Overthinking is exhausting.

When you overthink, thoughts run circles around your head and you find yourself stuck in reverse unable to move forward. More so, you start coming up with bizarre ideas that totally contradict each other.

"I'm so excited for this job interview" transforms into "I wonder if they liked me" and then morphs into "oh, I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have said that! I'm definitely not getting an offer."

You start blaming yourself for things you didn't do and worrying about scenarios that may or may not happen.

Overthinking is simply the act of "thinking about something too much or for too long."

I know the feeling, and it's energy-draining. In fact,studies have shown that overthinking elevates your stress levels, reduces your creativity, clouds your judgment and strips you of your power to make decisions.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to handle overthinking.

These don't happen overnight — some will take time to develop and some can be implemented immediately. But all of them require conscious work from your side.

Here are 8 steps to help you stop overthinking.