Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard several people in therapy express concerns over how they’ve been overthinking.
Overthinking (as described by a thinker at inc.com) “can cause problems. When you overthink, your judgment gets cloudy and your stress gets elevated. You spend too much time in the negative. It can be difficult to act.” Overthinking also interferes with sleep and contributes to anxiety, depression, and self-medicating with food, drugs, or alcohol (there’s more about overthinking over at thelawofattraction.com).
Last night, I called Michael over to go over my many worried thoughts about matters hanging over me. When my fitful monologue was over, Michael thought over what he’d heard and said, “Ann, the way you’re overthinking borders on the completely ridiculous.” I realized that the way I was overthinking didn’t border on the completely ridiculous — it actually went over the border into the completely ridiculous.
Michael helps me get control over my overthinking. However, I’m not over overthinking — it’s a habit that’s hard to get over. I know I’m overthinking again this morning, because I’m anxious over decisions I made over the long weekend and I’m overthinking the consequences. However, I’m not thinking that I might be overlinking to that inc. article about “10 Simple Ways You Can Stop Yourself from Overthinking,” which includes
- Don’t think about what can go wrong, but what can go right.
- Distract yourself into happiness.
- Put things into perspective.
- Stop waiting for perfection.
- Change your view of fear.
- Realize you can’t predict the future.
- Accept your best.
Yes, I was overthinking many things yesterday, but not my early morning tweeting:
After reading the latest dispatches in these celebrity/political feuds: When did “turn the other cheek” become hit them in the cheek 10 times harder?
And I wasn’t overthinking when I took these photos:
I don’t think I’m all by myself alone in overthinking, even though it drives people bananas. At this point, I don’t want to rethink anything, including my pretzel.
When this post is over, please bring over your thinking about overthinking, rethinking, and other kinds of thinking.
Here’s “Overthinking” by L2M:
The last recommendation in that inc. article about stopping overthinking is “be grateful.” That’s why I don’t overthink my thanks, I just express them.
