Sansuke
Overthinkers are individuals who tend to excessively over analyze and dwell on thoughts, situations or decisions.
This constant rumination can occur due to various reasons such as anxiety, perfectionism, past experiences or a desire for control.
Overthinkers often suffer from stress, anxiety, insomnia, difficulties in decision-making and decreased productivity.
If you’re an overthinker yourself and wondering how to stop overthinking? Then you’ve come to the right place.
You know, you’re not the only one who has trouble with overthinking every decision you make as if your life will be ruined if you make the wrong one, there are countless others who are in the same predicament.
Even anime characters aren’t spared from the wrath of overthinking. There are countless anime characters who’re victims of overthinking.
Let’s dive into 10 Things you can do to Stop Overthinking just like our beloved anime characters
1. 4-7-8 Breathing Technique ft. Zenitsu from Kimetsu No Yaiba: Demon Slayer
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a relaxation exercise that help alleviate stress and calm the mind whenever you find yourself Overthinking.
How to practice it:
- Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7 after inhaling.
- Exhale completely through your mouth for 8 seconds.
Zenitsu’s breathing technique, known as the “Breath of Thunder” or “Thunder Breathing,” plays a crucial role in helping him reduce overthinking and anxiety.
During high-stress situations by concentrating on his breathing, Zenitsu can center his attention on the present moment, reducing distractions and preventing his mind from wandering into overthinking about potential outcomes or fears and focus on the work in hand.
2. Start Questioning/ Ask yourself the Right questions ft. Hachiman Hikigaya
Asking yourself the right questions can be a powerful strategy to stop overthinking.
The right questions can redirect your mind away from negative or unproductive thoughts, helping to break the cycle of overthinking and promoting a more positive mindset.
For example, instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” which can lead to overthinking and self-pity, ask, “What steps can I take to improve this situation?” This shifts your focus from dwelling on the problem to finding solutions.
Hachiman Hikigaya, the main character in “My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU,” often deals with overthinking and a cynical outlook on social interactions.
Hachiman initially uses a detached attitude as a defense mechanism to shield himself from potential emotional pain.
Over time, Hachiman becomes more self-aware. He recognizes his tendency to overthink and understands the limitations of his cynical approach by asking the right questions.
3. Figure out what’s bothering you? ft. Mashiro Shiina from “The Pet Girl of Sakurasou”
Understanding the specific issues or concerns that are bothering you allows you to identify the root causes of your overthinking. This clarity helps address the source of anxiety or stress.
Once you pinpoint what’s bothering you, you can direct your energy towards finding solutions or taking constructive actions.
Mashiro Shiina often lacks an understanding of social norms and can overanalyze social situations. Her tendency to take things literally or misinterpret social cues can be seen as a form of overthinking social interactions.
She’s incredibly talented but socially inept, often overthinking common social situations due to her lack of understanding of societal norms.
That’s the reason Mashiro has Sorata has her guardian angel watching her back, aiding her with day to day tasks and read social situations.
Related:
10 Anime Inspired Ways to Achieve your Dreams
4. Positive and Productive Mindset ft. Karen Tendou from Gamers!
It’s a no brainer that having a positive mindset kills any chances of overthinking to begin with and when you indulge in a productive lifestyle along with positive thinking, it’s sure to lead you to a life filled happiness and satisfaction instead of overthinking.
Now, the questions arrives how to transform your always overthinking mindset to a more Positive & Productive Mindset:
Step 1: Develop a positive way of thinking or to put in simpler terms Say ‘No’ to negative thinking. Your habit of always looking at negatives of every situation is the root cause of overthinking.
Once you stop looking at things through the negative lense and change your perspective to look at the more positive side, you’ll kill overthinking before even it’s born.
Step 2: A productive mindset is the way forward. Most of our worries or anxiety and stress comes from living an unproductive lifestyle. For example, when you keep procrastinating and delaying a school assignment leads to overthinking when the due date of submission arrives.
Start being productive with your time, plan your days, make and follow a to-do list, start saying no to things.
Karen Tendou is the prime example of anime character who overcomes overthinking. Karen always makes it a point to get up early to get a head-start with the day on a productive note.
Karen is an overthinker especially when it comes to her love life whether it be trying to find the best possible ways to reject guys, ultimately crushing those poor guys soul with her cold words due to overthinking or moving her love life forward with her crush Keita Amano.
Her habit of looking at the positive side of things eventually makes her relax and get rid of the fear of failure and persue her love interest.
Related:
Best Anime Proposals of all time to learn from
5. Look at the Bigger Picture ft. Shouko Komi from Komi Can’t Communicate
Komi-san suffers from extreme social anxiety.
When a person has extreme Social Anxiety also known as Social Phobia. They struggle to communicate with others. Here’s something to consider they are only struggling, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to form long-lasting connections or friendships.
Despite having social anxiety it’s Komi-san’s dream of making 100 friends which seems like an unattainable goal considering her condition but she’s still gonna try.
Instead of approaching every person she meets, she chooses to take baby steps of making one friend at a time by starting with Tadano and then onto others.
Even when the thought of communicating with someone scares her to death, she still pushes through cause she has a bigger goal or picture of her dreams in mind that is to make 100 friends.
In life, at times we get so fixated at the present that we loose sight of where we are suppose to be heading. You start over analysing your present efforts instead you should keep in mind your goals don’t come true in one day or two or months or even years for some people.
So instead of self-degreading yourself always keep an eye on the bigger picture to keep moving forward.
Related:
Komi Can’t Communicate: Your Go-to Guide for Social Anxiety
6. Seek Support ft. Yukino Yukinoshita from My Teen Romantic Comedy
Yukino is known for her sharp intellect, stoic demeanor, and a tendency to overthink situations.
Yukino tends to look for deeper meaning behind actions and words, leading to a thoughtful and analytical approach to interpersonal relationships.
Her overthinking can sometimes create a barrier between her and others, as she struggles with expressing her true feelings.
However things start to change when Hachiman Hikigaya and Yui Yuigahama join the Volunteer Social club which is a part of.
She starts to open up more to her friends, particularly the main character Hachiman and Yui. Yukino learns the importance of genuine communication and understanding, gradually letting go of her overly analytical approach.
Her interactions with others, especially Hachiman, play a significant role in helping her break free from the confines of overthinking, fostering personal growth and stronger connections.
When you find yourself trapped inside your overthinking mind and can’t seem to find a way out it’s always the best advice to seek support.
When I say you should seek support, I don’t necessarily mean you should refer to a professional cause that seems daunting and may trigger more overthinking.
It can be anyone who can help you like your parents, siblings, friends or even people you look upto or this blog for that matter.
7. Are you a night overthinker? ft. Genta Nakami from Insomniacs after school
Night and overthinking seem inseparable, as the night comes so does worrying. Everyone has had that mid-life crisis or night crisis I should call it.
All of a sudden you’re worrying youself to death by contemplating all your life decisions, screw-ups and whether you’re life is gonna turn the way you want it to.
So what to do if you tend to overthink at night?
Well, our protagonist from Insomniacs after school anime, Genta Nakami suffers from insomnia which makes it difficult for him to sleep at night.
At night, he always feels wide awake, he gets in bed and try to doze off but he can’t sleep at all and time just passes by
His inability to sleep causes a cycle of negative thoughts and he ends wide awake again out of worry and frustration.
There are many things you can do to stop overthinking at night but if you do the things I have mentioned uptil now, it won’t come to this.
But if you still want some ideas read,
Insomniacs after school: Your Go-to guide to overcome insomnia
8. Celebrate the Little success ft Seishuu Handa from Barakamon
Seishuu Handa, an up and coming calligrapher is exciled to a remote island due to an unfortunate outburst of anger.
Despite being an extraordinary calligrapher, Handa is quite uptight. He is always too fixated on creating calligraphy masterpieces that it causes him to miss the little things in life that bring you joy.
He forgets to embrace life with all its uncertainties, enjoy every little moments of happiness and successes. The final destination is only fulfilling if you had a good time enjoying the entire journey along the way.
So, always take some time off to enjoy every success that you achieve whether it may be small or big, it’s still a success.
“Overthinking is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.” So stop overthinking and start living.
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