We all get caught up inside our heads time after time, wondering about the things life throws at us or, sometimes, the things that we throw at life. Is overthinking the price we pay for living or just something that will always coexist with humanity? Is thinking about overthinking also overthinking? We humans and our brains are far more complicated than we will ever understand, and life does that to us; we often find ourselves overthinking even when we don’t want to, and sometimes it gets so intense that we let our minds control us. Overthinking isn’t always bad when it is to a certain extent, but when it gets out of your hands, it starts controlling you, like your enemy.
This article will cover everything from what causes overthinking to how we know we are going overboard, what are some signs of overthinking, and ways to overcome it.
How do you know you’re overthinking?
Is there a particular reason we start overthinking? There are several, for a matter of fact. One primary reason is just life. Many mistake overthinking for self-reflection, but there’s a thin line between both. Self-reflection is becoming aware of our wrongs and working on making them right while overthinking is going back in circles again and again without an end or a solution. It’s being stuck somewhere that does not exist anymore or never existed in the first place.
We all are doing life for the first time, and none of us are supposed to have it all figured out. Overthinking is a part of humans, but one should know when to stop before it gets too bad. You should be the one in control of your overthinking and not vice versa. When you find yourself dwelling inside your mind, wondering about the “what ifs” and the things you should have done or shouldn’t have, that is where the overthinking begins, and that often goes a long way. When you think about it, you realize that overthinking doesn’t give you any answers but wraps you up in more questions that sometimes do not even exist but are made up by your own overthinking. We often dwell on things that haven’t even happened yet or on things that have already happened and can’t be changed.
It is only normal to get caught up in our heads thinking about problems, but when thinking about problems starts creating more problems for us, that’s overthinking. Overthinking is usually regretting decisions we made or thinking too much about the decisions we will make, or sometimes, just fearing the unknown. Overthinking is always about the past or the future but never the present. Have you ever noticed that? And that is one significant sign of realizing that you are overthinking.
“If I hadn’t done that one thing, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Haven’t we all overthought this one thing at some point in life? And did overthinking it give us any answer? No. It only made us blame ourselves for things that went wrong. How do you deal with things that have already slipped away from your hands? It’s simple, you don’t. Overthinking can never be the solution to anything; when something isn’t in your hands, it’s not yours to deal with (and not for your head, too).
Thinking and overthinking
There’s a really thin line between thinking and overthinking, and we often misjudge it. Thinking is a normal part of life and will always give you a solution, an answer, or clarity while overthinking will mess you up. Overthinking is when you keep thinking about the same events again and again, try to anticipate all the possible outcomes, or dwell on something you cannot change.
Overthinking can become your biggest enemy, and eventually, you stop living life because you start living inside your head.
What can overthinking do to you, and what are some signs you shouldn’t ignore.
Overthinking can affect you in ways you don’t realize. You become too negative, and you start blaming yourself or hating yourself. Overthinking can cause you to believe that everything happens because of you. You start zoning out too often, lose focus on your daily life and work, recall your past failures, and give up on yourself. Overthinking can completely change your personality and turn you into a negative person. Overthinking is like a dark, endless tunnel that you enter, and if you keep going deeper, it becomes challenging to pull yourself out from it because overthinking is that tunnel that doesn’t have a light at the end because it does not have an end.
Signs you shouldn’t ignore
- Feeling drained without any physical activity
- Unable to focus on even basic tasks
- Distancing yourself from family and friends
- Spending most of your time staring at something
- Being too cautious about making any decision
- Blaming yourself for everything that happens
Solutions to Avoid Overthinking
Has it ever happened to you that someone is talking to you? You’re hearing it but somehow not comprehending even a single word they are saying because you’re too caught up listening to the voices in your head? That is one of the situations where you should realize it’s time to do something about your overthinking because it has started getting the best of you.
- Start learning a new hobby so that you stay distracted
- Start practicing meditation. It takes time to get your focus back, but it will happen if you want it to happen
- Fix your sleeping schedule; overthinking usually causes you to stay up all night. Break the pattern and challenge your overthinking.
- Go for a run, try to clear your mind
- Start reading books, bring back your focus
Remember, you hold the power to control your mind; don’t let your mind control you. You’re good enough, you deserve good things, nothing was your fault, and everything that was supposed to happen happened, and everything that is supposed to happen will happen, so come outside your head and start living your present because tomorrow isn’t promised that you’re spending so much of your time overthinking about.
Conclusion
Overthinking is something we all do in life because we are all humans, and it’s only normal to get inside our heads sometimes. But when overthinking starts becoming your enemy, you should cut it off. Don’t let your overthinking suck the life out of you. Don’t spend your time thinking about yesterdays that are gone and tomorrows that aren’t promised. It is not easy to break the habit and stop overthinking, but it’s all about taking one step a day. Overthinking starts getting a hold of us, but we should get a hold of it and know when we are going overboard. Living life outside our heads is more important than predicting or regretting it inside our minds.
