(ymi.today)
Overthinking, by definition, is the act of thinking too much for too long. This is something we all have struggled with whether for a long or short time in our lives. Personally, overthinking is something I’ve been battling with for the majority of my life. I overthink literally Every. Single. Thing. School, friendships, family, money, what other’s think of me, my future and so much more.
It’s a never-ending spin cycle of random and unnecessary anxieties and worries. These thoughts keep me up at night and distract me from truly living during my days. However, I’ve come to understand that all overthinking truly is, is creating problems that do not exist! This is why this week’s article is so important to talk about. Here is the quote below said by South African entrepreneur David Sikhosana.
“Overthinking, also, best known as creating problems that are never there.” – David Sikhosana
(freepik.com)
By constantly overthinking, we are creating problems in our heads that were never there to begin with. For example, you meet someone for the first time and during this encounter you feel like you might’ve said something “weird” or “stupid.” So, now you are spending the rest of your day overthinking about whether this person likes you or not. You are obsessing over whether someone you barely know, someone youjust met, found your company to be enjoyable. Thoughts are running through your mind such as, “Do they think I’m weird?”, “I wonder if I said the wrong thing,” “Ugh I’m so stupid.” These are the negative and irrational thoughts that crowd your mind and stop you from moving on with your life.
This doesn’t have to be this way though, because by overthinking a situation as the one above, we are creating an issue out of nothing. That person you are so worried about whether you left a good impression on or not, more than likely is not concerning themselves with you or anybody else for that matter. They have probably moved on from the interaction and thought nothing more of it. You are the one who is obsessing and driving yourself crazy over a simple encounter. I know it’s much easier said to try and not overthink than to actually not overthink, but it’s worth a shot. It’s worth fighting the act of overthinking because at the end of the day you will spend less time over complicating your life, and spend more time actually living it.
(thedailystar.net)
For college students it is especially difficult to practice not overthinking due to the many obstacles we face every day. We are always on the move with either work, classes or organizations; sometimes all three at once! Then on top of those things we have to worry about maintaining a personal life with friends, significant others and family. We are told to be healthy by working out and getting eight hours of sleep, but how can one do that when there is so much other crap on our plates? Being a full-time college student these days is hard, and so with these hardships come overthinking and stressing. We’re worried about the next major assignments due date, about graduation and our futures after we cross that stage, about having enough money to meet our needs and fulfill desires.
However, like the quote states above, even us college students are just creating further nonexistent problems for ourselves by overthinking. Yes, post-graduation life seems daunting and scary, but we must experience it first before we can even have anxiety about what it will look like. Yes, this upcoming exam seems like it’ll be difficult, and you’re convinced you’re going to fail. In reality, you have no way of knowing if the test will really be as difficult as you’re thinking or if you’re even going to fail it.
The moral of this article is that overthinking is ultimately a disease of the mind. A disease that I so wish I could take some kind of medicine for and get rid of. However, it’s something that we as individuals can manage and kind of take some control of. It’s something worth fighting against because it will lead to a healthier way of living. I am hoping by at the end of this article all you overthinkers have learned a little piece of advice. The idea that deep down all overthinking is, is creating problems from nothing. Next time you see yourself going down the rabbit hole of overthinking, remember the quote given above.
(identity-mag.com/Comic by Gemma Corell)