Thinking about things is good, right? When we have important decisions to make we have to think about them before committing one way or another to ensure we are making the correct decision. We have to weigh the pros and cons, ask others for advice, sleep on it; you know, think about it. After all, thinking is one of the main things that distinguishes us from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Does there come a time, however, when thinking becomes a liability to our well being? I believe there does.
Signs of Overthinking
- second guessing everything
- analyzing things to death
- expecting the worst
- having insomnia
- hating to make decisions
- would rather someone else decide things for you
- regretting things often
- have a hard time letting things go
- taking things personally
- being a perfectionist
- criticizing yourself a lot
- never feeling one hundred percent certain
- feeling tense
- feeling like you can’t turn your brain off
What to do if you are overthinking
- Journal – writing down your thoughts can sometimes take them out of your head and keep them out. It is worth a try.
- Talk to someone about your thoughts – again the idea is to get the thoughts out of your head. The longer you keep them bottled up, the longer they will just swirl around in there.
- Use positive distractions – engage in a creative hobby, something that gains your entire focus so you are no longer thinking about anything else except for the task at hand. Sometimes our thoughts just need to be interrupted by action, whether we feel like taking that action or not.
Are you an overthinker? I am. What do you do to deal with it? Leave a comment or message me on my Facebook page here.
References:
Write into the Light 