DavidWolfe.comDo you get stressed out when making a decision? Maybe you try to find a hidden meaning in every billboard you pass. Are you constantly second-guessing yourself? Or do you spend hours looking up symptoms on the internet only to diagnose yourself with a fatal disease? If this sounds like you, it might be time to admit it: you’re an overthinker.
Weighing your options before making a decision should be a healthy endeavor. You want to make a good choice based on the information at hand.
If you’re an overthinker, on the other hand, you’ll likely over-analyze each option and then worry about your decision afterwards. The stress you put on yourself to make a “right” choice can take a toll on you emotionally, mentally and physically. (1)
Constant overthinking may also lead to stress and negativity. There are ways to free yourself from overthinking, but making a change isn’t easy. Especially if you’ve been this way all of your life. (2)
If you’re an overthinker, you’ll relate to these 12 struggles:
1. You Tend To Escalate Your Problems
For an overthinker, a small issue can turn into a life-changing problem in just a matter of minutes. What if the zit on your forehead ruins your presentation, and then you get fired? If you get fired then you won’t be able to afford your apartment, and you’ll have to move back home while you look for a new job!
Classic overthinker.
Instead, practice reframing your situation in a positive light. (3)
2. You Seek Meaning
From creating conspiracy theories to finding number sequences, you seek meaning in absolutely everything. If something happens, you believe there is a meaning behind it, and it’s trying to tell you something. (4)
3. You Can’t Let Go Of The Past
You have an extremely hard time letting go of the past because you can’t stop thinking about it. Regrets that you have, mistakes that you’ve made, you carry them around with you.
It’s healthy to remember past events. That’s part of who we are and how we learn. Obsessing over past actions, however, will affect your health. If you constantly replay situations over and over again in your head and wonder what you could’ve said or done differently, then you’re overthinking! (5)
4. You Second Guess Yourself
You have a difficult time making decisions. When you finally do make a decision, you spend your time wondering if you made the right choice. Making decisions stresses you out.
This classic case of overthinking is known as analysis paralysis. It also leads to greater anxiety, as people worry about making a wrong decision. A research study from 2000 bears this out. Here, participants were given choices of jam (as in peanut butter an jelly). Those who had 24 choices vs. those who had only 6 experienced analysis paralysis. (6)
5. You Have Difficulty Sleeping
With the stress you accumulate during the day, falling asleep at night is almost impossible. Your brain is extremely active at night, and you can’t turn it off. You may desperately want to sleep, but your mind has other plans. (7)
Sleep aids are common with overthinkers. GABA helps turn off the overthinking, so you can sleep.
6. You Are Your Own Worst Critic
You’re pretty hard on yourself. If you think you said or did the wrong thing, you’re your own worst critic. When you make a mistake, you force yourself to remember the experience so you won’t make the same mistake twice. (8)
7. You Tend To Misinterpret Things
You get offended pretty easily. Friends, family and co-workers have to watch what they say around you because you tend to take things the wrong way. You’re constantly worried that someone is criticizing you or looking down on you. (9)
8. You Are Unsure Of Everything
Being happy doesn’t come easily for you, because you’re never sure if you’re in the right place or doing the right thing. Your overthinking makes it difficult for you to find happiness. (10)
Because overthinking almost by definition is about second-guessing everything you think and do, it’s hard to trust yourself. But when you begin to trust your choices, you can feel happier in the moment.
9. Social Media Stress You Out
Social media is just another form of stress for you. If someone unfollows you, you can’t sleep until you figure out why. Did you do something to offend them? Do they not like you anymore?
Well, the real question is, does it matter? And ultimately, if you’re overthinking it, the answer is No. (11)
10. You Overthink Text Messages And E-mails
If you’re writing something, it might as well be written in stone. You constantly write and re-write texts and emails before sending them. Then after you send them, you second-guess what you wrote.
If you’re spending hours on email, then maybe you’re overthinking. No, you can’t take back that message once it’s sent, but you can ratchet back the worry and stop overthinking email. (12)
10. Negative Thoughts Overwhelm You
You want to be a positive person, but you’re often weighed down by your thoughts. Your mind always go to the worst scenario and negativity tends to overwhelm you. (13)
12. Your Brain Constantly Circles
Your mind tends to run through the same situations over and over again, but you end up with different conclusions each time. You’re replacing your words or actions to find out what the result could have or would have been if you acted differently. (14)
Sources:
The Spirit Science