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How do I keep myself from overreacting?

187 Answers
Last Updated: 06/11/2022 at 1:02pm
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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
May 19th, 2018 2:28am
I overreact when I'm emotional. To prevent tis, I take deep breaths to stop myself from lashing out.
Profile: zazenlotus
zazenlotus
May 19th, 2018 5:05am
The hardest part is catching myself overreacting (mainly because I think I am appropriately-reacting when I'm doing it), but when I do catch myself, I take a deep cleansing breath and start over.
Anonymous
May 19th, 2018 11:07pm
You have to find the main reason that makes you feel this way. For some people just some breathing exercises work fine but if there is a deeper rut to that feeling, it is more important to work on that first rather than just on the surface
Anonymous
May 25th, 2018 4:46pm
On my personal account, I find that self expression is the best way to go. Writing a song, poem, story, or even just a journal entry about what you are feeling often times can help you get your mind and thoughts in order again.
Profile: QuietHawk
QuietHawk
May 25th, 2018 6:07pm
I keep from over-reacting by putting off my response. I was taught that when something 'happens' that would cause a reaction in me - that I could - as a rule - purposely not react in the moment and giving it three days to deepen. I've noticed that by doing that, it gives ample time to think and feel about it and I have realized every time that the response I give after 3 days is very different from the over-reaction that I might succumb to if I don't honor my own lessons, of which this is one.
Profile: kindMirage55
kindMirage55
May 31st, 2018 8:52pm
try to do breathing exercises and count to 10 or 100. talk to someone and think of the positives and not the negatives.
Profile: Hermione02
Hermione02
June 1st, 2018 9:55am
Telling your mind to calm and thinking if you are over reacting. You are the only person to whom the mind is always honest.
Profile: Labyrinthx
Labyrinthx
June 13th, 2018 6:37am
You can try to reflect on what you're thinking or acting out before you actually do it. Sometimes impulsive responses become overreactions.
Profile: hopefulParadise73
hopefulParadise73
June 27th, 2018 5:55pm
If you are standing than sit,if sitting than lay down.Take water.Try to think about the consequences and realize that anger will harm your health.
Profile: warmPudding59
warmPudding59
July 4th, 2018 9:47pm
I would recommend Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills and Mindfulness above all else. They have helped me a lot.
Profile: Thislittlelightwillshine
Thislittlelightwillshine
July 6th, 2018 10:16pm
First, step outside of yourself for five minutes and consider what is upsetting you. Is it something that you can fix on your own? Is it something someone has or has not done? If it is something someone has or has not done, ask yourself if getting upset over it now will matter next week and if you find it won't, don't sweat it.
Profile: itstherealmoose
itstherealmoose
July 7th, 2018 5:28am
I always take 10 deep breaths, focusing only on the feeling of air in my lungs. Then I calmly think about the problem at hand and try to rationalize the best possible solution.
Profile: FruityFloss
FruityFloss
July 7th, 2018 10:25pm
Take a breath and a minute to think rationally before acting emotionally. Ask yourself what would your emotional side do about the situation, then what would your logical mind do? When you’ve come to a conclusion for both try to meet in the middle and ask what would your wise mind do? Taking this time to assess the possibilities, pros and cons of reacting means that you achieve the most level headed reaction.
Anonymous
July 15th, 2018 7:09am
Hmm.. it is often difficult to help yourself from overreacting. Humans seem like they have this inbuilt involuntary mechanism to overreact. Sure there are few who manage it quite well. I guess staying calm is the norm . I have often found myself in the situations where I respond by overreacting and later feeling extremely foolish for being so. When I realise it later , I try to tell myself that 'ok so this is where it went bad. Next time I face something like this I will have to take deep breaths and can myself first. And when I am sure I am calm enough I can ponder over the situations clearly'.
Profile: ElaineSaysHello
ElaineSaysHello
July 25th, 2018 10:55pm
Think about how small the situation actually is compared to other things you've encountered before. Maybe that would give you a better perspective. :)
Anonymous
July 26th, 2018 6:52am
Rethink your answer before you say it! "Think before you speak" it really helps! Try to think how people would react I'd you said something!
Anonymous
July 26th, 2018 5:18pm
A way to keep yourself from overreacting is by calming yourself down when something pops up and keeping yourself from thinking about consequences.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2018 11:03pm
First you should try breathing and take a step back. When you breathe and think of the situation you can come to better terms with what is going on. Every time you feel you are overreacting just think to yourself about the problem and breathe.
Profile: MarcelK
MarcelK
August 1st, 2018 11:27pm
Breath. Then give myself time to think, burst into laughter to calm myself and others, and then after all those precious minutes reached, I try to be kind but strong about my response.
Profile: phosphenerelief
phosphenerelief
August 2nd, 2018 9:21pm
try a grounding exercise if you have the chance - one that gives you a moment to focus your cognitive processes, whilst allowing you physiological and emotional processes to pause a second - this then calms you, prevents you from reacting impulsively, and then allows you to more reasonably think about the situation, how you feel about it and how to address it in a manner that you have thought through and are satisfied with.
Profile: SayHi
SayHi
August 8th, 2018 3:31pm
I consider overreacting an extra effort from my part. So, whenever I am in a situation that typically demands overreacting, I ask myself is overreacting worth it. More often than not, the answer is always "nah, not worth it". Even when the answer is otherwise, I clearly plan the limits "overreact till I get this point across" or "overreact till I get this as a response". Being nonchalant is my style.
Profile: niceMonkey80
niceMonkey80
August 22nd, 2018 12:14pm
Usually, when something happens to me and it feels like i’m overreacting, i will just stop myself, and focus on my breathing because it takes my mind off of the thing i was about to overreact about. once i’ve done this, i will thing about the problem fully and properly analyse it. i will think about all of the positives and all of the negatives be weigh then out and think realistically how and how much this problem is actually going to affect my life in both the short term and long term. i also try to come up with as many solutions to the problem that i can think of so that i know i have a plan and that, realistically the problem doesn’t have to be a big deal if i don’t make it one.
Profile: MissSheMercury
MissSheMercury
September 13th, 2018 6:42pm
First identify what do you overreact on mostly. Then find the cause what makes you overreact. If possible, avoid such situations. If you cannot, then get a strategy . Example - you may choose to chant Om or whatever you like when you are about to overreact. Also, techniques like laughter therapy, meditation, help as well. You can also seek help through your ownself. You can look into the mirror everyday and loudly, with confidence tell yourself, affirm yourself, that you no more get affected by situations, That you do react calmly. Surprisingly, these things work. Also, if you like, you can choose to write yourself a quick note in a handy, portable diary, of the consequences that happen when you overreact. So next time you are about to, you can go through it and avoid it.
Profile: JK8287
JK8287
September 30th, 2018 10:53am
You know, we all overreact. Maybe you could just call it reacting? When we're calm, collected, and centered, intuitive, peaceful solutions come. And when we get knocked from that center, we start to make decisions we'll regret later. The thing is, this tendency dies a slow death -- it never (generally speaking) disappears in a day. It's something you work on, and then one day it's gone. It's kinda the whole reason we're on planet earth! So I would say cut yourself some slack. Maybe the worst thing we could do is overreact to our overreacting. You shout, maybe you even break something, so what. We apologize sincerely, we continue our personal growth, and we don't flagellate ourselves for it.
Profile: HighwayOfHope
HighwayOfHope
October 19th, 2018 4:39pm
I think you should try to ask yourself WHY you think you overreact in situations, understanding why might help you to take action. Of course it is completely okay to react to things, but if you feel you have an inappropriate reaction in some situations, maybe try and work on what is causing those reactions. Also don't be hard on yourself if you find yourself overreacting to something again. Habits, or thought/behaviour cycles can be hard to break, and they don't happen right away. So keep working at it! One easy thing to remember is to "Think before you act". Sounds simple, but it can go a long way, and can help you from overreacting and then regretting it. Good luck!
Profile: delicatdreamer16
delicatdreamer16
October 27th, 2018 3:28am
Rationalize! It's not easy to pick things apart in a rational way in order to respond, but it's super important to start the process. Write out your thoughts! For many, visualizing the wildness that is going on in our minds can help. Writing down your thoughts in either sentences or simple bullet points will let you understand exactly how you feel. From there you can begin to rationalize. Skip lines or leave room on the sides to add notes. In that space right about what those mean, and try to remain as rational as possible. So for me, I stress a lot about airports. But, rationally I know that the worst thing that could happen really isn't that bad. If you work through how to respond to those worst-case scenarios you'll feel more prepared as well.
Profile: ardentAuthoress
ardentAuthoress
October 28th, 2018 9:01pm
Deep breaths. I know it's frustrating when people tell you it's going to be okay, because more often than not it feels like it's not going to be okay. In the end, it will be fine, and I have every confidence that you can make it through this. The best way to keep from overreacting, I think, is to think through what is happening carefully. Getting a better understanding of the situation can help calm you down, because it makes you feel like you have more control. A feel of lack of control is generally what causes overreactions from me.
Anonymous
November 8th, 2018 9:23pm
We overreact when we are under of some intense feelings, especially anger. However, you should know that feelings are not something staying for a long time. They are like waves, coming and leaving. So if you just sit and wait for a while, or take some deep breaths, or walk/run it will help you to have more time to wait and think about the issue. When you feel like your body and feelings become colder, you'll see that you won't really overreact at those times. I know that it is really hard to stop and leave for a while when you're full of anger, sadness or any other feeling however it works so it will worth it. Best wishes,
Profile: FrenchToast
FrenchToast
November 15th, 2018 4:29am
Think. And then think again. If you react to something in an unnecessary way, are the consequences going to be alright? If you overreact, will it harm or hurt anybody? If you overreact, will it hurt or harm you? If you overreact, is that going to solve the problem at hand? If you overreact, are you going to achieve something that you cannot achieve after reacting normally? If you see yourself answering no to these questions, stop yourself. Pace yourself. Hold your thoughts and think about the consequences. Is it worth it? If it isn't, don't. Save yourself the efforts and everyone else in the situation.
Profile: Mahnur
Mahnur
December 26th, 2018 3:29am
This is my favorite question I think and I love to answer it. We all have feeling of love, arousal, anger, curiosity, feeling of loneliness, happiness, state of shock etc etc. In human body these feelings are produce in response to a stimilus. For example some one says you have a terrible nose. What will you feel ? Angry ? Humiliated ? Sad ? Depressed ? You won't think a second and you will break the other person nose. These feelings your body produces will only remain 4_7 minutes, and within 4_7 minutes your body will come back into normal position so all we have to do is to manage these 4_7 minutes. We can do this simply by staying silent and get our head involve in an activity. A question. If our body normalises in 4_7 mint. Why we see people angry/sad/hyper etc all the time. Well what will happen if you add fuel to burning fire ? Same is the case these people will never let their mind to calm and stabilize they keep thinking and those feeling will be permanent and will become a part of their personality. So try to manage thoes 4_7 minutes.