Overthinking - Anyone else?

hgotsparkle

I'm a nightmare, I drive everyone mad because if theres something tiny bothering me, I won't stop going on about it and I always think the worst will happen, and I do have this strange impulse around it, almost like preparing myself for the worst, but I feel that if I don't worry about something, something bad will come from it and I almost force myself into worrying over nothing.

missprice

The smaller the "thing" the more I think about it.
Drives me mad some days.
So any big decision to make and I am fine, just make my choice and get on with it.
Short conversation with someone and I have it going around and around.
Had two last week, one preyed on my mind for 3 days, the other I still cringe at. Yet its over now so what's the point of still thinking about it.
I also smiled ( slightly insanely) at someone on Friday night, I was so pleased to see the person I just gave a huge grin, now I think it was insane to grin like that and I will bump into that person some time this week.
Most of the time I have normal conversations honest!!!

dawyldthing

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

I find exercise also helps, especially walking. There's somehing very soothing about repetitive motion. Getting it down in writing is also very helpful too as Duchy says.

Identifying the problem is the first step towards solving it though, so well done on getting this far. I used to be terrible for this but have got much better over the last few years

I walk to work and surprise myself how many problems I solve with a) walking and b) time to think to myself without the TV, someone yakking, distractions. Definately helps

dawyldthing

In fact the amount of times I bump into people I know and don't acknowledged them as I'm deep in thought is crazy really

Orlando_Virgin

I find it really interesting to read some of the comments! I don't get phased by the small things in life, I just sort of breeze through. But when it comes to the big stuff, I evaluate too many situations and possible outcomes, to the point where I actually struggle to get to one, because I get so bogged down in thought about what might happen.

The craziest thing of all is, I know I do it, and need to stop doing it because I'm fine 90% of the time, but I can't seem to stop it!!:mad:

lindens

I'm really bad at this too. Things that are happening here and now, like i'll over analise why someone used that tone of voice etc.
But the thing that drives me insane is things that happened years and years ago, i will still analise them! About how i regret saying or doing something, and how it made such and such happen. What if i'd said this or that instead. It goes round and round my head and I hate it!
i think i may get that CBT for dummies book, thanks

robin_banks

I think we all are guilty of overthinking things tbh, it's the about what etc that makes us different;

From todays The Times;
Excessive worry and anxiety may be seen by some as the symptoms of an addled mind, but a study suggests that those who fret the most are also the cleverest.
Researchers at Lakehead University, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, studied 126 students, examining their mood and asking them about anxiety, depression and their social skills, while also testing their intelligence.

Full article only available on subscription sadly..Bit it bears out what I've kinda observed and feel.

I too overthink small stuff, especially at work (where I'm a git for detail) and seem to pay little heed to the more important things, which has been to my cost. On more than one occasion.

I'd actually be very intruiged to see how this is borne out in gender, i.e. do women overthink the more 'emotional' stuff and men the 'practical'?

There seems to be quite an imbalance in the sample of the study I quoted 75% female, this may be that women are happier sharing their thoughts on this than men. Which again wouldn't surprise me.

jaylee3

Orlando Virgin, you are not alone. I tend to be like this sometimes. I worry about things where there is no need whatsoever to worry! I think about future possible scenarios that will probably never happen! This post would be 5000 words long if I went into it thoroughly!

All the advice given on here by all the posters is good. But know that you are not alone. As you have observed, even some people on this board are the same.

Orlando_Virgin

jaylee3 wrote: »

Orlando Virgin, you are not alone. I tend to be like this sometimes. I worry about things where there is no need whatsoever to worry! I think about future possible scenarios that will probably never happen! This post would be 5000 words long if I went into it thoroughly!

All the advice given on here by all the posters is good. But know that you are not alone. As you have observed, even some people on this board are the same.

Yeah I was surprised by how many people responded so quickly. I think that some people are a bit different to me, they seem to fret on some of the smaller things in life, like why someone said such a thing, or looked a certain way etc. I tend to reflect far too much when considering a change. I look too much in to the past and think about what has happened, rather than how I can look forward. I have multiple on/off relationships because of this, because I am always trying to recapture what I have had in my past, or am being affected by something that I have related the situation to from my past.

Does that make any sense?!? Haha, I do make myself laugh at times, I swear some of my close mates want to strangle me!!

jaylee3

Orlando_Virgin wrote: »

Yeah I was surprised by how many people responded so quickly. I think that some people are a bit different to me, they seem to fret on some of the smaller things in life, like why someone said such a thing, or looked a certain way etc. I tend to reflect far too much when considering a change. I look too much in to the past and think about what has happened, rather than how I can look forward. I have multiple on/off relationships because of this, because I am always trying to recapture what I have had in my past, or am being affected by something that I have related the situation to from my past.

Does that make any sense?!? Haha, I do make myself laugh at times, I swear some of my close mates want to strangle me!!

LOL, you poor thing.