It’s been happening for so long that you probably can’t remember when you first started feeling this way. You can’t pinpoint the first time that has made you think less of yourself, but yet here you are constantly filled with self-doubt. You can’t control this feeling and it’s affecting every aspect of your life.

Sometimes you cry and wonder why this feeling is happening, why do I feel like this? It’s hard for other people to understand, but it’s even harder to explain. Everyday you battle with yourself and your emotions. Somedays you win and can push those negative thoughts away. Other days it’s more difficult to think clearly.

You constantly wonder if people truly care for you. You take the words people say and you analyze them so much that the meaning is twisted. You can’t control your mind and its tendency to overthink. It’s inhibiting you from being truly happy. There are always those negative thoughts racing in the back of your mind.

You sit in class and can’t focus. You’re thinking of a million different things, none relating to what’s happening in the room. You go out in public with your friends and everything is going fine until someone looks in your direction. You start feeling like they’re judging you or they know something that someone’s hiding from you. You overthink the smallest things. But all alone at night, it’s the worst.

Overthinking is ruining your relationships. You think so much that it causes you to feel doubtful and miserable. Someone goes out of their way for you and you think it’s because they have done something wrong and this is their way of making it up to you. Your thoughts are making you feel crazy. When you feel happy, you are filled with an overwhelming feeling that something bad is going to happen.

The past still haunts you – it doesn't matter if it's your past or someone else’s past – you constantly think about it. You tell yourself again and again to “let it go,” but you can’t. That one little mistake you made, in a relationship or in a class, you think of everything you could have done differently. One little decision isn’t a little decision to you. You think about everything that could go wrong. You consume your mind with all the negative outcomes rather than the positive ones.

You'll come across people who don't understand how hard it is for you to stop your mind from overthinking and constantly questioning. They tell you to stop. They don't realize that you want to stop more than they want you to stop, but it's hard. It hurts. You try and try to get these thoughts out of your head, but at times you snap. You breakdown and you question everything and everyone.

For those experiencing this feeling, you know how painful and how difficult it is. The thoughts eat you alive.

Just remember:

• Worrying and overthinking does not prevent anything bad from happening, it just adds more stress on you.
• As much as you want to, you can’t control every aspect of your life.
• Give something or someone a chance before jumping to conclusions, no matter how hard it might be.
• Don’t let your overthinking control your life, your plans or your happiness.
• Try to think positive and push your doubts aside.