8 Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know [Avoid this]

Raising anything to its maximum capacity is great, but when it exceeds its maximum capacity, it leads to a problem.

The same with overthinking, oversharing, overworking, overloving, and overtrusting.

I’m an over-thinker and I understand when someone tells you to stop overthinking.

It doesn’t work that way because overthinking is a part of your personality.

Overthinking is bad because you end up creating problems that don’t exist and creating scenarios that will never happen.

You may doubt your decisions and choices because you have a lot in your head. But it’s not completely bad.

There’s a bright and useful quality of an over-thinker personality that’s underestimated. Over-thinkers are deep thinkers and have meaningful thoughts.

They see what most people don’t see. If this quality is integrated with problem-solving skills, a powerful and wise person will be born.

Most over-thinkers are introverted; but I know many extroverts who are overthinkers, and most of the great minds who walked on this earth are overthinkers. They are:

Elon Musk
Nikola Tesla
Buddha
Mahatma Gandhi
Warren Buffet
Albert Einstein
J.K. Rowling
Mark Zuckerberg

But what’s the difference between you and all the great over-thinkers? They have managed to control their overthinking habits.

That’s the main quality you should strive to acquire; it takes time, and I understand that.

You shouldn’t be ashamed of that quality or reject it. You have to accept it and control it. Let’s move on to the things you need to know as an over-thinker.

Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know

1. The problem isn’t big as you think it’s

8 Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know - 1 — The problem isn’t big as you think it’s

You cause more harm to yourself by thinking more about the problem. When in reality, it’s not big as you think it’s.

The only issue which causes you more harm is the way you think about the problem. As Seneca once quoted:

“We Suffer More In Imagination Than In Reality.”
Seneca

Example: If you have a presentation and you are worried about your performance.

You will start overthinking too much and creating fake scenarios about your performance.

You will come up with scenarios like:

People will laugh at you
You may make a mistake
The project is bad

This way of thinking is the only problem. I’ve learned to accept that I’ll never be perfect and give my best.

The best advice I gave myself was to shut up the fake feedback I create in my head when I’m in front of the audience.

I always tell myself: “It doesn’t matter if my presentation is bad in someone’s eye, I’ll give my best“. This type of thinking has solved many problems.

2. Accept rejection

8 Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know - 2 — Accept rejection

As an over-thinker, the main reason most over-thinkers don’t dare to shoot their shot is self-rejection.

You create false rejection scenarios which make you lose the motivation to dare to do something.

If you think you will be rejected for an opportunity, apply
If you think that girl will reject you, approach her anyway
If you think your joke isn’t that funny, post it

Never accept the false rejection created by overthinking.

Research shows that our brain has a built-in negative bias that causes us to focus on bad things. It’s hardwired.

Now you can shift your thoughts to a positive perspective and start thinking more about the positive things that can happen.

This will increase your confidence and makes you see many different possibilities.

3. Embrace silence and observe your thoughts

8 Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know - 3 — Embrace silence and observe your thoughts

We are taught in school that the only way to solve a hard problem is to think more. But this way stays in school only.

In life, most problems are solved with less thinking. In one of the famous quotes by Albert Einstein, he said:

“I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.”
Albert Einstein

You need a clear mind to solve a complex problem. To achieve that, you need to swim in silence. You achieve that by observing your thoughts.

Read: 10 Introvert quotes That are just for introverts

4. Criticizing yourself for past mistakes won’t change the future

8 Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know - 4 — Criticizing yourself for past mistakes won’t change the future

When you start overthinking about your mistakes and seeing repeated disasters, ask yourself:
“How will this positively influence my future, or is there anything I can do to change the situation I’m in? “

If the answer is yes, take immediate action.
If the answer is no, you can’t control it; let go of it.

5. Realize the power of the present

8 Things Every Over-thinker Needs to know - 5 — Realize the power of Now

Overthinking doesn’t make a better future or past. All you have is now. Take it from a different perspective:

Your future is 3 years from now. When that time comes, it becomes the present. To have a better future, you have to focus on the present moment. We live in an eternal now.

What you do in the present moment can make good for your future.

Make peace with yesterday, let go of tomorrow, and grab hold of Now.

Read: 8 Skills that are Hard to Learn but will Payoff Forever