Overthinkers Q&A 2: When overthinking leads to inertia, how do you tackle it?

'When overthinking leads to inertia, how do you tackle it?'

When you have something to do or a decision to make, you can sometimes overthink it so much you reach the point of ‘inertia’. Basically, this means you’re stuck. There’s no movement. You’re 100% getting in your own way.
 
In psychology, ‘inertia’ means the tendency to prefer the ‘status quo’ over any other option. It’s why some people stay in jobs long after they should have left. And why others struggle to find a job in the first place.
 
It’s also why a team will come up with endless excuses not to try something new – ‘It won’t work!’, ‘It’s too expensive!’. Or they’ll default to only suggesting ideas that they’ve already tried before. This could be a sign that they don’t really believe in the new idea or decision to be made. Or conversely, that there’s a lot of fear around leaving their comfort zone. Both of these tendencies are very common in humans!
 
⭐ So, what do you do when find yourself in this situation? How do you tackle it? ⭐
 
The key to this, as with many other challenges related to overthinking, is to practise what’s called Psychological Flexibility.
 
Put simply, this is the ability to define your values and what matters to you. And then take steps to towards these things, while accepting and tolerating any uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that may arise.
 
The best way to get started is to choose a relevant action that’s small. On a scale of 1-10, you need to be more than 7 out of 10 confident that you’ll do it. If you’re honest with yourself and you’re not that confident, create a step that’s even smaller.
 
Then take this step, noticing and accepting any uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that show up. And repeat. This is definitely something you can get better at with practise.

It can be helpful to thank your mind for the thoughts it's coming up with - it's just doing what it thinks is best to keep you safe - but don't take these thoughts seriously.

It also helps if you cut yourself some slack, and accept that progress is bound to be an imperfect process rather than a straight line upwards.
 
If anyone needs any help with this, let me know!
 
 
Caveat: back to the original question, there could be situation were ‘inertia’ here means something like the chronic overthinking and serious inertia you might find in something like depression. If you think this applies to you, it’s best to seek the advice of a specialised mental health practitioner.