Overthinkers face daily challenges, worrying about and over analysing even the most insignificant situations.

We are spending more time alone, and being inundated with various forms of online communication has made us more introspective. Suddenly, we are more concerned in regards to how we appear to others and what others really mean when they talk to us. The mind of an overthinker is rarely at peace, always worried about something or another.

Here are 11 struggles all overthinkers can relate to, which will help you understand what it means to be an overthinker or will sound familiar if you are one yourself.

1. Over analysing everything

You might find yourself over analysing a particular situation or something somebody said to you. There are countless possibilities when you start to think deeply, and before you know, it snowballs into a twisted version of your original thought.

2. You find yourself interpreting a situation that happened days ago

Maybe it was an argument or just a normal conversation (well, normal for the other party that is). But you can’t stop thinking about the event and how you would have done or said things differently. Instead, you keep worrying about how events folded out.

3. If you are shopping and you see a friend, but they ignore you… your instant thought is full of hurt

Or are you are overwhelmed with concern for them? Instead of moving on with your day, you can’t stop thinking about the non-meeting that just happened.

4. You know those text messages, the ones you can write a thesis about, analysing their hidden meaning

Whether it is from a friend or a significant other, you can look into it so deeply that a few sentences are given a whole new deeper meaning than possibly intended. Usually, the conclusion is something terrible, am I correct?

5. When something has gone wrong, no one else can imagine the criticism you are putting on yourself

And how you struggle to come to terms with a situation that essentially causes you a lot of distress.

6. Social media has brought on a whole new level of hassle

Trying to understand if whether that tweet was about you, why has so and so unfollowed you on Instagram and so forth.

7. It’s really difficult to live in the moment

Living in the moment can be nearly impossible for someone who breaks down each moment and finds themselves thinking about a particular issue relentlessly.

Instead, you are wondering what is going to happen next or worrying about a past event than just to relax and enjoy the moment.

8. Forget about trying to compartmentalise!

One thought is enough to take over your life, nibbling away at your thoughts no matter how much you try to meditate and clear your head.

9. That breakup was clearly your fault

In case you break up with your loved one, your head is full of thoughts like these: Maybe I did something wrong. What could I have done to make him/her love me more? Why has this happened to me?

10. Thinking a lot does make you more aware of other people’s feelings

Overthinkers are incredibly empathetic creatures, trying their best to figure out what is wrong with other people and how to make them feel better.

11. Sleep and meditation are some of the most difficult things to do

With our minds whirring away with one thought or another, it is really challenging to let ourselves rest.

When you fall sleep while over thinking, the mind remains active as if you were still awake, which is why you wake up tired.

When you fall asleep while overthinking, the mind remains active as if you were still awake. This is why you wake up tired.
-Unknown

Finally, overthinking can lead to over analysing situations or people endlessly, causing anxiety as well as misunderstanding. It turns something that would probably be normal for most people into a distressing and overwhelming experience.

Daily life can be affected and whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up if you are an overthinker.


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This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. luke

    Forgot to mention the burning brains. (maybe its just me)
    Wouldn’t it be wrong to not analyze unpleasant interactions you have with people?
    I don’t think thinking is wrong and may be necessary for some. I’m like a helicopter, if the rotor isn’t spinning then I’m just a wreck. There are pitfalls though. The first pitfall is focusing on one part of the picture and not seeing the whole thing, and should be avoided.
    Another pitfall of figuring something out, but the momentum of your thoughts continues, making a simple situation become complicated and almost always ugly – like a train going too fast and it derailed somewhere past the train station.
    The last pitfall of over-thinkers is using intellectual judgement to try to gain information about a subject, therebye creating false information. Intellect cannot read information, it only interprets it. Intuition reads information but does not interpret it. Gaining information using intuition, then interpret the information with intellect will avoid this pitfall. It will strengthen intuition rather than suffocating it under analysis before it has had a chance to provide the information FOR the analysis.

  2. Dale Trieloff

    Thanks a lot – now I’m overthinking my overthinking! I think.

  3. Ratna Sambhav

    Being in the moment feels so much good and spiriual…now I know the problem with me.

  4. David Annas

    Should I read this article? … maybe it has some good info in it … but maybe it does not … perhaps I should scan it … No, better to either read it all the way through or not at al …

  5. Bnice

    I by nature combine Perfectionism into mine. Hence the extra steps in my ‘deduction’ process. We just CONSIDER all options before committing to a stick. If I could only embrace NIKE’s motto ‘Just Do It’

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