7 Signs You’re Overthinking in Life and How to Stop!
When does thinking turn into overthinking? This is when instead of being helpful, your thoughts just slow you down and keep you from getting anywhere.
In the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, it’s all too easy to get caught in the web of our own thoughts. We analyze past conversations, fret over future decisions, and continuously second-guess ourselves. This mental merry-go-round is known as overthinking, a phenomenon that affects nearly everyone at some point.
Here are 7 signs that your thoughts are a bit too much and you’ve been overthinking:
- You keep dwelling on the past
The first big sign that you’re overthinking everything in life is if you find yourself ruminating about the past. We can’t change what happened, so there’s no point in dwelling on it and obsessing over it. Sometimes it’s important to analyze something that previously happened to better understand it, but if you find yourself constantly thinking about it, you’re not living in the present.
2. You second guess every decision you make
If you make a decision about something, then find yourself questioning that decision for days or weeks afterwards, you’re probably overthinking it. The process of over-analyzing your decisions begins to control your thought process and makes it difficult to follow through on those decisions; which in turn drains your energy and attention.
3. You keep replaying past mistakes in your mind
Mistakes are human, but they can haunt us like ghosts. Especially if they are tied to unresolved guilt, shame, anger, or pain.
These emotions are very hard to let go of, which keeps the memories at the top of your mind as well.
The solution? Unfortunately, there’s no quick or easy shortcut. You just have to put in the work and come to terms with your past.
Remember, it’s not your mistakes that define you — but rather, what you choose to do about them.
4. You rehash difficult or uncomfortable situations
The overthinking brain loves to revisit conversations or arguments that didn’t go in your favor. But this time around, you’ve come up with the perfect rebuttal and now you’re ready to win that argument once and for all!
The problem with this is that it can go on forever and ever, with thousands of possible variations. And if they said this, and if they replied that?
There is literally no end to this kind of overthinking unless you decide to let it go.
5. You fixate on things you cannot control
Wanting positive change is one thing, but trying to control situations that are simply beyond our limits is a clear sign of an overthinking mind.
Other people emotions and decisions is a common thing that we think we can control, but it is entirely out of our hands. We tend to fixate on trying to change the outcome which only leads to more anxiety and bigger problems.
You should take precautions where it’s possible and useful, but be careful not to get sucked into overthinking things that you cannot change or fix.
6. You image worst-case scenarios
Glass half empty or glass half full?
Overthinkers are very often glass fully empty kind of people. In other words, they continuously imagine the worst possible scenario for something. But there is a big difference between being aware of and preparing for possible risks and being a worry-wart.
7. It takes you a long time to make a decision or take action
What happens when you overthink decisions is that the decision makes itself for you.
This type of decision making (or lack or decision making) can seriously hold you back from reaching your goals in life and achieving success and happiness in many areas.
How to stop overthinking so much
First, if you recognize that you’re overthinking, you have to break out of the process. Distract yourself by focusing on something else for a while.
When you clear your mind, you can come back to the topic later.
Then ask yourself, does this matter in the big picture? Will this be important in 5 years, or 10 years? How likely is it that other people are also thinking about this?
If it’s not a big deal, it’s probably not worth giving that much thought.
If you’re not really sure, try asking a trusted friend. Sometimes, other people’s insight and outside perspectives help shift the way we look at a situation.
But be careful not to get too stuck in getting everyone else’s opinion. You should listen openly to what others have to say, but ultimately what matters most is your own feelings on the matter.
Overthinking happens to all of us at some point — but if you find yourself doing it a lot, it can start to hold you back in life.
If you’ve recognized several of these signs in yourself, it could be time to take a step back and get more in touch with your feelings rather than trying to analyze things rationally.
Source: HackSpirit