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An overthinker's guide to survival

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  I will open by saying this: I should practice what I preach more often, so consider this the first step to recovery. Whenever someone says “you’re getting ahead of yourself” or “that’s too far ahead, I can't think about that now” I like to respond with “it’s because I am playing chess, not checkers”. It is the perfect answer; it's not that I am getting ahead of myself, I’m just being strategic with my time management and thinking for the long run. Except I am not. I am overthinking. Sometimes overthinking helps; we think ahead and prepare ourselves for the multiple possible outcomes, as if playing a very serious game of strategy. Every action has an equal opposite reaction (thank you, Hamilton) and is accounted for, so we are prepared for everything that comes our way. Sometimes, however, overthinking leads us down a very long winding road of possible negative outcomes, wreaking havoc to our nervous system; long gone are the hours of peace and quiet when the anxiety hits you ...