I've definitely improved a great deal from where I was as a person two years ago. One hurdle that I thankfully identified (and am still struggling with) is the lack of self-control I sometimes seem to have over my own thoughts.

While I don't deal with this problem as often as I used to, an issue of mine is having automatic thoughts that get in the way of my capacity to effectively do what I need to do.

For instance, when I'm around other people, I can sometimes constantly think about my posture, how I'm projecting my voice, how my body language looks like in comparison to the people around me, et cetera. This gets in the way of actually having a legitimately meaningful social interaction. Quite often, my dealings with other people feel more like a chores than interactions from which I derive value.

Also, there are automatic thoughts that I sometimes have which can wittle me down. Here's are a couple of examples:

I'm talking to a girl I just met, trying to get her number: "Okay, let me talk to her and see what she's like..yadayadayada - wait, what if asking for her number seems too fast/forward? Maybe I should ask more questions and amp up the wittiness..wait, that might be too much fucking around"

I'm reading a book for an assignment in class: "So person x thinks person y is really reserved, but not in an arrogant way like most would assume, but in a withdrawn/shy way...hmm, that's what my best friend from high school in Illinois was like..I wonder how other people I know from there are doing right now.."

(Well, those examples come across as mere absent-mindedness, but my point is --> How do I stop thinking myself into indecisiveness? How do I "just do it?")

I think that this is a pretty common problem. Can anyone here who has dealt with this problem before, and found a successful strategy to solve/fight it give me tips on how to deal with it?