As a certified overthinker, I have learned a lot over the years. More specifically, I have learned a lot about how to manage and control my thinking, as well as using these tendencies to my advantage rather than letting them harm me. At a glance, my tendency to overthink has inherently offered me some benefits and some pitfalls. It allows me to make safe decisions and look out for my friends. It also causes me to always be aware of my surroundings, and I am therefore rarely caught off guard. I am always able to take care of both myself and my friends, and I wouldn’t trade that level of vigilance and awareness for anything.
However, it’s not all useful. This tendency to ruminate in my thoughts has also had a lot of disadvantages. It can cause me to over-worry about insignificant things, and then these thoughts spiral and grow. It causes me to push things off and prioritize thinking about them instead of accomplishing them. Instead of deciding to just take the good with the bad and take advantages where I could get them, I learned how to change my mindset and turn those negative tendencies into positive ones. It’s important to remember that it’s all about perspective and how you view your situation.
TAKE A step back
First of all, this has been a lengthy, years-long process, and I am still learning about what works best for myself and my brain. However, there is a lot that I have learned and that I now know for sure. When things feel like they are getting to be too much all at once, I make sure to take a step back and look at the big picture. How much will this one event matter a year from now? A week from now? Or even tomorrow? For some scenarios, the answer is a lot.
Some of the events that I overthink about do have a lot of sway, and taking this step back helps me reassess and truly make the best decision. However, a lot of the time most of the decisions I make have little to no notable impact on my future. When I finally understand and realize that, I am able to tone down my thoughts and focus them somewhere else, rather than on one insignificant event.
write it down
We are often told that when something is bothering us it is important to get it out. For many people that means talking. However, my ideal method of brain dumping is writing. Whenever something is bothering me, even if I can’t quite figure out what it is, I just start writing.
Eventually, my thoughts become more relevant and coherent, and I am able to pinpoint what exactly is bothering me. Whether I am writing about my thoughts, feelings, or even just relaying the events of the day, this always helps me to organize my thinking. This is extremely helpful in being able to move past nagging thoughts, because once I identify exactly what they are they suddenly seem to bother me a lot less.
Create small, accomplishable goals
For my more academic worries, I have found that making small, easily accomplishable goals works well to keep me moving. A big side effect of my overthinking is procrastination, and when I am worried about an exam or assignment I will just keep pushing it off. Of course, this doesn’t make it any better when I actually have to accomplish it, because by that point I just have an obscene amount of work piled up. Instead of trying to take on the entire thing all at once, I divide them up into smaller components, and I complete it piece by piece. This gives me more time to work and less to worry about all at once.
Everyone’s brains work differently, and while these tactics work for me, it’s important to remember that they do not work for everyone. At its core, harnessing your overthinking is all about your mindset, and doing whatever you need to do to organize your thoughts effectively.
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