What is over-thinking?

Problematic powers of the mind are destructive, distressful, misleading, paralyzing, and over-thinking is one of them.

Over-thinking, ruminating or over-analyzing are problematic ways of thinking with harmful psychological effects. Over-thinking is the way of replaying past conversations, situations or interpersonal interactions. Over-thinking is like a record that is stuck and it repeats the same lyrics. It is a problematic cycle of the mind.

Is over-thinking harmful?

Over-thinking develops many personal psychological problems and complicates relationships. It grows into anxiety, depression, traumatizing stress, co-dependency, conflicts with others, low-self-esteem, obsessions or other negative emotional consequences. Interaction with others, communication, self-expression are greatly affected by over-thinking and over-thinkers fail creating healthy relationships. 

Over-thinkers remember rather negative and they tend to filter or interpret most situations negatively as they miss insight. They experience painful emotions generated by negative thinking patterns and recurred psychological distress. They might feel hopeless or helpless, unable to resolve problems because they are preoccupied by the problems. They frustrate others, friends and family might struggle with them.

Why do people over-think?

Over-thinkers have problems to direct their thoughts. Repetition in the mind develops false beliefs and it “alternates their reality” because over-thinkers don’t distinguish their thoughts from facts. Some people are more prone to be preoccupied with their thoughts or themselves.For others, over-thinking might be learned rigid thinking patterns that reinforce the cycle. Over-thinking can develop by living in stress or fear.

Can over-thinking be changed?

Generally,  over-thinking is a form of distorted cognitive (thinking) patterns that don’t change by themselves only by training. Fortunately, the mind is trainable and it can “overwrite” by new functional patterns.  

What to do to reduce over-thinking?

• you have to recognize the nonconstructive patterns of thinking
• honest and open communication minimizes over-thinking
• foster positive feelings, interests, hobbies
• harmonious relationships minimize over-thinking
• focus how to resolve not on the problmes themselves
• self-expression and talking to others help
• communicating problems and getting insight of someone who you trust can illuminate a problem from different angles
• activate and occupy your mind wiht meaningful and relevant activities
• self-reflection helps to recognize the opinion of others
• consider validity of your thoughts
• positive self-reflection focuses on the concrete facts

• mental & physical activities releasing stress and fear always act as antidotes