so i’ve been dealing with this for a while and i just wanted to see if anyone else feels the same. i overthink everything. like, small stuff that probably doesn’t matter at all.
someone doesn’t reply fast? i think i annoyed them.
i say something weird in a convo? i replay it in my head all day.
i get invited somewhere? i think maybe they invited me just to be polite.
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You don’t stop overthinking by thinking less, you stop by caring less about being perfect
Start assuming good intent by default, and let silence mean nothing instead of everything
you have anxiety issues. Askvuour gp for a referral to a psychiatrist abd you beed either ssris pr some other form of anti depressant
Couple of tips from a chronic overthinker.
You don’t beat thinking with more thinking, you need to counteract it with actions.
Focused meditation helped me a lot:
you basically sit and focus on your breath. Whenever you feel like your attention is drifting away to toughts and worries, focus again on your breath. This will teach your brain to stay on the present moment.
For me it was truly life changing
Physical activity:
You move your body and shift your focus from your own head to an external task. When you are trying to catch your breath running or you got more than 100 kg and back squatting is very hard to overthink
Journaling
Put your toughts on paper. There is a tecnique called expressive writing where you basically write non stop about something that you are worried about for 15 minutes straight, every day. I used that to cope with embarassing memories and anxiety.
I hope this was useful
Try putting your thoughts somewhere down. Copy, notes app or maybe even ChatGPT, can help
You’re already on the right track. Admitting that you have a problem dealing with certain negative thought patterns is key to being able to change them. When you sense that you are starting to obsess, change your mind. Count in your head while forcing yourself to focus on something else.
Journal, tackle dishes, or laundry, keep counting, watch some TV, or grab a book. Anything to start new habits and ways of thinking that veer your brain away from negative thought fixations. Good luck