Ask HN: How do you stop overthinking?

Posted by gallerdude on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @09:15AM
from the ask-hn dept.

I feel like as programmers, so much of our life is in the conscious realm. But when it comes to identifying what makes happy or sad, and more importantly, recognizing our feelings of happiness or sadness, we must look to the subconscious. And our conscious mind clouds our awareness of how we're feeling.

( 4 comments | 2 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: How do you stop overthinking? by devchris10 on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @09:42AM (#23916845)

Try meditation. It is literally meant to quiet ego-based thinking. Maybe it will help you approach problems with clarity after.

For me, the concepts "feedback loop from hell" and "expecting a positive is a negative" from the book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" were gamechangers.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: How do you stop overthinking? by gallerdude on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @10:18AM (#23917241)

Hmm - I've tried meditating for 5 or 10 minutes with limited success. Is meditating for more than that qualitatively different?

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Re:Ask HN: How do you stop overthinking? by devchris10 on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @11:13AM (#23917883)

Def. not an expert and from what I gathered, it's a lifelong effort. But for me, it takes a few min just to concentrate on the breath and remind myself to observe my thoughts, emotions as separate from my self-awareness. So maybe try extending your sessions to 20-30 min before/after sleeping?

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Re:Ask HN: How do you stop overthinking? by boomahora on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @10:29AM (#23917374)

Writing things out on paper allows me to better evaluate my thoughts. I find it less overwhelming when I can visually see things rather than everything floating in my head.

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