7 Signs You’re Overthinking

Every time you meet your friends, someone blabs about how they saw you at a party last night.

Ait looks like you were having fun, but then again…

You’re always so high maintenance, aren’t you?

Or maybe when your new coworkers get together for lunch, they bring up one of your exes who just happened to walk by.

Whatever it is, people are starting to wonder if there might be something wrong with you.

But really, it’s not that bad. You’re just overanalyzing everything right now, aren’t you?

Well, yes and no.

Yes, overthinking can make things feel more stressful than they really are and, as such, lead us to panic more easily and feel more uncomfortable in our own skin.

No, though overthinking doesn’t mean we have something inherently wrong with us, either.

It just means that we tend to give too much thought to certain situations or objects, so they end up feeling more threatening than they actually are.

If it’s become your habit, I can take a great deal on your health.

Overthinking can often be a warning sign that something deeper is bothering us subconsciously or that we need to simplify our lives in some way.

 

1) You Can’t Stop Worrying

Do you know this feeling you get where you barely sleep and all you do is worry about the future?

That’s a good sign that something is bothering you.

Worrying, or overthinking, can be a warning sign that something larger or deeper is bothering us. Both affect your progress and productivity.

The key difference between worry and overthinking is this: worry will lead to panic and anxiety, while overthinking leads to clarity.

 

2) You Worry About Things You Can’t Control

An obvious sign of overthinking is that you worry too much about things you can’t really change.

For example, maybe you obsessively think about the things that might go wrong with your presentation. Or get so caught up in worrying that you can’t enjoy yourself when you’re out with friends.

You may also overthink some big life decisions and how they’ll affect your family.

It’s key to take a step back and realize what’s most important to us in our lives. Because it might be something that we’re not entirely in control of yet.

This doesn’t mean we should stop caring for people or acting ethically. But it does mean that not everything is going to turn out perfectly no matter what we do.

We just have to accept this fact and make peace with it while doing the best we can, given our limited ability actually to control the consequences of our actions. Even if those consequences are just theoretical at this point.

 

3) You Often Criticize Yourself

I’m not a fan of people who often criticize themselves.

It can be exhausting when you have to constantly face your flaws and shortcomings. And it could lead to some pretty serious self-esteem issues.

It’s also not the healthiest for your mindset and physical well-being. This is why I think this is one of the most important signs that you’re giving too much thought to certain situations or objects.

 

4) You Often Feel Tense

When we overthink, our thoughts tend to race around in our minds, causing us to feel a lot of tension in our bodies.

Sometimes this can be physical tension like knots in our stomach, or it can be emotional.

Maybe you get very nervous about people judging you or scared about making a mistake at work.

Whatever the case, your mind is constantly on edge, which makes the rest of your life harder to deal with.

If you want to minimize the amount of stress and anxiety you’re having because of overthinking…

Then try some simple exercises like deep breathing, meditating, or going for a walk.

 

5) You Often Take Things Personally

You know what I mean. It’s that time in your workday when you’re chewing gum, and someone walks into the room.

You’re so focused on the gum in your mouth that you start to panic when they notice it and ask, “Didn’t you get enough?”

What is this person insinuating by asking such a question?

It seems like they are saying that you are constantly chewing, and so they assume you don’t have anything else going on–no personal life, etc.

That’s not true at all! We often take things personally when we should really just be trying to see things from their perspective.

 

6) You Can’t Let Things Go

Do you feel like you’re always trying to find more meaning in the smallest things?

In this case, it might be time to let go of some things in your life.

The constant need to analyze and overthink everything is an indication that something is missing or not right in our lives.

It could be a sign that we may need to simplify our lives more, which allows us to feel more comfortable and confident with what we do have.

Overthinking can also often indicates that we are trying too hard, and as such, we need to cut back on things or stop doing them altogether.

 

7) You Hate Making Decisions

You’re at a crossroads, and you just can’t decide what to do. You think about it for hours, over and over again, but nothing is coming to mind.

You instantly regret the decision you make because of this hesitation, and now you have to live with the consequences.

Once you start thinking too much, it becomes really difficult not to overthink things.

It’s so easy to get caught up in our thoughts that we can lose track of time and end up becoming paralyzed by indecision. It sounds like you might be an avoidant person.

If so, you might also struggle with addictive behavior, which is an extension of your reluctance to take action or take risks in general.

Because you feel overwhelmed by all the choices before you, avoidant people tend not to act or make decisions because they don’t want to deal with the consequences of those choices.

All your overthinking has made avoiding making decisions one less choice for you, and as such, it has put even more weight on your shoulders.

 

Conclusion

Worrying too much can actually make you more anxious, not less. By understanding your worry patterns and the impact they have on your life, you can change the way you think and feel. 

 

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