Round and round you go, thinking thought after thought, chasing one answer and then another and unhappily dwelling in the space we call the mind; never coming up for air and falling deeper into the endless abyss of noise and distraction.

This type of thinking destroys your inner peace and leads to forgetfulness, indecisiveness and confusion. And your life will begin to exhibit what you are thinking.

An overwhelmed mind tells your brain that you’re in the midst of chaos and keeps your body in a state of heightened awareness and stress.

This tension leaves you unable to concentrate or enjoy the goodness that is present in your life. It deceives you into thinking something is wrong, when truly, everything is right.

It’s critical to learn how to control your thoughts and guide them towards where they should be.

Here are 4 tips for controlling your thoughts and overcoming an overwhelmed mind.

1. Pay Attention

When you start to go down the rabbit hole of wrong thinking, stop and ask yourself what led you there. Recognizing your pattern of thought will help you disrupt and redirect it.

2. Face Your Fear

Fear has a subtle way of weaving itself into your thoughts and causes you to see problems that aren’t truly there. When you address the underlying fear, you eliminate the negative thought associated with it.

3. Stay Organized

Organization takes many forms and doing what’s most beneficial for you to remain organized will improve your ability to focus and enjoy life versus feeling like you missed or need to do something. This practice will help you better utilize your time and keep your thoughts cool, calm & collected.

4. Examine Its Truth

Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is examine the truth of the thoughts you’re thinking. Are you dwelling on the truth about yourself and the situation or are you repeating lies? If it’s the truth, be encouraged and keep it moving. If it’s a lie, stop it! Change the thought to the truth and then keep it moving.

Your thoughts shape your life – your health, your peace, your confidence, your ability to achieve your goals – everything. So don’t live with an overwhelmed mind. Choose your thoughts wisely, surround yourself with positive words and do your best to live life well.