If you find yourself obsessively thinking about past mistakes or worrying about future events, you may be an over thinker. Have you ever heard of the phrase “making a mountain out of a molehill”? That is what your brain does when you are overthinking. Even the simplest thought or event can turn into the most horrific, dramatic encounter.

It is normal for anyone to overthink situations once in a while. However, some people find themselves overthinking so much that it takes a huge toll on their mental, emotional, and physical health. If you leave your negative thoughts uncontrolled, you will feel hopeless and miserable. Your problems will feel much bigger than they are and you will not be able to move on from that problem state to a more productive solution state. Every problem has the potential to teach us something valuable, both about us and the world around us.  Our problems help us grow in life. After all, most of the great inventions started as a single creative idea to solve an existing problem or a need.

What is Overthinking?

Overthinking is defined as uncontrollably thinking about something too much and for too long. The problem is that the subconscious mind does not understand the difference between an actual or imagined event from now, past, or future. Therefore, even if the person is only imagining the past or a future worst-case scenario, their subconscious minds, as well as their physical body, will enter fight or flight mode.  They will suffer by either feeling anxious (fight symptom) or hopeless/depressed (flight symptom).

Some people who overthink, tend to ruminate about the past while others worry about the future. Ruminating occurs when someone obsessively dwells on a negative, past event. For example, they might regret a life decision or something they said. The person often wants to change what happened in the past. The problem is that you can not go back and change the past, therefore dwelling on your past is unproductive. Instead, using that past experience as a learning experience  is a much healthier way to live a fulfilling life.  The individual learns to let go and move on. 

Worrying about the future is also harmful. When a person overthinks about the future, they might come up with worst-case scenarios that could happen about a future event. Their body and mind will react as if that worst-case scenario is actually happening and they will suffer. Examples of worrying include having anxiety about an upcoming work presentation, worrying about your spouse divorcing you, or being fired. Instead of spending energy worrying about the future, doing your best and visualizing the best outcome of any situation is recommended.  That way, your mind can calm down and start seeing the hidden opportunities in every situation.

Symptoms of Overthinking

Overthinking has several harmful symptoms and consequences. Here are just some of the common ways overthinking can negatively impact your life.

• Insomnia might emerge – Overthinking can interrupt your sleeping and create chronic insomnia. Over time, lack of sleep can also cause anxiety, depression, and more negative thought patterns to emerge. Your mind and body need a deep relaxing 7-8 hours of sleep every night to recharge themselves and start a new day with a fresh mind and more physical energy.

• Your decisions suffer – Overthinking can cause your stress hormone, cortisol, to increase. The constant release of cortisol keeps your body in a flight-or-fight mode which can cloud your judgment and limit cognitive abilities over time.

• You miss opportunities – Since overthinking can cause you to make up worst-case scenarios, your mind has created too many negative options which affects your ability to act. For example, you will not end up going to the important job interview you have been nervous about or ask someone out even though that person might be a good potential for a lifelong partnership.

• Your creativity suffers – Your mind is preoccupied with your obsessive worrying and ruminating. There is less mental space for new and creative ideas to flourish.

• You become exhausted – Yes, you will become mentally fatigued and your energy levels will go down. It takes a lot of mental work to overthink. Your brain is in constant go mode and you get burnt out from working your brain so hard. It leaves less energy to actually live your life daily.

Causes of Overthinking

Overthinking occurs for many different reasons. We have outlined some of the most common reasons why one might find themselves overthinking.

1. Fear of failure – If you had an overly critical or not supportive parent in your childhood, you might grow up ashamed of being criticized and your self-value might have been attached to your accomplishments in your subconscious mind. In that case, you will fear failing which will cause you to become anxious and overthink about future events or ruminate extensively about past mistakes.

2. Your desire for control – You cannot control other people’s actions; you can only control your reaction. Your desire to control other people’s actions or events and situations that are out of your control like economic recessions or natural disasters is a waste of your energy and time because worrying about it does not stop it from happening.

3. Caring too much about what other people think – Your desire to please everyone else will constantly cause you to overthink and suffer. If you attach your sense of worth to other people’s opinions, you will overanalyze every situation. “How did that make me look?” “I wonder what he thinks about me?” “Will they be upset if I speak out?”. Caring too much about other people’s opinions is a major source of overthinking for many people.

4. Your surroundings and environment – If you are surrounding yourself with toxic people that criticize everything you do or have unrealistic expectations, then you are likely to live your life in anxiety because you are constantly trying to satisfy these people.

If your quality of life is suffering because you cannot stop over-thinking, hypnotherapy can help with interrupt and change these unhealthy patterns and take back control of your life.

Contact our office today to schedule a session and take a step towards a more fulfilling, happier, and productive life.