Brooding or fretting over a single thought repeatedly is termed as OVERTHINKING.
Psychologically, overthinking paralyzes a human through their worries, and inability to take any decision, which leads to depression, anxiety, and mental disorders which results in sadness, loneliness, and feelings of emptiness.
Signs of overthinking are:
- Disconcerted moments keep coming up in your thoughts.
- Difficulty in sleeping as the same thoughts keep you awake.
- When you are asked to do something, with which your mind does not agree.
- Questions of ‘ifs’, ‘buts’, and ‘why’ comes again and again.
- When we recreate our mistakes over and over.
- Worrying about the future.
- Worrying about a thing that is not in your control.
- Difficulty in getting your mind off the worries.
What causes overthinking:
Disturbing incidents and events of the past, stress experienced in the present situations, and over-loaded life pattern lead to overthinking, which affects biologically and also erupts in psychological issues.
Psychological reasons for overthinking can be summed up as:
- Data observed, collected, and stored in your subconscious mind during the age of 0- 13 years of age
- Misrepresentation of a real sensory stimulus, where the interpretation contradicts objective “reality”. For example, a child sees branches of trees at night as if they are goblins. Sometimes our mind sees something which is not in reality and not controllable.
- Confusion regarding certainty, confidence, satisfaction, and sureness.
- The expectation of flawless performance from others and the self leads to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health problems.
- Being intransitive, which is making excessively vague or general statements about something or someone. For example, after a job interview, failure of getting a job, the feeling of hopelessness about our career, which leads to sadness and depression.
How to avoid overthinking and stress:
You need to deceive and outwit your worrying brain to overcome your distress and frustration. This can be cultivated by diverting and distracting your brain with different activities such as:
- Listen to music that makes you happy.
- Reading a book, watching a movie, or a comic television series.
- Take a warm and relaxing shower.
- Yoga, exercises, and dancing are some of the good ways to sweat out the tension.
- Spend quality time with your friends.
- Meditation
- Playing chess, which results in better brain functioning, and improves memory, cognitive abilities, and logical thinking.
Conclusion
Overthinking traps one in a vicious circle leading to a deeper negative mental state. You become blind and unable to see the possibilities and opportunities of getting the solutions. The main key to moving away from past problems is to shift your mind towards finding a solution with the right guidance. If you are looking for a psychotherapist or counselor, Self Knowledge Now provides a holistic approach to transformational therapy and nurtures your mental and emotional health. Contact us now..!