Living in Your Head? 7 Ways to Stop Over Thinking

Living in Your Head?

7 Ways to Stop Over Thinking.

Ever wrestled or struggled with the problem to the point of really over thinking it? We all have. You have probably found it a futile exercise for the unsolvables in your life. Your mind becomes an echo chamber because the answers are not there! It's like a hamster wheel that keeps going around and around and goes nowhere. Here are seven ideas for you to consider the next time you find your mind repeatedly going over and over problems that yield no answers to life's questions and your personal dilemmas...

Number one. The 95% rule--95% of what you imagine never actually happens. Many studies have found that most of what you imagine never actually happens in real life.

Number two. Never go there alone-- your mind is a scary place, never journey there alone according my father-in-law Tom. The solution is to share your burdens and get a second or third set of eyes on your problem or issue. Ask others that you trust what they see as plausible solutions for the things you wrestle with.

Number three. Never, never try to solve issues after 7 PM--Your prime time for problem-solving is well past. Go to bed and get a good night's sleep and go at it again fresh in the morning. You will find that a good night's rest will always bring a hopeful and new perspective to life's problems. Sleep on it!

Number four. Stop contingency thinking--You have no need of plans B, C, or D. Go and write out the facts and wait before you plan going forward. Consider what you know to be true. Why waste your time creating contingency plans in your mind when you're not even sure they are needed? Stop and consider!

Number five. Go with what you know--operate only in the fact that you know. Do not peddle in what you suspect, imagine or negatively narrate. Keep on point and never base your life on pure supposition or lack of knowing all the facts. Just the facts chief!

Number six. The other oriented-- Begin to make your life focus on others and participate in making others lives better. You will be happier and not live in your head if you practice being other oriented and more selfless. Givers gain!

Number seven. Stop missing life--Start participating and stop missing out on life because of the tendency to live in your head. Your distraction with your issues will only cause you to be forfeit when it comes to actually enjoy fully participating in life. Joyfully participate!

Number seven and a half. Pray and surrender. Actually go to God and surrender in prayer and give it to Him. Release, abandon, and let go of that which you have no control. Get free of your baggage!

Point of all this is to stop living in your head and begin to be other oriented and to actually enjoy life based on facts. Stop struggling with issues that you have no control over. Make life fun and be present and joyfully participate once again and you will be happier and so will those around you.

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National Sleep Foundation Releases New Guidelines For A Good Night's Rest

           

If you're like the majority of the population, you need to get more sleep. But no matter how groggy you felt after hitting the snooze button for the fifth time this morning, you'll probably go to bed at the same time tonight. Sleep is an easy thing to slap a big "I'll get to that later" onto.

But it's something you really shouldn't neglect — if you want to be your best mental, emotional, physical, most productive self. You know that. Everyone knows that. Yet somehow, 50 to 70 million Americans still suffer from sleep deprivation. The CDC actually labels it a national epidemic.

With the problem only worsening, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) decided to take action. For the first time, the foundation has released a year-long multidisciplinary review of current literature on the field. The 18-member expert panel, comprised of six members appointed by the NSF and 12 selected by groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Neurological Association, announced new sleep recommendations.

Along with adjusting their previous recommendations for 14- to 17-year-olds, the panel also added two new categories: younger adults, ages 18-25, and older adults, over the age of 65.

They focused on sleep's impact on a range of factors, including memory, mood, performance, and also health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

And while the study authors acknowledge there will always be outliers, they urge Americans to consider these "rules of thumb":

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day (previously 12-18)
• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours (previously 14-15)
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours (previously 12-14)
• Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours (previously 11-13)
• School-age children (6-13): 9-11 hours (previously 10-11)
• Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours (previously 8.5-9.5)
• Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours (new age category)
• Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
• Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours (new age category)

Keep in mind, too, that too much sleep may be just as detrimental to your health as too little sleep, and that it's important to do more than just adhere to these guidelines. The panel also reminds people of the benefits of avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bed, exercising as a way to get more restful sleep, and the dangers of using your phone in bed.

And if your issue isn't getting into bed earlier but actually falling asleep, you might need to introduce a little Jeff Bridges into your life.