You know that one thing you see somewhere that just reminds you of something you've gone through/seen before? Yeah, I see about fifteen of those every day. Normally, one would see said thing and think, "Oh! This reminds me of ___." and continue on with their day.
Not me.
My brain sees the thing faster than my eyes do, and, just like a freight train, my thoughts begin racing. 'Wow, I remember *insert specific time period* with *insert specific person* eating *insert specific food*...ugh now I want to die.' 'Oh my gosh, I remember this thing from the minute I first walked into the gym locker room on my third day of high school in my freshman year!!!' The thoughts never end, spiraling my mood either up or down.
I, of course, don't ever mean for this to happen, it just does. I could see a certain snack food and remember the time my mom and I got into a horrible fight while eating them and then feel like the most terrible person on the face of the planet.
In case you haven't caught on by now, yes. I am an over-thinker.
Being an over-thinker is one of the worst possible things in the world. You're always in a really awesome mood until something you remember from a bad situation randomly comes back to haunt you. After that, you're sent down a rabbit hole of thoughts and completely distraught over it. The situation could have been handled, been a long time ago, or even something that just recently happened that you haven't gotten over.
As someone who does this a lot, I know firsthand that it's horrible to feel and difficult to pull yourself out of... especially if you're alone.
On the other hand, I've been around a lot of people that overthink as well. It's hard to get someone to feel better if you can't understand the situation they may be thinking of.
A lot of times, if you're similar to me and depending on your situation, overthinking can make you want to cry, get you angry, make you lose your appetite, make you feel bad about yourself, or even trigger symptoms of anxiety or depression.
There have been countless times I have thought too hard about something and wound up staying in bed all day crying over nothing, neglecting to talk to anyone or carry out any of my responsibilities.
Friends will try to improve my mood, but it's a hit or miss on whether it works. It takes the right words, the right timing, and the right tone of voice to help.
When people overthink, it's important that they know it's not their fault and that the past is the past and they have to live now. There's no reason to dwell and cause yourself stress because of something that cannot be changed.
If you know someone that overthinks a lot, be sure to be there for them, treat them kindly, and work with them slowly.
If you are someone that overthinks a lot reading this, just remember:
It's not your fault. You have been the best you that you can be. Of course there will be mistakes in your path of life, but the result comes out of how you choose to fix/deal with those mistakes. Don't get caught up in the past, and don't read too far into things. What it is will be and what won't will not.
