Asking questions can help an overthinker process how they feel. If they're being quiet and it's obvious they're deep in thought, ask them what's on their mind. If they express an idea or thought, pepper them with follow-up questions to hear more about where they're coming from.
Overthinking is caused due to various reasons like fear, intolerance to uncertainty, trauma, or perfectionism. Overthinking can also be a symptom of already existing mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, or depression.
Overthinking can be an early indicator or symptom of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. To stop overthinking, you can try challenging your thoughts, reaching out to loved ones for support, or talking to a mental health professional for extra help.
The Dangers Of Overthinking
It can take a serious toll on your well-being. Research says dwelling on your shortcomings, mistakes, and problems increases your risk of mental health problems. And as your mental health declines, your tendency to ruminate increases, which can lead to a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
Overthinking is patronizing a person, demeaning their thoughts and punishing them for thinking. There is no authoritative stance on the act of thinking, and there is no acceptable way of telling someone their thoughts are invalid. When I am “overthinking”, what I'm often doing is simply thinking.
“Don't get too deep, it leads to over thinking, and over thinking leads to problems that don't even exist in the first place.” “While you were overthinking, you missed everything worth feeling.” “If you want to conquer overthinking, bring your mind to the present moment and reconnect it with the immediate world.”
Most experts agree that certain anxiety disorders, which are often linked to overthinking, have a genetic component, but are also influenced by environment. You may be an overthinker because you inherited it genetically – or because you were raised by someone who created an environment of anxiety or stress.
The good news is that just as with many behaviors that harm mental wellbeing, overthinking is something that can be changed. It takes some effort, but keeping your overthinking to a minimum is 100% feasible and 1000% worth the work.
Although many use the words worry and anxiety interchangeably; the two are very different psychological states. According to Psychology Today, “Worry tends to be more focused on thoughts in our heads, while anxiety is more visceral in that we feel it throughout our bodies.”
Since you are always stressing about one thing or another, you struggle to live in the present moment. In fact, overthinking can kill the joy of dating, meeting new people and enjoying what the current moment has to offer. Overthinking can make you assume negative consequences and jump to false conclusions.
The causes of catastrophic thinking can depend on the person, but the basic answer is often some sort of anxiety-related condition. This may include Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which can cause obtrusive worrying about worst-case scenarios.
Overthinking changes the structure and connectivity of the brain leading to mood disorders therefore it can lead to mental illnesses such as anxiety, stress, and depression. Moreover, it can decrease your energy to focus and can affect your problem solving and decision making power.
Overthinking often involves ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. Overthinking isn't the same as healthy problem-solving. Problem-solving consists of thinking about a difficult situation when necessary. Overthinking, on the other hand, involves dwelling on the problem.
The ADHD brain also gets easily consumed. This means ADHD and overthinking kind of go hand in hand. The ADHD brain grasps hold of your thoughts and runs away with them, while emotions keep the engine running.
Do you often find yourself worrying about everyday issues for no obvious reason? Are you always waiting for disaster to strike or excessively worried about things such as health, money, family, work, or school? If so, you may have a type of anxiety disorder called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Essentially, overthinking often boils down to a lack of trust in others due to being hurt or abandoned, past relational trauma, feeling insecure, or wanting to control things that are external from oneself.
Overthinkers are often highly empathetic and passionate people. However, this care and concern for others, and the insatiable desire to feel that you are doing well, can sometimes overtake the actual doing of things.