Overthinking: Conquer Anxiety and Improve Mental Health

Have you ever been lying awake at 3 AM, your mind running through endless "what if" scenarios? You're not alone.

Overthinking is a problem a lot of us face and overthinking in general is basically thinking too much about something or over analyzing things which often leads to anxiety and difficulty in making any kind of decisions. It can be from worrying about something coming up, past events or maybe thinking about the worst case scenario of minor issues. While many of us think that overthinking can solve problems or help us make better decisions, in fact it is the opposite. It puts us into a state of constant worry and anxiety.

A study done in 2022 on university students found increased rumination and worry are significantly correlated with poorer mental health outcomes. Specifically, as rumination and worry rise, mental health deteriorates, leading to issues such as anxiety and depression among students.

Similarly an article on overthinking published in 2020 highlighted the effects of overthinking, including anxiety, depression, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. It emphasizes that overthinking can drain emotional energy, impair decision-making abilities, and lead to physical symptoms like headaches and sleep disturbances. The research also highlights how overthinking can prevent individuals from engaging fully with their surroundings and negatively impact relationships.

But why do we overthink? It can result from perfectionism where the desire to do things right leads to excessive self-examination. Past traumatic experiences also tend to make a person overthink, as he or she plays over and over again in the mind the event that has happened and dreads what is yet to come. Low self-esteem also leads people to question their decisions and ability, which tends to overanalyze situations. Sometimes, overthinking is related to mental disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Now that we have seen why we overthink and how it affects us lets see some simple ways that can help us reduce our overthinking

First one that can be helpful for overthinking is checking the evidence of the thought. Write down whatever thought is coming to mind and divide the paper in two halves and on one side write down what is the evidence for the thought being true and on the other side write down what is the evidence for the thought is false. This helps to check the reality of our thoughts and give us a perspective that is based on evidence of how true our thoughts are.

Engage in mindfulness practices. A study conducted in 2023 on The effects of mindfulness practices on well-being supports the relationship between mindfulness practices and enhanced psychological well-being. It provides evidence that engaging in mindfulness can improve emotional regulation and decrease overthinking tendencies. Hence engaging in simple mindfulness activities like using controlled breathing techniques, like diaphragmatic or box breathing, to reduce stress or engaging in grounding exercises like 54321 that is notice 5 things you can see around you, Identify 4 things you can touch or feel, Focus on 3 things you can hear, Recognize 2 things you can smell, Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste or the taste in your mouth. Mindfulness practices involve focusing on the present moment with non-judgmental awareness, this helps to reduce overthinking and promote mental clarity.

Lastly, challenge negative thoughts by reframing them positively. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, consider what could go right or what you've learned from past experience.

Overthinking is a normal condition of human experience; it does not have to control your life. If you can understand how it works and start utilising evidence-based strategies systematically, you could come closer to having a less harmful relationship with your thoughts. Remember, change is gradual, and small steps taken consistently lead to significant transformations starting with noticing your thoughts and engaging in mindfulness practices can help you become aware of your thoughts and help you control your overthinking.

Reference

• Qasim, T. B., Sahar, A., Nihal, T., & Bashir, A. (2022). The effect of overthinking on Mental health: A Case Study from university Students in Multan District. Review of Applied Management and Social Sciences, 5(2), 255-262.

• Syafiq, A. R. M., Libasin, Z., Warris, S. N., & Mustapa, F. H. (n.d.). Think + Think + . . . Think = Overthinking / Ch’ng Pei Eng . . . [et al.] - UiTM Institutional Repository. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/76657/

• Calin, M. F., & Ginara, D. M. (2023). The effects of mindfulness practices on well-being. Technium Soc. Sci. J., 46, 268.