By: Lyn Hazel D. Calawod, OTRP
Ever experienced thinking a thousand thoughts at a rate you couldn’t keep up? Have you spent hours revisiting bad experiences or “what ifs?” Have you held on to guilt, anger, unfinished tasks or fear?
Overthinking can take over your life without you even knowing. Its overall impact on you may even last a lifetime. This “sadistic” inner voice filled with criticism can curb our enthusiasm for life and expand our projected timeline for success.
Overthinking is an exhausting cycle that seems to never end. It’s an experience that not only leaves you mentally dull but also physically-drained.
By definition of Merriam-Webster: overthinking is “to put too much time into thinking about or analyzing (something) in a way that is more harmful than helpful.”
Overthinking is no stranger to a lot of people. It can affect anyone. It affects adults, teenagers, or even children who are constantly subjected to harsh and negative events, or environments.
According to research, people are more inclined to pay attention to negative events than the positive ones. In fact, focusing on positive information about one’s day or life does not seem to be an automatic phenomenon – unless it is trained.
This is a phenomenon of the human brain called “negative bias.”
Over the course of our human evolution, the human brain had to develop a system to keep us out of danger, which was the role negative bias played. It is for the mere purpose of survival. But what happens when you continue to feel hurt due to your thoughts, even without the presence of danger?
When people get into a cycle of overthinking, it usually comes with the ff:
Feeling burnt-out
Overthinking makes you feel so fatigued even without spending energy physically moving around.
It causes your body to produce more stress hormones (cortisol)– that constantly wears you out. After constant overthinking, one can feel so low on energy that restarting your “energy reset button” seems like a difficult task.
Lower self-esteem
Overthinking may cause self-esteem and self-image issues. People who overthink, are usually plagued with self-doubt, making them question if anything they do is good enough. People who constantly second-guess themselves gradually start losing their zest for life.
Type A personalities are more likely to start overthinking compared to their Type B counterparts. Because of their highly-competitive, intense, career-focused and ambition-driven nature, they may tend to overthink in order to achieve their perceived goals.
Overthinkers avoid socialization
People constantly overthinking have less time and energy to spend for other things. Being “in your head” too often may leave less time to develop meaningful social interactions, allowing loneliness to keep coming back around.
As with anything the less practice you have, the more terrifying an experience can be – and for overthinkers, that’s how daunting social gatherings may feel.
“ What if they won’t like what I say?” “I wonder what they’re thinking…” “What should I even say?” These are questions overthinkers constantly try to answer as they interact with other people.
Constant self-monitoring leaves overthinkers analyzing every situation and interaction they’re in, making them wonder if what they’re going through isa positive experience or not. Because of this, people accustomed to overthinking may choose to avoid socialization, altogether. And avoiding socialization will only create more time to be alone with thoughts, which ultimately means more time to ruminate over matters.
It can lead to cardiovascular health issues.
Studies show that more than 32% of patients who experience heart failure have experienced some degree of anxiety.
Overthinking is linked to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. It has been shown that people with generalized anxiety disorders have increased levels of cortisol as well as other forms of brain chemicals related to activation of the “fight or flight” response, making heart attacks and other cardiac events more likely to happen.
The good news, while overthinking may seem difficult to get rid of, it can be unlearned. With the guidance of a mental health professional, you can learn new mental skills and achieve a healthier state of mind.
Whatever you put your focus on, grows. Whether that’s overthinking or positive thinking, that’s up to you. Understanding the dynamics of your mind and how your brain changes can be a powerful tool to help break the cycle of overthinking. We are so lucky to have advanced technology available to us that bridges neuroscience and psychology, showing concrete evidence on how the brain adapts to certain thoughts and emotions. At the end of the day, the habits you hone mold you into the person you choose to be. My question to you is what type of life would you rather have? A life full of overthinking or a life full of living? Why not learn a few self-care and mental skills to help you get what you want out of life.
Hazel is also a commercial model, actress and a hip hop dancer. She loves to travel and is passionate in sports such as MMA, rock climbing and gymnastics.
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