What causes Overthinking? – Part 3

This can be a very frustrating situation because you wonder: “Why do I do this to myself?” But it is important to keep a few things in mind about this process:

• First, it is an automatic self-protection mechanism. Usually, our focus is on real issues (money, relationships, health, children, etc.). It seems to give us a temporary sense of control while we think about these things, but if no solutions come out at the end of this session, then the energy we expend can be unproductively lost.
• We don’t do it on purpose, so be forgiving of yourself and others if you notice it is happening. Thoughts can be automatic and subconscious so they can become habits before we even realise it happens. At night, we don’t go to bed thinking that: “Ok, time for a rumination session. Time for the hamster to start running on the wheel…” Your brain will just do what it has done in the past.

Last week I also gave reasons why this thought process had a negative impact on us and why it is a habit we should break (See here if you missed it).

Understanding the reason why we develop this habit can help in directing our strategy for breaking out of this thought pattern. It can happen for several reasons:

• Not being solution-focused: There is a difference between problem-solving and overthinking about a problem. Problem-solving involves looking for a solution while overthinking is more negative. It’s just dwelling on the problem (whether about the past, which we can’t change or about the future that may not happen). You may think that you are actively looking for a solution and one will appear with enough thinking, but the overthinking loop rarely leads to action. I read an interesting example to differentiate both in article on Very Well Mind (link below). It says to imagine a storm is coming and how to differentiate the thought process between overthinking and problem-solving:
  • Overthinking: “I wish the storm wouldn’t come. It’s going to be awful. I hope the house doesn’t get damage. Why do these things always have to happen to me? I can’t handle this…”
  • Problem-solving: “I will go outside and pick up everything that might blow away. I’ll put sandbags against the garage door to prevent flooding. If we get a lot of rain, I’ll go to the store to buy plywood so I can board up the windows.”

So, in one case it is productive, we have a plan of action that can be immediately acted on, whereas the other fuels unpleasant emotions (fear, helplessness, hopelessness) and no solutions become apparent, our focus is on the problem rather than on the problem-solving.

• Repetitive thoughts: this again can be rumination or worry. Always thinking about the past, the present or the future. Dwelling on mistakes, problems, and shortcomings increases our risk of mental health problems. So, we get stuck in a downward spiral, as our mental health declines we are more likely to ruminate, and our mental health can decline further and so on. As mentioned last week, the impact of overthinking on mental health and of mental health on overthinking cannot be underestimated.
• Your brain won’t shut off: If we don’t allow for thinking time during the day, the brain needs to process information and will take the time when stimulations stops. Therefore, the hamster wheel starts turning and this usually happens at night. This as mentioned last week has a big impact on sleep. It can also lead to anxiety and lower your sleep quality, again it is a downward spiral that can be difficult to halt and get out of.
• Decisions: We have so many to make in a day, from the little things to some that could be considered life changing. No wonder that a lot of what we overthink about involves decisions. We may believe that spending more time thinking about a decision and looking at it from all angles can be beneficial but overanalysing and obsessing actually becomes a barrier. There is research that thinking too much can make it tougher to make decisions. Indecision is actually a sign of an overthinker. It is likely that we waste a lot of time looking for second opinions and researching our options on every little thing when the little choices might not matter as much. On the other hand, if we have made a decision already, we can beat ourselves up over it. We waste a lot of mental energy thinking over the decisions we have already made. We should have seen those red-flags sooner or we shouldn’t have made that decision…. A little self-reflection is healthy and can help you learn form your mistakes, but second-guessing and rehashing is just torture and can take a toll on your mood and your ability to take decisions in the future. This is often a sign of low self-esteem or self-doubt.
• Chronic pain: Rumination is common in people with this issue because of the negative thoughts that can come up about the pain and the perceived low chance of healing from it.
• Personality type: Perfectionists and overachievers have tendencies to overthink because the fear of failing and the need to be perfect can take over and leads to replaying or criticizing decisions and mistakes. An anxious personality can also be more at risk for overthinking.

Types of Overthinking

There are different types of overthinking in addition to the three mentioned last week (rumination about the past, rumination about the present and worry about the future):

• All-or-nothing thinking: Situations are good or bad, total success or total failure. There is a lot of grey in the world and learning to see its shades can be helpful in preventing this type of unproductive and unrealistic thinking. 
• Catastrophizing: We believe that everything is or will be the worst-case scenario, and everything is worse than the reality. These types of thoughts get us worrying about unrealistic scenarios and can increase anxieties about events.
• Overgeneralizing: We base a rule or expectation on future events from a single or random event from the past instead of accepting that different outcomes are possible. Things will “always” or “never” happen… This usually leads to overthinking and worrying about things that may never occur.

There are some medical and mental health reasons that may cause overthinking (including medication) in addition to what is listed here, so if you believe you overthink and none of these causes seem to apply, please consult a professional. Next week I will be looking at tips and tricks to overcome this challenge and so we can stop overthinking, break the cycle, and start acting. There is hope, we just have to put in the work to break the habit.

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

– Bruce Lee

Resources

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-know-when-youre-overthinking-5077069

https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/overthinking.html

https://ipb.ac.id/news/index/2022/09/frequently-overthinking-know-the-cause-and-how-to-overcome-it-from-ipb-university-lecturers/9bde180f3f2bae535522513a7dedc12c