Overthinking is very common these days it has become part of human nature. Overthinking basically means thinking about the same thing again and again, this habit prevents you from taking any productive action. Clearly, it’s not a healthy habit as it hinders your productivity, not only that it also has adverse effects on the psychological well being of an individual.
Overthinking makes you think about the same thing so many times that you tend to infer those meanings out of it which wasn’t even intended and these inferred meanings are generally negative. This might lead to a lot of misunderstandings amongst people. Thinking about the same stuff all the time can be exhausting and might take a toll on one’s physical health. Hence its better to avoid overthinking and use this mental effort in something more efficient and productive.
ILL EFFECTS OF OVERTHINKING
- EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING
Overthinking leads to a lot of anxiety issues and stress. If you keep overthinking about minor unimportant stuff it will cause a lot of undue stress. This stress isn’t healthy at all if anything it hinders your ability to think straight. Overthinking also leads to anxiety issues, if a person is constantly thinking about one comment that his fellow mate made about him it will end up causing a lot of anxiety and pent up emotions.
Overthinking stops you from taking you any affirmative action regarding the given problem and due to this the person might fail to resolve misunderstandings or find effective solutions. Both stress and anxiety have an adverse on one’s psychological well being therefore its important to draw the line where thinking stops and overthinking began.
- EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL WELL BEING
Stress leads to physiological changes in the body and thinking about the same stuff leads to exhaustion. Imagine if your job requires you to constantly think about one single project and nothing else. Won’t that be exhausting both physically and mentally? Of course, it will.
Overthinking results stress and anxiety which further leads to lower resilience, easy burnouts, high blood pressure and increased rate of heart related diseases. Know that health is wealth and take a break for yourself every time you feel like thinking about something is causing you stress and anxiety.
HOW TO DEAL WITH OVERTHINKING IN A HEALTHY WAY?
- Awareness is the first step to change
Take note of your physical and psychological well-being, identify the things about which you are overthinking acknowledge that this habit is having negative effects on your overall well-being. Once you are aware that it’s a negative habit and what are the root causes of this problem it’s easier to put an action plan in place to overcome this negative habit. Know that it’s very common and you have nothing to be ashamed of and it’s okay to talk about it.
- Draw a line between thinking and overthinking
Once you are aware about your problem second step it to do something about it and the most important thing to do is to know where thinking stops and overthinking begins. And to know that you must come to terms with the negative consequences of certain topics. If thinking about something is causing stress and anxiety its possible that you might be overthinking it. The moment thinking about a certain topic is leading to disturbance in your body, stop thinking about it, take a break and start again with a fresh mindset.
- Surround yourself with positive people
People around you play a major role in helping you overcome this habit. Negative people tend to have a bleak outlook about life and do not really help in lightening the mood instead they might be the cause of stress and anxiety. Therefore, it’s important to surround yourself with positive people who can help you focus on other things, they give you a positive outlook on the same topic on which you might be overthinking and having a positive outlook for the problem might change your way to look at it hence reducing the stress and anxiety caused by it. Sometimes people overthink on trivial matters and having positive people around is a great distraction as they help to lighten the mood, you might feel really fresh and positive by just spending an hour over coffee with a friend of yours.
- Take a break to refresh
Sometimes situations are such that people are forced to overthink, for example your work might require to come up with a new idea in a limited time this will inevitably lead to overthinking. In such a case take small breaks to refresh yourself this will help you to stop and relax. A relaxed mind always reaps better benefits than an exhausted one. Don’t exhaust yourself and take breaks for your own good.
Overthinking is clearly a bad habit which has negative effects on your mental health, physical health and your relationships. It’s possible to overcome this habit if you deal with it in a positive way with the help of your family and friends who are the support pillars through this process. Don’t let a bad habit reduce your productivity and have so much control over you that it has an effect on every aspect of your life. Overthinking is parasitic. Its viral. Its deadly, even. Letting yourself victim to overthinking doesn’t just kill your happiness, it destroys who you are. The mind is a beautiful and complex thing, and the only person who can hurt it is yourself. So don’t hurt yourself and move towards a more fulfilling and happy life by pledging to overcome the terrible habit of overthinking.
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