The Mind of an Overthinker
Our minds are great assets, but they can also be problematic. Like a powerful engine stuck in idle, an overthinker's mind keeps running even when there's nowhere to go.
It processes, analyzes, and dissects every moment, every interaction, every possibility until the simple becomes complex and the complex becomes overwhelming.
Overthinking comes in many different flavors. Sometimes it's replaying old conversations. Other times, it's anticipating future scenarios so thoroughly that we've lived through 100 versions of tomorrow before today is even over. We might find ourselves trapped in analysis-paralysis, making small decisions feel like mental marathons. Or get caught in an endless loop of self-reflection that becomes self-doubt.
But however you experience it, it:
- Paralyzes you
- Makes you miss out on what's in front of you
- Emotionally drains you
- Strains your relationships
It's the process of turning nothing into a problem, and then the problem into your life. It creates stress, and then that stress causes more overthinking. It can be a terrible cycle.
The Quiet Moments
The rare moments when the mind finally quiets down feel relieving and unsettling at the same time. Is this what it's like for other people all the time?
Living With It
I've stopped trying to "fix" my overthinking brain. It's not a broken normal brain - it's just a different operating system. Some of us are wired to process more deeply, analyze more thoroughly, and consider more possibilities. That's not inherently bad.
But like any natural tendency, we can learn to work with it rather than be ruled by it. Our brains are wired to repeat what they're familiar with, and over time, overthinkers like me have built strong neural pathways of thinking instead of acting.
Each time I overthink, I reinforce that pattern.
It's like wearing down a path in the grass. The more we walk it, the deeper and more automatic it becomes.
The good news is that action works the same way. Each step makes the next one easier.
I'm a chronic overthinker. And it got to a point where I needed a tool to help me build these new pathways to act instead of think. That's why I created MindCheck. An app to support my journey from an overthinker to a decisive action taker.
It's been helping me, and my hope is that it will help you too. Click the 'try' button if you want to get out of your head and into the world.