Overthinking – I could write a book on that topic. If you were to look up "overthinking" in the dictionary, my picture would be next to it. I am the Queen of second-guessing and going back over situations a million times.
It is easy to feel paralyzed and then become stuck in the destructive habit of overthinking. You can overthink a small problem so much that it begins to snowball into a massive, undefeatable monster.
Here are 10 signs of overthinking you should be aware of:
- Second guessing everything.
- Feeling overwhelmed by the littlest decisions.
- You regret often.
- You are a perfectionist.
- Body tenses up. You may feel ill or have a headache.
- Insomnia.
- Your mind just keeps going in circles. Almost like you can't shut it off.
- Take things personally when they aren't meant to be personal.
- Criticize yourself often.
- Feeling on edge.
So now that you know what the signs are, what can you do about it? When you are an overthinker, it is almost like you have to retrain your brain to not think that way. Because of this, it does take time to master these skills.
Here are some things I have tried that may be helpful:
- Be mindful. Stay present-focused. There could be a million "what if" scenarios. You are not a fortune teller. Acknowledge how you feel and then release those "what ifs" into the atmosphere.
- Let go of perfection. Perfection is an unrealistic goal.
- Embrace mistakes. It is okay to mess up. That is how we grow.
- Write down your worries. Get them out of your head and onto paper. Then place them in a drawer; you can revisit later.
- Acknowledge your fears.
- Meditation/Yoga. This can be extremely hard at first for an overthinker, but with practice it gets better.
- Positive affirmations. It is important to tell yourself you are doing the best you can.
