Episode 373: Overcoming Overthinking
The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast with Duff the Psych
Robert Duff, Ph.D.
4.5 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 3 November 2023
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hey everyone! Hope you're finding moments of peace amidst the chaos.
Today's episode peels back the layers of anxiety that can really twist our brains into knots. We're responding to a heartfelt question from a listener who's finding themselves in a tangle of overthinking, especially when it comes to new relationships.
Unraveling the Anxiety Knot:
- We've all been there, so let's talk about overthinking, anxiety, and how they team up to throw us for a loop.
- I'm rolling out some practical tips that come from both personal battles and professional strategies to help ease that mental gridlock.
Mindfulness: More Than Just Zen:
- We're distinguishing between kicking back for relaxation and the active practice of mindfulness. It's all about focusing your thoughts, not just deep breathing.
- I'll guide you on how to navigate through your brain's maze and dodge those cognitive booby traps.
Self-Compassion: Your Secret Weapon:
- It's super important to remember to be gentle with yourself. Struggling with overthinking is common, and it's okay not to have all the answers.
- Keeping busy can be a good distraction from ruminating thoughts, and sometimes, a little distraction is exactly what we need.
- Don't shy away from asking for an outsider's perspective. Friends, family, or a therapist can provide that valuable reality check.
Big Picture Perspective:
- Keep in mind, this too shall pass. The worries that seem mountainous today are often just pebbles on the path of life.
- Life's a wild ride, and it's not meant to be spent in a constant state of worry. You're capable, and you've got a whole community here rooting for you.
Got a question you're itching to ask? Drop me a line at duffthepsych@gmail.com. And for a deeper dive into today's topic, check out the detailed show notes over at http://duffthepsych.com/episode373. Stay safe, and see you in the next episode!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And then catastrophizing. |
| 0:02.0 | Catastrophizing is kind of what it sounds like, taking a small event and turning it into a catastrophe in your mind. |
| 0:08.0 | It's not that you had a little TIF this weekend with your partner, it's that your partner is going to leave you and that you're never going to find somebody because this was the only person who really gets you. |
| 0:18.1 | Right? So you kind of make it into a huge thing when really it's something that's much smaller. |
| 0:22.6 | Hey everybody, before we start the show I want to make a couple disclaimers. |
| 0:26.3 | This show does cover a wide variety of topics related to mental health and life in general |
| 0:30.8 | and some of those could be sensitive for you. I want to simultaneously |
| 0:34.3 | encourage you to be brave and consuming difficult content but also respect and |
| 0:38.5 | recognize your limitations. So please use your best judgment. I will never be offended if you need to skip a question or an episode entirely, |
| 0:45.6 | But feel free to feel it out check out the episode and just see what happens if you need to skip that's okay, but you know feel free to give it a shot first |
| 0:54.7 | I also need to say that while I am a psychologist I'm not your psychologist and I'm not your therapist. This is not intended to be |
| 0:59.5 | direct medical advice and you should not use this as a substitute for professional help. |
| 1:04.0 | So with those said, let's go ahead and get into the show. All right, hello friends of all varieties, this is the Hardcore Self-Help |
| 1:26.1 | Podcast episode 373. I'm your host Dr. Robert Duff, aka Duff the Psych, |
| 1:31.3 | I make mental health content for real people, just like you. |
| 1:35.0 | And today I have essentially a deep dive on a single topic prompted by a really good question |
| 1:39.9 | that I got. |
| 1:41.3 | If you would like to send me in a topic idea or a question for a future episode of the show, please send me an email to Duff the Psych at gmail.com or use the contact form on the website Duff the Psych.com. I've had a couple of you reach out recently about |
| 1:55.2 | resources that were on the website that you can't quite find now, and yes, I'm aware of that after |
| 2:01.7 | the website Apocalypse that happened |
| 2:04.0 | certain things have fallen through the cracks |
| 2:06.0 | and I'm trying to get all those back up and running. |
... |
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