How much control do you think you have over your thoughts? A better question might be, how often do your thoughts help you grow versus hold you back? Overthinking has become a widespread issue, particularly among teenagers and young adults, but why is it so common? More importantly, why does it present such a problem?
What is Overthinking?
Overthinking happens when you repeatedly dwell on thoughts or situations to the point where they disrupt your life, relationships, and mental health. The more you fixate on things from the past, worries about the future, or current situations beyond your control, the deeper you fall into an emotional trap. Over time, it becomes harder to escape.
Your Thoughts Are a Tool
Thinking is an incredibly powerful skill—your mind is a tool. The ability to think, write your thoughts down, and speak about them is a skill that will make you unstoppable and you will get everything that you want. But without discipline, your mind can lead you into unnecessary mental traps, where you ruminate on problems that don’t exist. Writing your thoughts can help you stay grounded, preventing overthinking from taking root.
Our minds like to wonder, leading us into creating scenarios where we get our desired results without going through the agony of working for them. Overthinking typically amplifies this trickery, making the process of achieving goals seem far more daunting than it is.
Our minds like to wonder, leading us into creating scenarios where we get our desired results without going through the agony of working for them. Overthinking typically amplifies this trickery, making the process of achieving goals seem far more daunting than it is.
How Overthinking Can Slowly Destroy You
Overthinking usually manifests in three ways: dwelling on the past, worrying about the future, or fixating on the present. Each type has the potential to cause serious damage to your mental and physical well-being.
1. Regrets of the Past
Everyone makes mistakes—this is a fundamental part of being human. We did things that we thought were right at the moment but later found out they weren’t, or we said things that we didn’t mean at the heat of the moment. Doing these things is human nature. The key lies in how we respond to those mistakes. You have two choices:
Make amends for your past actions, learning from them and becoming a better person. You try and rectify those mistakes not to relive them, but to heal any untreated scars that you left on someone or yourself.
Dwell on them, filling yourself with regret and adopting self-destructive habits that hinder your growth.
Regret isn’t intrinsically bad. You are not wrong for feeling regret and it won’t lead to self-destruction by itself, but the actions that you take because of it will determine how regret is manifested. If you can’t make amends, it’s important to let go of the regret and focus on learning from the experience, rather than letting it dominate your thoughts.
Make amends for your past actions, learning from them and becoming a better person. You try and rectify those mistakes not to relive them, but to heal any untreated scars that you left on someone or yourself.
Dwell on them, filling yourself with regret and adopting self-destructive habits that hinder your growth.
Regret isn’t intrinsically bad. You are not wrong for feeling regret and it won’t lead to self-destruction by itself, but the actions that you take because of it will determine how regret is manifested. If you can’t make amends, it’s important to let go of the regret and focus on learning from the experience, rather than letting it dominate your thoughts.
2. Anxiety About the Future
We all have dreams and aspirations, but overthinking about how to achieve them can paralyze us.
Perfectionists, for instance, want everything to go as planned and everything to fall into place smoothly, but if something goes wrong everything starts crumbling, leading to frustration and loss of hope and everything they believe in collapses.
The thing that we need to understand is that there is no such thing as an easy way to your dreams. That’s why they are dreams. The fact that they are hardly attainable is what makes them very satisfying to achieve.
The main problem arises when you overthink every decision you make based on how you think its going to go in the future. It’s not a bad thing to change your direction sometimes and you might get a positive change out of it, but when minor inconveniences are enough to make you rethink your lifelong dreams, that is when overthinking becomes a huge problem.
Some people fantasize about their dreams without putting in any real effort to achieve them. They overthink the possibility of failure or not knowing where to start, which eventually leads to inaction and despair.
When you want something you have to try and do everything to achieve it. You have to believe you want it badly enough. You have to also know that it won’t be a smooth sailing process and you will face a lot of setbacks but this shouldn’t change your mind about your dream.
Perfectionists, for instance, want everything to go as planned and everything to fall into place smoothly, but if something goes wrong everything starts crumbling, leading to frustration and loss of hope and everything they believe in collapses.
The thing that we need to understand is that there is no such thing as an easy way to your dreams. That’s why they are dreams. The fact that they are hardly attainable is what makes them very satisfying to achieve.
The main problem arises when you overthink every decision you make based on how you think its going to go in the future. It’s not a bad thing to change your direction sometimes and you might get a positive change out of it, but when minor inconveniences are enough to make you rethink your lifelong dreams, that is when overthinking becomes a huge problem.
Some people fantasize about their dreams without putting in any real effort to achieve them. They overthink the possibility of failure or not knowing where to start, which eventually leads to inaction and despair.
When you want something you have to try and do everything to achieve it. You have to believe you want it badly enough. You have to also know that it won’t be a smooth sailing process and you will face a lot of setbacks but this shouldn’t change your mind about your dream.
3. Obsession with the Present
Overthinking the present often happens when the pressures of the past and the future weigh heavily on you. You begin to lose control of the “now” and let external factors dictate your emotions. This creates a mental prison, making it increasingly difficult to escape once you become comfortable with misery.
The Power of Now
We as individuals aren’t in control of much. In fact, the only thing that is inside of your control is your mind, and all your opinions and thoughts and how you view these thoughts. You can use this to your advantage. Learn how to be in control so that your choices in the present are fully under your control. Learn how to make good decision, and if you make bad decisions along the way, make sure you do your best to make up for them but don’t let past mistakes or future worries define your current reality. By focusing on what’s in your control at this moment, you regain agency over your life.
When you live in the present, you break free from the mental traps that overthinking creates. You also reduce the chaos in your life, making it easier for you to maintain relationships and achieve your goals.
When you live in the present, you break free from the mental traps that overthinking creates. You also reduce the chaos in your life, making it easier for you to maintain relationships and achieve your goals.
Writer’s Notes
Overthinking can creep into your routine, slowly becoming part of your life without you realizing it. Once it settles in, breaking free becomes difficult because chaos becomes comfortable. Learning to control your mind and not fall into the trap of obsessive thinking will help you find clarity, peace, and the ability to thrive in both your personal and professional life.
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