Don’t think about a parade of elephants dancing in a pool of kool-aid with colorful swim trunks and some tasteful jazz playing in the background.

Now, what are you thinking about? Bet it was the extravagant elephants.

We all know this exercise results in the very opposite of what it instructs. Yet how many times do you use this same mentality when trying not to overthink? You try to stop thinking about whatever is causing you stress. And of course, this strategy backfires. The more you try to prevent a thought from entering your brain, the more likely it is to keep popping up.

So what is a practical way to combat the habit of overthinking?

First, identify the habit. Find your queue. What is causing you stress? What is making you anxious? Is it your lack of sleep, your homework that’s due, or conflict in a relationship?

Often there will be a root cause and then overthink will surface.

For example, a close friend of mine gets very nervous about going to work.  Their stomach gets tight, they start to feel on edge and anxious. Their remedy, to manage their time. Plan out every hour leaving 30 minutes to get ready and leave to work.

Personally, I’ve noticed benefits from managing my time. I have greater focus and productivity. And I’m relaxed because I know I have enough time to chip away at my to-do list and be faithful to my commitments.

Second, change your actions. In some cases, the cause of your overthinking is not going to go away. You will frequently have to go to work, and conflict in a relationship is common. Instead, learn to change your response (overthinking) to the cause. One of the best ways to stop overthinking is to harness new practical ways to deal with life’s challenges. In particular, I do one exercise.

I ask myself “what would this look like if it was easy?”

Overthinking can be debilitating, distressed and exhausting.

The implications of asking yourself “what would this look like if it was easy?” are huge. Stop overcomplicating things and erase mental barriers by looking at problems or projects like they are easy. Ironically, they actually will be.