How many nights have you tossed and turned replaying a situation that didn’t go as you hoped, over and over again in your head? That is one of many telltale signs you’re overthinking.
Overthinking is a habit that can be hard to break.
It’s a vicious cycle of negative thoughts that builds and builds, or feels like you’re spinning down a rabbit hole, making it impossible to make decision because you keep overthinking every possible way it could go wrong?
But why do you overthink?
Overthinking, AKA cognitive distortions, can be a symptom of stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, insomnia and eating disorders.
We over-think when we feel exposed – as not perfect, not good enough, or as being defective in some way.
For many of us our go-to coping response is overthinking. For some it’s replaying the conversation over and over again, constantly replaying how you would have done something different, making up stories about how everyone noticed and how they’re judging you.
How does your overthinking show up?
7 Telltale Signs You’re Overthinking
1. Mind Reading
Mind reading is when you jump to conclusions by assuming you know what others are thinking. You may have an idea what someone might be thinking, but it can become an irrational thought when you tend to lean toward the negative interpretations instead of positive.
Example: Someone looks at you with an unpleasant facial expression and right away you assume they are thinking negatively about you.
2. Catastrophic Thinking
This is when you imagine a worst-case scenario as the inevitable outcome of a situation you’re worried about.
Example: You start worrying about a specific situation at work, which leads to worrying about money, which leads to worrying about losing your job.“ And then you tell yourself no one will ever hire you, you’ll become homeless, living out of a box. When you are caught up in overthinking, you typically go straight to the worst-case scenario and also overestimate the likelihood of that scenario actually happening..
3. Negative Thinking
When you focus on the negative aspects of a situation while disqualifying all the positives.
Example: You dwell on a single negative comment from your boss and ignore all the other positive feedback.
4. Ruminating about the Past
When you constantly repeat the memory of an event in the past that was upsetting/hurtful/embarrassing.
Example: Shaming and criticizing yourself for a mistake you made by replaying the scenario in your mind over and over.
5. Overgeneralizing
This is when you experience a setback or failure and generalize that event across all situations. You may wrongly assume that things have — and will always — go wrong for you.
Example: You get rejected by one person and conclude that you will never be able to find a partner.
6. Labeling
Giving yourself a label because of a negative experience you had (this is also an extreme form of overgeneralizing) and getting stuck in a negative thought loop. This usually leads to low self-worth.
Example: “I am unlovable: or “I am stupid” or “I am useless”. Human beings are too complex to fit under a single label or category.
7. All-or-Nothing Thinking
Only evaluating yourself or others in extreme, black-or-white categories.
Example: You answered one question wrong in an interview and consider your entire performance a failure (discrediting everything else you may have excelled at during the interview).
Did you notice if any of those signs show up for you?
Have you ever noticed getting stuck in this endless loop of overthinking then, check out 8 Ways to Kick Overthinking To the Curb.
Take care of your mind and thoughts.