'Overthinking'

Top layer thoughts on why we spiral into obsessive thinking.

Overthinking has more to do with ‘action’ and little to do with ‘thought.’

It is an issue of control.

Obsessive thinking is an attempt at giving ourselves a false sense of control.

Why do we need control? Why can’t we be okay with feeling out of control.’

Control indicates certainty. Certainty means you know what is happening next. Certainty is predictable. Predictable is safe.

Our caveman's brains haven’t entirely kept up with the pace of civilization.

Our primitive, hunter-gatherer brains needed to be in control to feel safe in the forests filled with wild animals and elements that could kill in a single slip.

But things have changed, mankind is much more comfortable now than it ever has been in the history of humanity.

About 8000 years of civilization and our brains still haven’t figured out that uncertainty does not necessarily mean death.

But your consciousness is aware enough to realize the limitations of its own anatomy.

We fear what we don’t understand.

‘Fear of the unknown.’

Obsessive thinking gives us a false sense of PREDICTABILITY.

A false sense of “ If I keep thinking about this, analyzing it from all possible angles, I will know what is going to happen next, and then, I will be safe.”

For example: You get a great idea to start a business.

You start thinking about it.

Planning, brainstorming, thinking about all possible successful outcomes.

7 days go by, you do nothing about it.

You feel a familiar sense of being ‘behind in life.’

All your peers are doing great things. What about you?

You analyse why you are feeling so frustrated and why time feels like its slipping away.

You feel out of control.

You (over)think some more to bring back that sense of control. Welcome obsessive thinking. Spiral. Repeat.

You know the drill. All this would change only if you understood….

How to stop?

The answer is ridiculously simple in theory but ridiculously tough to execute. Its this.

DO more. MOVE more into and around the subject.

Identify the area of life i.e. the subject that you find yourself analyzing to the point of paralysis.

Break it down into actionable pieces.

Find a piece small enough that makes you want to do it.

Repeat and create more pieces of it.

The point is to take enough action, that the act of doing it, opens you up to deeper insight and understanding of the specific problem/subject.

For example: Your business idea is to start an art studio. Let’s break it down.

Simplest actionable step: Work 45 mins/day to ‘post.’

Begin here and what was once an insurmountable, scary goal is now an actionable daily step in your system.

You do it enough times and now, you are closing the loop on your fear-induced overthinking.

6 months left in 2023. This is your sign to start.

Reminder: Nobody is coming to save you. You can start taking charge of yourself or you will end up outsourcing responsibility of your life to someone else. And guess what they have planned for you, not much.