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Have you ever noticed that when we start overthinking about something small, it suddenly feels much bigger than it actually is? Overthinking is that kind of thinking that is not healthy because it involves focusing on something to the extent of becoming a nuisance. It gnaws at you from the inside, it makes even the slightest of problems become enormous and your head is just full of negative thoughts.

Let's say something completely normal happens, like a friend doesn't reply to a message or someone behaves a bit differently. A regular person might notice it, think, "Maybe they're just busy," and move on. But an overthinker? Their mind takes off: "Are they ignoring me? Did I do something wrong? Maybe they're upset with me. Do they want to end our friendship?" And blah blah blah—this kind of thinking spirals into a never-ending chain of worries.

The first major problem with overthinking is how it impacts your mental health. You feel anxious and cannot get a break from it, your brain is always active and racing. You are always preoccupied with something, and more often than not, it is something unpleasant. Your mind becomes so consumed with potential future scenarios that you forget to enjoy the present. You take a very normal event and complicate it in your head to the point where it is nearly impossible to avoid.

Another big downside to overthinking is that it messes with your ability to make decisions. If you think too much, even the simplest of decisions will be hard to come by. You find yourself constantly wondering whether to do this or that, what if I choose this and it turns out to be wrong, what if I choose that and it turns out to be wrong? It means you either cannot make a decision or take so long making a decision that someone else makes it for you and most of the time, it does not make you happy.

I remember a friend who wanted to change jobs. Every day, he would call me, saying, "Should I accept this offer? But what if the new job isn’t good? And what if I leave my current job and regret it?" He got so caught up in his thoughts that he ended up missing the deadline for the new job offer. He remained at his previous workplace, but the excessive pondering had taken a toll on him to the extent that he did not find satisfaction in anything.

Well, how does one avoid overthinking? First of all, it is crucial to understand that overthinking is not something that appears out of the blue. It is quite rigid habit but not unyielding; it can be shattered, though not easily. You have to know how to manage your thoughts. Just like you take care of your physical health, you need to look after your mental health too.

One way to combat overthinking is to ask yourself, "Is this thought actually helping me? Is it solving any problem, or am I just making it worse?" If the answer is no, stop the thought right there. Distract your mind—start a new activity, talk to a friend, or do something that makes you happy.

Another method is to start writing down your thoughts. Writing is a way of externalizing thoughts and when you write them down you are able to look at them objectively. Sometimes, when you see them, you discover that they are not as big of a problem as you had thought in your mind. But before you write them down, they have already become a monster in your head.

Lastly, keep your expectations realistic. Overthinking is most likely to occur when one has high expectations of life or people in the society. You want it to be perfect, but life is not like that, it is not going to work like that. The earlier you accept this, the better for you it will be.

Life is short, and if we spend it overthinking, are we really living? Enjoy each moment, don't sweat the small stuff, and don't spend your time sinking in your head. Remember, overthinking is a killer that slowly steals your happiness, your peace, and your life. You need to protect yourself from this killer—never let it take control of you.

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I trust that you enjoyed reading my post. 😊

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^{Author: @waqarahmadshah | Date: 18-Aug-2024 | Achievement 1}