If you want to dwell on yourself, apart from reality then it’s a must-do!
What is it?
It is when you frequently think of the same thoughts or actions over and over in your head that disrupts your sanity.
It consists of two domains of thoughts
Worrying about past
Or
Worrying about the future
It feels like being stuck in a big dig hole!
And you can’t get out of it or think of anything else than what you are overthinking.
It keeps you awake at night, makes you less productive, and gives you stress and a lot of nervousness, which is bad for your health and your mind. Ultimately it interferes with your well-being in your daily life.
Not all overthinking is bad, although sometimes it leads to working harder. In the medical field, overthinking comes under a mental disorder Symptoms such as Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and Trauma.
It’s often either CATASTROPHIZING ( thinking about the worst possible outcome very repeatedly) or OVERGENERALIZING (predicting how something would turn out without much evidence).
Overthinking is often done in the non-busy hours, and which keeps you awake.
How does it happen in your brain?
The cerebral cortex (the logical part of the brain that can bring up memories and help us think about and anticipate things)is the fundamental part that is involved in overthinking, says Pittman.
By then the more you get obsessed with one thought and worry about it, you will soon have the amygdala’s attention (the amygdala makes our heart pump)and it will make us feel uneasy with muscle tensions which leads to anxiety disorders and ultimately it is a major risk factor for a Cardiac Arrest (more than someone who consumes alcohol and drugs).
Research says that you can’t sleep because those anxious thoughts are making you think that you are unsafe, which makes you more alert by raising the heart rates and tightening the muscles.
In a study conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego found that people who overthink tend to ruminate about their problems more than those who don’t. They also had higher levels of anxiety and depression. In fact, rumination — the repetitive thought process — is one of the leading factors in developing chronic depression. Rumination can also exacerbate feelings of shame, guilt, and worry as they cause a false perception of things going wrong, even when they aren’t.
This vicious cycle of overthinking causes self-doubts and negative thought patterns which are incredibly hard to cope with.
You need to trick your brain to get over with it
Many tips on the internet to seek help, move yourself, and many, but everything doesn’t work for everyone.
What should I do if I am suffering from depression or anxiety? You can try it.
So telling yourself not to think about something is not to get out of it.
It’s by distracting yourself from something like “Why is my sister mad at me” to “How do humans evolve”.
That’s just an example, but anything that works for you can remove the unwanted thinking.
The other great method that can work here is
Optimization from recognition, which is recognizing your thoughts.
If you’re lying in bed and think about how much “you hate your job or colleagues” then obviously it won’t let you sleep. But if you can give yourself to look and think forward to something good then that, would be a great trick. Such as — a nice breakfast, a walk with your loved one, or your favorite game or book, psychologists suggest this trick can replace negatives which keep you awake with the hope that not everything is bad in your life.
Researchers suggest Optimism is the best source for good sleep. You should have something great to optimize, to neglect the unwanted thoughts.
THE MUST WATCH THAT I REFER IS https://youtu.be/29Vj0-TVHiQ?si=8Lj7anMOYSOzRzOo a great TEDx.
To sum
It’s surmised that, was not to overthink things or strive to overachieve, but to let life happen.
-Bukowski
Just get out with the overthinking, and feel the peace and good sleep that nature wants to offer you by start living!
Thank you for reading!
