“Overthinking ruins you. Ruins the situation, twists it around, makes you
worry and just makes everything much worse than it actually is.” - Unknown
I share a lot of memes on my IG Story about enjoying my own company, or always wanting to be left alone. On one of these memes a reader asked me, "Doesn’t staying alone lead you to overthink?" which got me thinking (!!!) and hence this post.
I suppose “over-thinking” usually applies to thoughts that are worrying and giving stress. Or it implies that there is an acceptable level of thinking that can be performed on any given subject (don’t know by whose standards) and after reaching that “said” level all human beings collectively should stop thinking.
I do get the question, I just don’t get society’s assumptions and judgements around every activity. So while I take objection to that phrase on purely logical grounds I do believe that thinking-for-the-sake-of-thinking can be a futile activity, especially if it is causing mental or physical harm to oneself.
I’d probably use the word “pondering” instead of “thinking”. I ponder a lot. It is what I call an optimum amount of thinking which eventually either helps me reach a solution or a conclusion. Both of which are adequate results for my peace of mind.
Overthinking can take many forms: endlessly deliberating when making a decision (and then questioning the decision), attempting to read minds, trying to predict the future, reading into the smallest of details, etc. I don’t relate of any of these behaviors. I am always steadfast in my decisions once I have made them. ‘What ifs’ and ‘shoulds’ never dominate my thinking. There is no jury sitting in judgement on my life. I am not an expert but I can say from experience that worrying/over-thinking is a mental habit that can be broken. One can train one's brain to look at life from a different perspective.
You can tame your overthinking habit if you can start taking a grip on your self-talk — that inner voice that provides a running monologue throughout the day and even into the night. Pay a little more attention. Find a constructive way of processing any worries or negative thoughts. I write my thoughts down in a journal. Sometimes that can afford a sense of relief. Becoming self-aware of my emotions and train-of-thought helps me take control. "Change your thoughts and you can change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale
Location - Home
First of all love the pink dress so Jackie O. I loved living by myself the few years I did before I married. Love the independence.
ReplyDeleteI love your outfit! And I'm prone to overthinking but I've always been like that so I don't know if it has to with being alone or just my personality type lol!
ReplyDeleteLizzie
www.lizzieinlace.com
Love the pink dress and the necklace just make it perfect. Lovely outfit and can be wore for office and date night.
ReplyDeleteSome great points here. Don't believe thinking a lot is necessarily bad unless it becomes debilitating or affects your mental health. Love your perspective. xoxo, Sarah
ReplyDeleteYou know what I really crave for? It is some alone time for myself. Whenever I get the chance to just be by myself, I do not overthink, instead, I use that time to calm my mind and collect my thoughts. It is a time for me to recharge and I am happy with that. Love your dress, BTW.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling loving this dress and get up because it's lovely. You know I love pink, and truthfully being left alone allows me to get things done and not be bothered while trying to do it!
ReplyDeleteThe dress looks lovely on you. Pink is not my colour, but your points about the overthinking is really good.
ReplyDeleteI super super love that dress on you! The color and the style look so awesome on you, wow.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing read! Also, I love your outfit, so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI definitely overthink when I'm on my own. I hate it. I feel so much better when I'm around people :)
ReplyDeleteLouise x
oh Tanvi ! that dress looks really stunning on you and i just adore the colour perfect for summer season x kind regards Pati Robins at style squeeze
ReplyDeleteLove the dress so pretty! And I am such an overthinker!
ReplyDeleteI'm similar to you- love my alone time and would definitely say I ponder rather than overthink, worry, etc. Love your pink dress!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely overthink things sometimes, but one of my favorite places to be is alone! Love the dress and shoes by the way!
ReplyDeleteI tend to overthink too - totally feel you! But I think it can be healthy if you channel your thinking and journal. Love your necklace, so cute!
ReplyDeleteThis is a gorgeous dress. I could totally imagine wearing this to the office or out on a date night! So cute Xx.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with everything you said in this post. My therapist tells me the best thing I can do is be productive and active or I will let myself fall into a deep dark hole of thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThis pink dress is gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteRachel
www.hello-her.com
I've enjoyed this time of reflection in quarantine. I'm normally so busy and on the go, that I don't like to be left alone with my thoughts but this has been refreshing!
ReplyDeletesuch an interesting post! there can be times when i overthink when i'm alone but i've tried to get a better grip on unproductive thoughts!
ReplyDeletekileen
cute & little
!00% YES for me personally. This has definitely been something I've worked on over the last several years, but even more so during quarantine!
ReplyDeleteI'm an over-thinker, I'll admit. It's important to recognize when you're doing it, like you said. Ps. Love the dress.
ReplyDeleteXx, Nailil
thirtyminusone.com
I have been doing a lot of overthinking during this pandemic! Makes me too nervous and scared! But taking a step back and put things in perspectives.
ReplyDelete