Are You An Over Thinker? – How To Get Out Of Your Head.

Do you ever lose sleep because you have so many thoughts and they keep circulating around? Maybe you’re thinking about past situations over and over, wondering
“what if?” or wondering about the future, it could even be imagined? Yes! You’re probably an over thinker. Basically, it is the act of thinking about something for way too long.

Why do we overthink?

We can sometimes overthink about actual or hypothetical situations. However, for most people they are social situations. In this case people start thinking “why did I say that?”, “what will people think of me now?” or “what did he/she really mean in that text message?” Overthinking can sneak their way into your life slowly.

In most cases, it is about things that haven’t even happened yet. People start over thinking when they’re preparing themselves for something or a situation that is yet to come. Don’t get me wrong though, preparing for a situation can be good and very helpful but the problem comes in when a person gets obsessive.

This can also happen when you are idle. When you are not doing anything, you are more likely to start obsessing over things that you wouldn’t be thinking about if you were busy. This here is the reason why night-time is the main culprit now.

When over thinking starts affecting your wellbeing.

Fixation can be good to give you a good end goal. However, if you find yourself fixated on insignificant things you will end up getting anxious and stressed. Now is probably the right time to take a step back and find out what is causing this over thinking.

Analysis paralysis is when your mind fixates on something. The bigger the thought is the worse you feel – mostly leaving you paralysed by emotions and unable to move on past them. In other words, just thinking a lot will not help with anything. Overthinking is dwelling on something for so long and not taking any action about it.

You might find yourself unable to sleep because you’re playing something over and over again in your head.

Get out of your head

1. First, find out what the pattern is giving you. If you try to talk to your friend or family member might help you know the main cause.
2. You can also distract yourself with doing something you like, or some exercises/workout. You can focus on doing the last reps in the gym, painting, reading or listening to music to distract yourself.
3. You should do some self-care and take care of yourself. We don’t need to exhaust our brains by thinking about things that will stress us out. You should just slow your mind down and focus on breathing can be helpful.
4. You can write down your worries and thoughts – it will help you feel in control and manageable.
5. Once you’ve written down your thoughts do something to divert the attention. You can come back to them later, without them actually taking all your time.
6. If overthinking is impacting your mental health seek professional help eg. A therapist.