Are you a person who thinks too much about certain situations? If you're about to have an important conversation, how much time do you spend thinking about everything you're going to say? With these simple questions you can already get an idea of ​​what the act of “overthinking” is all about.
The English term “overthinking” is used in psychology to describe the behavior of a person who spends a lot of time thinking about something. It can be a thought about life itself, about work, about a relationship, about an exam, about a project or about an event.
If the English word were translated literally into Portuguese, it would be something like “thinking exaggeratedly”. This excess of thoughts can be both positive thoughts and negative thoughts. You need to be more careful, of course, when negative thoughts are the ones that take over your mind for an extended period of time.
What causes overthinking?
Yale University in the United States of America conducted a study on overthinking with 1.300 people in 2016. This was the first survey to be conducted on the topic, and the results were alarming. It was identified that women tend to overthink more often than men. Furthermore, 63% of young adults and 52% of adults in their 40s can be classified as overthinkers.
Overthinking is caused by many factors and is very present today. Access to information and the consequent overload of content on the part of social networks stimulates thinking about the most varied topics, without a break to rest. Lack of time is another aggravating factor for overthinking, as everything must be resolved quickly, causing the mind to think about several topics at once.
Instead of people who are excessive thinkers thinking in a linear and organized way, they end up building countless confusing mind maps with subjects they don't even relate to. They feel a need to solve all the problems at once and try to mentally construct the scenes they are yet to experience. Overthinking is a tiring exercise.
What are the consequences of overthinking?
In addition to the exhaustion caused by overthinking, other negative consequences are triggered by overthinking. According to the article “Rumination as a mechanism linking stressful life events to symptoms of depression and anxiety: longitudinal evidence in early adolescents and adults”, produced in 2013 by American researchers, overthinking can trigger mental disorders.
It should be considered that, at the time of writing the article, the term used for overthinking was “rumination”, translated as “rumination” – the act of ruminating or brooding over an idea. In other words, overthinking. Regardless of the term used to describe this phenomenon, it is this process that can develop anxiety.
Anxiety is excessive worry about the future. A person who feels fear or insecurity ends up with a mind polluted by thoughts that relate to what he fears. A situation that is approaching or something unknown, such as the professional future, can generate overthinking. Overthinking the issue will build anxiety for the event to happen soon, in order to silence overthinking.
In this case, it will be necessary to carry out a professional psychological follow-up. Anxiety is a mental disorder that cannot be resolved on its own. If overthinking becomes difficult to deal with, a medical professional is the most appropriate help to deal with this issue.
Abandone o overthinking
1) Set limits
When we place limits on an issue, it fails to open up countless avenues in which we can think. Overthinking can be stopped if we organize a topic into topics and evaluate each of them, organizing thinking clearly and objectively. Limit your thoughts so they are more accurate.
2) Write a diary
Journaling doesn't have to be an obligation or a commitment. You can use your journal when you feel like you are overthinking an issue. Turning your thoughts into words will bring materiality to them. As long as you're just thinking, maybe you won't get tired of thinking. When writing, however, you will see that it makes no sense to spend hours writing the same thing.
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3) Distance yourself from the issue
Overthinking can be stimulated by certain environments and by some people. If you are in a place with a lot of visual or auditory stimuli, or if you are talking to a person who asks a lot of questions about a certain issue, try moving away a little. Detaching from this issue can bring more clarity to when the time comes to act on it.
4) Be optimistic
Another factor that encourages overthinking is pessimism. A series of negative thoughts begins to take shape and creates fear and insecurity about a certain topic. Therefore, by adopting optimistic thoughts, in addition to thinking less about the issue, you will assume a new way of looking at the problem, and may even find a solution for it.
5) Adopt an attitude
Overthinking can be easily stopped if you choose to act on what you are thinking. Instead of spending hours considering what you can do or what could happen, take action and put an end to uncertainty. It's a way to resolve the issue and prevent it from returning to your mind.
