“What would I do if I got fired? How am I going to live or support myself? How will I support my family? are examples the psychologist gives of how a small thought can begin to grow and divide into hundreds.
The end of the day was coming and it was time to disconnect from work. You close your laptop, turn off your computer or walk home, for a well-deserved rest after an exhausting day. But when your head is already on the pillow and you’re ready to sleep your mind starts to play against you: you can’t stop thinking about the job .
These nocturnal thoughts — also called overthinking- are usually a response from our brain when we need to find answers and be able to resolve one or more situations people.
But what starts to happen is that First, by dint of thinking, we begin to find ourselves trapped and entangled, to worry, and this makes it more difficult to find an answer or a solution. He begins to explain The third the psychologist of the Clinic of the University of the Andes, María Paz Altuzarra.
Why do we tend to overthink things? How to leave work in the office and be able to sleep peacefully?
Why do we think about work before going to bed?
According to the expert, Overthinking a thought is a symptom of stress, anxiety, a traumatic event, or it’s just part of personalities with more obsessive traits.
“The thinking person puts themselves in different scenarios, looking for different solutions to situations that they consider dangerous or that generate fear and worry,” says Altuzarra.
It’s a way of trying to regain control, but along the way, it’s easy to become even more anxious.
Some recurring thoughts may be: that the work done might not please the boss, that something has been done is not right, that there are still things to do, that we don’t know how things are going be realized, that there are things to be done. bad things in the work environment, unfair treatment, among others.
These are usually related to the belief that as a result you may lose your job or receive a challenge, or that there may be serious consequences. In this way, intrusive thoughts predispose or anticipate the person to situations that cause increasing anxiety.
“What would I do if I got fired? How am I going to live or support myself? How will I support my family? are examples that the psychologist gives of how a small thought can begin to grow and divide into hundreds, increasing anxiety and making it impossible to fall asleep.
How to stop overthinking at work and fall asleep?
The psychologist assures LT that there are strategies you can implement to sleep better, from the time you leave work until you return home.
—You have to look for different things that can better serve each person. For example, leaving work and listening to music on public transport, or finding a book you like and reading — illustrious Altuzarra.
It’s those moments of disconnection that you have to look for events or activities that “mark” that the working day is already over.
—The ideal is to form routines that you repeat throughout the day and that are different from what you do in the office. AND not bring work home, of course.
The expert assures that this activity should be pleasant for the person, and that it should not necessarily be something exhausting, but rather soothing: from sport to having a good time with the family, such as meals and “everything that helps to be able to disconnect from work”.
Moreover, he points out the importance of relying on good sleep hygiene. This involves quitting screens at a certain time and not drinking caffeinated beverages.
AND When the key hour arrives, which is bedtime, find another light activity to override the intrusive thoughts.
—Before going to bed, this can be done a massage technique, meditate, play soothing music and focus on it to get out of the thoughts of work Or listen to a podcast.
Even the psychologist assures LT What The technique of counting sheep has its science — although it’s grandmother’s advice — because while you’re counting, you begin to put aside the worries that can overwhelm the mind. This is the strategy: focus your attention on something else and get out of this agonizing thought.
“I have patients who tell me that playing mental high school or counting down from hundred works for them. it’s the technique -ends.
In case If the reflection persists, the patient may consider a therapeutic process or the help of a sleep specialist. to ease your mind and rest peacefully at night.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
