If you are too much of a deep thinker

Can you keep repeating the conversation in your head after that shitty mess? Do you dwell on every choice and often get tangled up in what else scenarios? Hi. Then the chance that you are a overthinker is quite large. The funny thing is: research has shown that many overthinkers think they are doing themselves a favor by sorting everything out and flipping through their thoughts, but actually, it’s a dangerous game that your mind plays with you. How is it that we sometimes create moments where the worries about the problem are worse than the problem itself? And, what happens in your body if you are an overthinker? Here it comes.

Your energy level drops
Phew, thinking takes energy, you know. Your brain generates a ton of different thoughts and scenarios that ultimately may not be productive at all. Mental energy without any form of physical outlet can make you feel like you are really exhausted.

Additionally: with too many doom thoughts, your body automatically produces cortisol, the stress hormone.
Over time, a constant release of cortisol can cause a burnout. It’s actually just like driving your car in the wrong gear. Your engine is running but you’re not getting far. Yikes.

It’s not exactly good for your sleep.

It wasn’t really the intention, but suddenly you have ceiling duty because your mind keeps racing. Your body needs to be in a state of rest to sleep – your heart rate needs to drop, just like your blood pressure and breathing. With overanalyzing, you can drive yourself crazy as much as you want, especially if the thoughts are more anxious.

The chance that you actually take action is smaller.
Because you outline so many options, choices, and scenarios in your head, you can ultimately hardly make a decision. Your very first gut feeling gets suppressed because suddenly so many other inputs come to mind, causing you to make choices that may not suit you at all.

Thinking too much hinders your creativity.
Example: a study from Stanford. Multiple participants were asked to illustrate a drawing. The more difficult the images were to draw, the more the participants had to think and the less creative their drawings were. On the other hand: the fewer thoughts involved, the more creative the drawings were. Long story short: overthinking seems to hinder creativity.

Your appetite can change drastically.

For some, it can suppress appetite, but usually, overthinkers suddenly eat more from a feeling of stress. And preferably high-fat and high-sugar foods if possible, under the name ‘comfort food’. That lovely cortisol, the stress hormone I mentioned earlier, also increases your appetite. Tsss. The bastard.

We all don’t want that, right? I thought so. Are you overanalyzing an unpleasant situation? Here’s what to do.

• The first step is to notice that you are overthinking and to become aware of what is going on.
• Have you thought of more than three possibilities or what-if scenarios? Bingo, you’ve got an overthinking session.
• Try to distract yourself. Do something active, think about jogging or trying yoga.
• Don’t fight the problem, let it flow through you and accept that you just feel exhausted, empty, and crappy for a moment.
• Just breathe in and out really deeply for a moment. This helps lower your heart rate and connect with your body – which in turn clears your mind.
• Still stressed? Keep a worry journal. Write down a list of everything you are worried about or what you need to do for twenty minutes before going to sleep. The process of writing has a processing effect on your brain to help get it out of that spin cycle.
• Still stressed? Talking to a friend can also make you realize that something that seems terrrrrible or complex really isn’t that complicated.
• Still stressed? Talking to a therapist can also make you realize that something that seems terrrrrible or complex really isn’t that complicated.
• And finally: mindfulness and meditation are the key to peace in your body. They help reset your mind.

Good luck, overthinker. You can do it.