From: https://shorturl.at/jlNFA (theepochtimes.com) [paywalled]

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6 Habits That Quiet Overthinking and Build Confidence

With practice, we can cultivate decisiveness by easing the brakes that overthinking puts on action.

Mike Donghia
12/5/2025|Updated: 12/5/2025

Are you the kind of person who has to read several dozen reviews on
Amazon, compare at least five products, and then take a few days to
think about nearly every purchase? Do you spend more time planning your
dreams and goals than actually taking action?

If so, you're not alone.

Overthinking is a common issue that many of us wrestle with. We live in
a world of more choices and information than ever before, and for some personalities, filtering through it all can feel like a full-time job.

Unfortunately, overthinking isn't just a matter of taking a little
longer to reach decisions--it can have downstream effects that affect
your well-being.

The longer we are stuck in our heads, the more our self-confidence
begins to erode. We might even leave behind a string of unfinished
projects and strained relationships from our inability to escape the
endless "what ifs," "buts," and "maybes."

Although I still struggle with it from time to time, I've made huge
strides in curbing my chronic overthinking, and I feel that if I can do
it, you can too.

Let's start by examining the three root causes of most overthinking,
followed by the seven tips that have been most helpful in my journey.


3 Top Reasons We Overthink
Overthinking is our mind's way of coping with something that doesn't
feel quite right. The instinct isn't entirely off--we should indeed give
more thought to something we feel uncertain about.

The problem arises when this mechanism becomes the default for nearly
all decision-making and gets stuck in place. Three powerful emotions
push us toward overthinking:

1. We Dislike Uncertainty
Uncertainty paralyzes me most. I detest having to take action before I
feel ready, before I've had time to think through all the problems that
might arise. However, the more I think through every possible scenario,
the more I lose confidence and momentum toward actually doing the thing
itself.

2. We Fear Making Mistakes
We sometimes overthink because it's safer and easier than doing. As long
as we're in planning mode, our ideas feel clear, and the path seems
destined for success. However, the world of action isn't so neat and
tidy--it's a place where mistakes and failure are a real possibility.

3. We Lack Self-Confidence
If you've struggled to execute your plans in the past or you've made a
series of decisions that ended up being wrong, it's easy for hesitancy
to sneak into your decision-making. If we let this hesitancy grow into
fear, it can keep us in a state of stagnation. We need to make decisions
and learn from them in order to grow our confidence.


6 Life Hacks to Become a Person of Action
What's the opposite of overthinking? It is becoming a person of action.
The more I observe the people I respect, the more I can see that they
primarily learn by doing. They develop an idea or hypothesis to about 80 percent confidence, and then refine it through action.

The difference is that an overthinker believes they can eliminate all uncertainty before taking action. The feedback loop on action is so fast
that the doers end up further ahead in the long run. Because they're
willing to learn and adapt, their mistakes aren't as costly as those of
the overthinker who becomes overly committed to a particular path.

In my passage from overthinker to aspiring person of action, I've
collected a handful of life hacks that have helped me make decisions
faster and with less regret. I share them to inspire you to experiment
and see what works for you.

1. Recognize the Costs of Inaction
A big breakthrough for me came in realizing that my overthinking was
making me unhappy and causing me to miss out on the much faster feedback
loop of learning from experience. Not wanting to squander more of my
precious time in this way has pushed me to take the leap of action on
many occasions.

2. Use Time-Bound Decision-Making
When I have work to do, I almost always give myself a timeline to get it
done. Self-imposed deadlines force me to make decisions quicker than if
I had left things open-ended. Putting a cap on my time encourages me to prioritize progress over perfection.

3. Strengthen Your Intuition
One of the best ways to make faster decisions is to give them less
thought. Rely on your intuition--or gut instinct--to determine the best
course of action. Intuition is a skill that can be developed like any
other. While it sounds risky, the best place to start is with less
impactful decisions, such as small purchases on Amazon or choosing a
meal at a restaurant.

4. Increase Your Confidence
Confidence is a huge part of faster decision-making. The more you trust yourself to make a good decision and follow through with it, the less
you'll be tempted to compensate by overthinking. Here are a few quick
tips for building confidence:

- Exercise daily and start eating better.

- Get enough sleep so you feel rested.

- Keep your environment visually clean and well-organized.

- Take care of your personal hygiene so you look your best.

- Try your hardest to improve one area of your life and make progress.

5. Get Out of Your Head
Overthinking usually starts with a legitimate desire to research an
unknown area, but can turn into an endless cycle of rumination. To break
the cycle, try holding the same conversation with a wise friend or
writing out your thoughts in a journal. Both practices bring clarity and
focus to thinking that is sometimes harder to achieve in your own head.

6. Fill Your Day With Meaningful Pursuits
Ultimately, pursuing a life of meaning has worked best for me. My
overthinking took a huge hit once I became very clear about my goals and purpose in life and started filling my days with progress in these
areas.

One of the biggest causes of overthinking is not having a strong enough
reason to make decisions and take action. When you get clear about that,
and you want something enough, you'll find confidence and boldness you
never knew you had.
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-- Sean

--- MultiMail/Win
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)