OVERTHINKING…?
If human beings weren’t able to consciously process thoughts we could not have achieved social, political, technological, and economic advancement. Since thinking can provide positive changes in society, we might have assumed that overthinking is a good habit. However, overthinking is a negative habit that has the potential to cause many problems. We all need to think through when making decisions, but when we can’t come to a reasonable conclusion after considering options, we overthink.
Overthinking creates negative emotions and can overwhelm your brain. This happens when you’re going over every single fact of even the smallest decisions.
WHAT IS OVERTHINKING?
Overthinking is thinking about something too much when it’s not necessary. Whether it be situations, people’s actions, or opinions, overthinking can cloud your judgment and prevent you from taking action. It invades your mind with non-existing obstacles, doubts, and negativity and sucks out the happiness in your life.
Perfectionists and those with anxiety are often victims of overthinking and it’s not a conscious act but more of a compulsion. Overthinking holds you back and could lead to stress.
Are you an overthinker?
Let’s find out!
8 SIGNS YOU ARE AN OVERTHINKER.
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You think more than you do
Having the desire to improve yourself and your skills is a good thing. You’re good at coming up with creative ideas and you have great plans all just in your head, but you spend so much time thinking about how great those ideas are that you don’t have the time to work on them. You put an activity off or later, but after a while; you realize you don’t have time.
If you’re spending all your time thinking and none of your time doing, then you’re an overthinker.
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You can’t concentrate
It’s hard to stay focused on one thing when there are dozens of other things on your mind. Most people overthink when trying to solve a problem in their life. But overthinking hurts your concentration. Doing any activity that requires you to focus for a prolonged period is more difficult for you if you’re an overthinker. For example, you can find yourself zoning out in the middle of a conversation after a few minutes and you become completely unaware of what the topic was in the first place because your mind wandered away.
Overthinking causes your brain to get cluttered and distracted, so you stop making progress.
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You fall into a bad mood for no reason
Have you been in the bad mood all week?
This is probably one of the worst parts of overthinking. You could be feeling happy and enjoying the moment for one second and be hit by a sudden mood swing the next for no reason.
According to a study in 2000 by Davis and Nolan, people who overthink experience longer, more intense periods of negativity. They find themselves in a bad mood for days or weeks. The problem is people cope with negativity by overthinking and this messes their minds. If your bad mood doesn’t go away, you may be overthinking.
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You’re always looking for hidden messages.
As an overthinker, you might see every statement as some sort of message that needs to be decoded to find its true meaning. Forgetting to say good night means they must be mad at you. Not getting an invitation somewhere suddenly means they don’t care about you. If you’re an overthinker, you take notice of every little shift in tone and try to find the true meaning of someone’s words when there usually isn’t one.
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You want everything to be neat and organized
As an overthinker, you feel irritated when things are not in order and you’re only able to be fine once everything around you is where it should be. You make sure never to put yourself in any situation where you’re not prepared. You always want to be in control and aware so you can handle whatever comes your way.
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You’re indecisive
Have you gone back and forth multiple times on the same decision? Overthinking ruins your ability to make firm decisions. When you have so many options in your head, you feel there’s no right answer. It’s like every solution you get is a dead end. If you’re stuck wondering what choice to make, you might be overthinking.
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You analyze everyone
The way we behave and react to situations can tell a lot about who we are. Overthinkers are great at analyzing these behaviors. You like to study and understand people around you. You don’t listen to gossip or rumors about them but take your time to understand their behaviors and the reasons behind them.
There are plenty of secrets that lie beneath our behaviors and analyzing someone helps you reveal them.
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You try to avoid conflict
Overthinkers hate conflict, whether it’s a conflict between people around them or inner conflict, they try to avoid it.
Conflict causes anxiety, which makes you feel uncomfortable and gives you something to overthink about.
Do you relate to any of these signs?
Have you caught yourself overthinking? How do you know? Let us know about your experiences in the comment section.