7 Things Every Over-Thinker Needs To Know

The habit of thinking over things cautiously and meticulously is an attribute that all of us possess. And this trait typically comes into the picture when we make critical life decisions such as choosing a college, applying for a job, picking a life partner, etc.

However, there are some individuals that subconsciously apply this characteristic to almost every decision in their life. For them, unintentionally sending a wrong but harmless text to someone can trigger a slew of negative thoughts. And it can take days before they can get over the trauma of offending that person, even though that is not the case at all.

Experts aptly call such people overthinkers. And their policy of deeming even the most mundane of thoughts as life-altering, by tossing and turning them repeatedly in their minds, is called overthinking.

Now, overthinking, or ruminating as psychologists call it, is not as bad as people make it out to be. In fact, there are times when pondering over something for long can yield profitable results.

But, problems arise when it starts interfering with an individual’s daily life. They start feeling hesitant towards a lot of things and, ironically, worry about how their inactivity will cause even more problems.

This article discusses some essential insights that every overthinking individual should be aware of. Hence, if you can relate to the description of an overthinker as mentioned above, you should read this article through.

Should You Call Overthinking a Medical Issue? 

Thanks to advances in medicine and the increasing awareness of people, many mental abnormalities are now classified as disorders. And while this is a good piece of news for the millions of mental health patients in this world, many people now harbor misconceptions regarding what is and what is not a mental illness.

Overthinking falls in the latter category as, even though it signals disturbed mental health, it is not a diagnosable mental disorder by itself. Instead, medical professionals relate it to mental conditions like anxiety, depression, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), and the ilk.

However, this does not mean that you should take overthinking in a casual light. Though not a definite medical condition, it is still a menace for anyone suffering from it.

7 Aspects Of Overthinking Every Overthinker Should Be Aware Of:

So far, we have delved deep enough into the descriptive and medicinal aspects of overthinking. Now, it is time we learn some facts about overthinking that, although quite commonplace, are a rarity in the books of (no offense) professional overthinkers.

1. The Intensity of a Problem in Your Head is Greater Than Its Actual Magnitude

How many times have you committed a grave mistake and dwelled on it for days only to realize later that it had an easy fix? Or, how many vague texts from your partner or crush have you tried to decipher and arrived at disappointing conclusions? Chances are, more times than you can even count.

One of the identifiers of an overthinker is that they worry excessively. They always have a list of issues prepared to pester their mental peace. And if by a stroke of luck, they lack enough problems to worry about, they label this deficiency as a problem too. They believe that they are doing something wrong to not come across any trouble or, even worse, doing nothing at all.

Sounds stupid, does it not? Thus, overthinkers must know that it is not always the problem, but how they gauge it is what distresses them.

2. Always Downplaying Yourself is Not Cool

Let us present you with some relatable situations:

• You are a diligent worker but are afraid to take the lead in any project.
• You always feel insecure and inadequate when someone puts their hopes on you for any task.
• You look at others’ achievements only to remind yourself of your incompetence.

Get the point? If you have a habit of underestimating yourself every chance you get, you are downplaying yourself a little too much.

Knowing your limits is commendable as it allows you to engage in situations that you can handle. However, deterring yourself from tackling most, if not all, of the circumstances life throws at you demands concern. Life is cumbersome and unpredictable, we know. But, if all you are doing is cooping yourself up in your comfort zone all round the clock, you need to change your strategy asap!

An ideal way to get rid of this attitude is to consult a therapist or counselor. These professionals will suggest some ways that you can incorporate into your life to overcome the practice of downplaying your importance.

3. Asking For Support Will Not Always Make You Look Weak

Ever since you joined the new office, you have been performing excellently. Your boss and co-workers admire your capabilities and problem-solving skills. They also never hesitate to ask for your help, regardless of the difficulty of the hurdle they are facing.

But is it the same the other way round with you? Do you hesitate to request others’ guidance when you are stuck somewhere? If yes, then is it because they will doubt your caliber?

Humans are born imperfect and die with even more imperfections than they had as newborns. Thus, you should never hold back from seeking help from others if you genuinely need it.

4. Recalling the Past Does Nothing More Than Cause Agony

Overthinkers love to base most of their conclusions on their past events. They believe that since they had a bad experience with something or someone in the past, the same will happen again.

Also, dwelling in the past can bring to front past traumas that should have been better left dormant.

Thus, you should believe in the concept of change and its power to alter experiences. You should also understand that even if a past episode repeats itself, you now have the faculty to deal with it.

5. It is Near Impossible to Influence Every Aspect of Your Life

Only a few people in this world can live a life on autopilot. And overthinkers are, for sure, not one of them. They, instead, constantly need to assess their way of living and how they are dealing with the various scenarios that life springs upon them.

And if a problem arises in the process, they get all worrisome and think of ways to rectify it. But what they should rather know is that they are not the protagonist of every circumstance they are in.

For example, you invest a hefty sum in the stocks of a particular firm, and the stock market crashes the very next day. Your hard-earned money is now gone for good, and you think, “what if I had never invested my money in the first place?”

The stock market crash was not your fault, and thus, there is no reason to punish yourself for it. Instead, you should accept your current situation and look for ways to get out of it instead of thinking about what you “could” have done.

6. Overthinking is Not a Normal Life Process

The saying, “time is the best healer”, might seem nothing more than a bogus statement to many, especially overthinkers. But, truth be told, there is some basis for its validity.

Most overthinkers, or as a matter of fact, even the average blokes, believe overthinking to be a perfectly normal part of life. And while it is correct to some extent, the amount of overthinking that overthinkers do is way beyond the prescribed levels.

Thus, rather than living with it, individuals should find ways to mitigate or entirely curb overthinking in their lives. Failing to do so can have drastic repercussions, some of which we have discussed in the following pointer.

7. The Backlash is Not Just Mental

Overthinking, generally, associates itself with mental disorders like the ones mentioned above. However, its side effects are not limited to just psychological afflictions. Many of the by-products of overthinking, such as stress, can harm our heart, immune system, digestive processes, and aggravate any other underlying illness.

Thus, if you truly care about your mind and body, you should get your habit of overthinking treated. 

Conclusion:

Overthinking is a subconscious process, and you cannot always administer its popping up. However, what you can do is try to catch yourself overthinking. It might not come to you initially, but after practicing for a while, we are sure you’ll be able to do it.

Getting hold of yourself when overthinking is the first step towards remedying it. Once you master this step, the next step is to decrease its influence gradually.

You can do so with physical exercises like yoga, weightlifting, jumping rope, or a mental workout routine such as meditation or an intensive chess session. The key is to dominate your mind’s thinking faculty and trick it into believing that the situation is not as severe as you think it to be.