To overthink is to put too much time into thinking about or analyzing (something) in a way that is more harmful than helpful.
If you’ve done this at least one time in the past 24 hours, keep reading. By the end of this article, you will learn how to have a much healthier relationship with your thoughts.
Where Do Thoughts Come From?
Thoughts emerge from the depths of our psyche.
Thoughts are influenced by our beliefs, our past, our moods, what we ate in the morning, and other variables beyond our control.
People think that their thoughts are the true essence of who they are, and I disagree.
Thoughts Aren’t Real
Have you ever had a thought about a friend and something they did? Let’s say they did something you thought was weird. Naturally, you’d think of something to say to that friend in response to what they did, and you would say it.
But what if you didn’t say it? It’s not like your friend thinks what they did was weird. Why should they hear it? Is it of use to them?
Is it of use to you? I know this is a weird example, but if you don’t engage with, or entertain that thought, it will literally cease to exist. The thought appears only within you. And making it even stranger, you did not even have the thought that you are calling “yours.”
Rather, it entered your awareness, which isn’t anything spectacular. A new study suggests that an average person has 6,200 thoughts per day. If a thought is not fueled with your attention or interest, it will already have disappeared.
Life: The Movie
Read the following excerpt from PsychologyToday aloud.
“Your thoughts appear only to you, and are not being heard by anyone else whatsoever… We are all in our own separate theaters, witnessing entirely different shows, and yet we behave as if we are in the same audience, watching the very same event we call life.”
How many conflicts have you had with someone due to misunderstandings of the same event or interaction?
This is because the mind spends its time adding its own narrative to everyday events which we accept as truth. The flaw in believing that thoughts are the true essence of who you are is that you will attach yourself to every thought you have. That is overthinking.
Overthinking leads to your mind becoming your worst enemy. You worry about things that are not gonna happen and are paralyzed by your own thoughts.
Become The Master Of Your Own Kingdom
You don’t want to be your thoughts and emotions. Rather, you want to be the witnesser of them. A necessity to becoming the master of your own kingdom is choosing which thoughts serve you and disregarding the rest.
The way to discern which thoughts serve you and which don’t is simple.
If it is beyond the power of your own control, forget about it. That thought is insignificant. Let it fade into nothingness.
And even if you think about something within your control, do so with an understanding that it is your mind’s own narrative to the external event you face.
Read More: Shock as People Realise Not Everyone Thinks with Internal Monologue
