines in your daily life. No matter if it is a small or bigger decision.

Heres what have worked for me.

For small decisions like if should go and do the dishes, respond to an email or
work out I usually give myself 30 seconds or less to make a decision.
For somewhat larger decisions that would have taken me days or weeks to think
through in the past I use a deadline for 30 minutes or for the end of the workday.

3. Become a person of action.

When you know how to get started with taking action consistently each day then youll
procrastinate less by overthinking.

Setting deadlines is one thing that have helped me to become much more of person of
action.

Taking small steps forward and only focusing on getting one small step done at a time is
another habit that have worked really well.

It works so well because you do not feel overwhelmed and so you do not want flee into
procrastination. And even though you may be afraid, taking just a step is such a small
thing that you do not get paralyzed in fear.

4. Realize that you cannot control everything.

Trying to think things through 50 times can be a way to try to control everything. To
cover every eventuality so you do not risk making a mistake, fail or looking like a fool.

But those things are a part of living a life where you truly stretch your comfort zone.
Everyone who you may admire and have lived a life that inspires you has failed. They
have made mistakes.

But in most cases they have also seen these things as valuable feedback to learn from.
Those things that may look negative have taught them a lot and have been invaluable to
help them to grow.

So stop trying to control everything. Trying to do so simply doesnt work because no

one can see all possible scenarios in advance.

This is of course easier said than done. So do it in small steps if you like.

5. Say stop in situation where you know you cannot think straight.
Sometimes when I am hungry or when I am lying in bed and are about to go to sleep
negative thoughts start buzzing around in my mind.

In the past they could do quite a bit of damage. Nowadays I have become good at
catching them quickly and to say to myself:

No, no, we are not going to think about this now.

I know that when I am hungry or sleepy then my mind sometimes tend to be vulnerable
to not thinking clearly and to negativity.

So I follow up my no, no phrase and I say to myself that I will think this situation
or issue through when I know that my mind will work much better.

For example, after I have eaten something or in the morning after I have gotten my
hours of sleep.

It took a bit of practice to get this to work but I have gotten pretty good at postponing
thinking in this way. And I know from experience that when I revisit a situation with
some level-headed thinking then in 80% of the cases the issue is very small to
nonexistent.

And if there is a real issue then my mind is prepared to deal with it in much better and
more constructive way.

6. Do not get lost in vague fears.

Another trap that I have fallen into many times that have spurred on overthinking is that
I have gotten lost in vague fears about a situation in my life. And so my mind running
wild has created disaster scenarios about what could happen if I do something.

So I have learned to ask myself: honestly, what is the worst that could happen?

And when I have figured out what the worst that could happen actually is then I can also
spend a little time to think about what I can do if that often pretty unlikely thing
happens.

I have found that the worst that could realistically happen is usually something that is
not as scary as what my mind running wild with vague fear could produce.

Finding clarity in this way usually only takes a few minutes of time and bit of energy
and it can save you a lot of time and suffering.

7. Work out.

This might sound a bit odd.

But in my experience working out especially with lifting weights can help me to let
go of inner tensions and worries.
It most often makes me feel more decisive and when I was more of an overthinker then
it was often my go-to method of changing the headspace I was in to a more constructive
one.

8. Spend more of your time in the present moment.

By being in the present moment in your everyday life rather than in the past or a
possible future in your mind you can replace more and more of the time you usually
spend on overthinking things with just being here right now instead.

Three ways that I often use to reconnect with the present moment are:

Slow down. Slow down how you do whatever you are doing right now. Move
slower, talk slower or ride your bicycle more slowly for example. By doing so
you become more aware of how you use your body and what is happening all
around you right now.
Tell yourself: Now I am I often tell myself this: Now I am X. And X could
be brushing my teeth. Taking a walk in the woods. Or doing the dishes. This
simple reminder helps my mind to stop wandering and brings my focus back to
what is happening in this moment.
Disrupt and reconnect. If you feel you are getting lost in overthinking then
disrupt that thought by in your mind shouting this to yourself : STOP! Then
reconnect with the present moment by taking just 1-2 minutes to focus fully on
what is going on around you. Take it all in with all your senses. Feel it, hear it,
smell it, see it and sense it on your skin.

9. Spend more of your time with people who do not overthink things.

Your social environment plays a big part. And not just the people and groups close to
you in real life. But also what you read, listen to and watch. The blogs, books, forums,
movies, podcasts and music in your life.

So think about if there are any sources in your life close by or further away that
encourages and tends create more overthinking in your mind. And think about what
people or sources that has the opposite effect on you.

Find ways to spend more of your time and attention with the people and sources that
have a positive effect on your thinking and less on the influences that tends to
strengthen your overthinking habit.