Dealing with Overthinking

Source: Thrive Global 

Thanks to our developed Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) and enhanced cognitive ability, overthinking has become one of the most common mental health issues worldwide. Unlike us, dogs, cats, or chimps don't think about why they got rejected by a fellow animal or why their aunt didn't gift them on their birthday. Overthinking is a very human-specific problem that needs to be addressed to improve one's mental health and overall lifestyle.

Sources of overthinking

While thinking, as a trait, has not only helped us increase our survival chances but also pushed us to the top of the food chain; it may disrupt our day-to-day life if left uncontrolled. Think of our thinking ability like a nuclear reaction, which can be extremely helpful to meet our needs, but it can lead to destruction if it goes out of control.

Let's dive into exploring the sources of overthinking.

Too many options: One common source of overthinking that economists and sociologists often emphasize is the availability of too many options. On its face, having options seems advantageous since more options would mean that our final choice will be closer to what we ideally want. But countless psychological studies have proven that that is seldom true. Instead, we are worse off with many options because that not only leads to indecisiveness (since multiple options match our requirements) but also means that we will never be delighted with what we choose (because we will always think what would have happened if we had chosen the other thing).

So now you know that you are better off buying ice cream from a store with only three flavors than a store that serves ten flavors.

Search for happiness: Another pursuit that many a time leads us down the pothole of overthinking is that of happiness. We are always searching for ways to be happier in life, be it searching for a new job, a new relationship, or a new car. The motivation for this search is often fuelled by feelings of jealousy and envy (which is again commonly found on social media platforms). And this often results in overthinking in regards to how our life would have turned out had we chosen the other option or had we done something the other way. Hence proving one of the famous philosophical thoughts: you will never find happiness if you keep searching for it.

Ways to overcome overthinking

An initial remedy to overthinking comes from the mere realization of the roots from which it stems. Once you can realize the origins of your thought, you are soon able to reason yourself out of the spiral of overthinking by realizing that most of the thoughts are just gibberish.

Apart from this, some of the below-mentioned techniques can be incorporated into your lifestyle to avoid falling into the overthinking trap.

Gratitude: One of the best ways to end up happy in life is to develop an appreciation for the things you have in life. This feeling of gratitude can result from acknowledging the things you have in your life and realizing that many people don't have those things and rather dream of having the things you already have. This appreciation will help you to avoid obsessively searching for happiness and lead you to a feeling of contentment and satisfaction (where happiness truly lies) in life.

Healthier lifestyle: You have already heard about many benefits from leading a healthier lifestyle but hear me out. Simple changes like exercising, meditation, or eating healthy can help you avoid overthinking. How? Because these simple changes boost your self-morale, self-confidence, and self-respect, which then leads to self-ownership and satisfaction with the choices you make in life, thereby doing away with overthinking altogether. 

Better yourself: Here comes another cliché advice which, even though it is over-used, does work. We have already seen that how overthinking usually stems from overall dissatisfaction with one's life. So an obvious solution to this problem is to improve yourself through leveling up your skills, reading books, or even writing a blog xD. But you need to make sure your perception of this solution is correct. I am not saying that you will be happy by reading 100 books a year or doing ten online courses. The goal isn't to complete these tasks and get happiness as an end goal. Instead, happiness is to be found in the process. Working on yourself not only develops you as an individual but also gives meaning to your life. Hence activities like reading are to be viewed as a road trip with an unclear destination. Happiness and contentment don't lie in reaching the destination; it lies in the road trip itself.

Leave the rest to God: Lastly, we need to realize the more than 90% of the world around us is just not in our control. Hence, even if we come up with a solution about most things, it just won't be of any help because most of the answers won't apply to many of the world's problems. And secondly, the world will likely be unaffected by our solution since it's like adding a pink color in a large ocean- it won't change the ocean pink; rather, that pink color will dissolve into it.

Hence, the best strategy to live a peaceful life lies in not thinking about most of the world's problems. ( I don't mean that we all should live with all the things wrong in the world. But thinking about it in your room will not affect it in any way. If a specific world problem resonates with you, you can accordingly direct your life to solve it, thereby giving a deeper meaning to your existence in this world). 

For more solutions, you may refer this article.

Conclusion

Overthinking is something that all of us go through in various phases of our life. Hence, it is not a matter of concern unless you overdo it so much so that it affects your mental well-being and everyday life. 

So if you do find yourself overthinking, realize that it's just a phase that very well might go away in a couple of days. If it doesn't, then you can try out the solutions mentioned above. If the problem persists, you may consult a therapist or a psychologist about it.

Written and edited by: Yash Jayesh Doshi