CNN Health offers us 5 ways to escape being trapped by our thoughts, based on the work of Deborah Serani and her five-step process.
Megan Marples writes (excerpt):
Step one: The first step is to become aware when you’re overthinking . . . learning how to spot it within yourself. . . .
Step two: The next step is to take a step back and gain some perspective . . . “Am I thinking about something that’s beyond my control, or is it something that I can control?” . . . .
Step three: If the situation is within your control, the third step is to be in the moment and isolate the singular problem.
Step four: Once you have identified one issue, the next step is to set a time limit on how long you’re going to give yourself to problem-solve. . . .
Step five: The final step is to recognize the baby steps you took toward solving your problem, even if you weren’t able to solve it completely. . . .