Overthinking
How to Rewire Your Brain, Control Your Thoughts, Emotions, Anxiety, Procrastination and Sleep.
How to Gain Positive Habits, Mental Strength,
Self-Confidence, Calmness and Serenity.
Matthew Wollkan
Table of Contents
Introduction
Are you someone that overthinks the smallest decisions? Do you ever find yourself suddenly thinking that other people are perceiving you negatively due to small comments? Are you constantly afraid that your boss is going to fire you at any moment? Overthinking is a common problem that many people experience. The common misconception is that people think they may just be a chronic
overthinker or that they just have a bad habit. Neither of these justifications is true at all. In almost all cases, overthinking happens because of some form of anxiety disorder, depression disorder, or lack of self-esteem, which leads someone to overthink every little thing that happens to them. Some conditions that can cause chronic overthinking include; generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and depression. You have to understand that overthinking is likely a symptom of a mental health disorder like anxiety or depression. However, in certain cases, it can also be true that a person who naturally overthinks frequently can become diagnosed with a mental disorder like anxiety or depression. Just like the chicken and the egg, theres no way in telling which came first. Research points to the fact that overthinking is a symptom of mental disorders, but there still isnt enough evidence to eliminate the fact that it could be the other way around.
Overthinking is a major problem in our modern society. It is a big problem because mental health
problems like anxiety are becoming an epidemic in North America. Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States presently? It currently affects 40 million adults, which is 18% of the entire population. Anxiety disorders only began to be recognized in the 1980s.
Before this, most professionals in the field would give a general diagnosis of stress or nerves. Since there were very little understanding and recognition of anxiety disorders, people who suffered from it received very little and effective treatment. Since then, we have come a long way in our research related to anxiety disorders. In the present day, we have solutions that range from behavioral therapy, talking therapies, meditation, and medication to help those who suffer from anxiety disorders to mitigate their overthinking.
Historically, humans have experienced anxiety since the barbaric days. Back in those days, anxiety was extremely helpful to protect us from dangerous situations. It is what triggers the fight or flight response. Anxiety is a basic emotion and is an experience that all species of animals experience.
However, in the modern-day, anxiety has been
hindering many peoples lives.
In this book, we will be learning about all topics that are related to overthinking. We will first learn about the causes of overthinking to help you better identify the root of your own overthinking. You will then learn about what the effects of overthinking are, including its symptoms, overthinking as a symptom of
anxiety/depression disorders, mental disorders that can cause overthinking and depression disorders that can cause overthinking. Once youve learned that, we will be exploring how you can relieve your anxiety to minimize your overthinking. In the later chapters, we will be studying ways of controlling your mind to manage better and minimize negative and overthinking thoughts. I will teach you how you can use scientific-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and many others to identify unhealthy thinking patterns and help you challenge and change any negative thoughts or emotions.
Later on in this book, I will teach you about how meditation will help reduce overthinking. I will also teach you how making improvements to your physical health can lower a persons negativity, and how bettering your emotional intelligence can help you understand your thoughts and emotions. Those who overthink frequently tend to lack motivation, which prevents them from achieving their goals. I will teach you how you can improve your self-discipline and self- confidence to overcome negativity and achieve the goals you have always wanted to achieve. Learning about these things will include learning about how to overcome procrastination. I will wrap up this book by teaching you the different strategies that help with controlling overthinking. Throughout this book, you will be provided with many real-world examples to illustrate how you can combat overthinking.
Battling with overthinking is a battle that never ends. You need to constantly be vigilant with analyzing your
thoughts and identifying when bouts of anxiety begin to occur. When it does, you need to redirect your thoughts to prevent overthinking. This book will teach you how to identify the unhealthy thinking patterns you have and how to change your thought process, so it doesnt lead to the emotion of anxiety. By being able to manage and monitor your thoughts, you will, in turn, be able to control your emotions, which then affects your behavior.
Typically, overthinking is not a disorder or problem on its own and is more of a symptom of another larger issue. As mentioned, overthinking is a common symptom of low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. This book will focus on the different areas of your life that can cause you to overthink. Understanding these areas will help you better understand where your overthinking is coming from. Understanding the actual cause of your specific overthinking will help you narrow down the strategies you can use to start mitigating this problem. When a person gets caught in a cycle of overthinking, it begins to affect all areas of their life, which usually prevents them from achieving the goals they want to achieve. Those who overthink have more trouble making decisions and thus cause a lot of procrastination in their lives. When
procrastination is a dominant part of someones life, it is difficult for them to accomplish goals and, therefore, causes them to have lower life satisfaction. Without further ado, lets get started.
Chapter 1: The Causes Of Overthinking
Understanding how overthinking works and what is causing that to happen to you is the first step for you to control your thoughts and stop your own overthinking. In its simplest form, overthinking is the process of constantly analyzing and anguishing over your thoughts. It can sometimes include rumination. Rumination is when a person gets stuck in the cycle of reliving their past or present experiences and actions. Although many people think that overthinking is a separate disorder, it often happens because of a mental disorder like anxiety or depression. A common symptom of anxiety that patients report is the tendency to overthink every little action they want to perform. However, overthinking can also be the byproduct of low self-esteem. You need to recognize where your overthinking problems stem from.
This chapter will teach you about the three main causes of overthinking; self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. If you are feeling alone in this, dont. Overthinking is a common problem that people face, and it comes about by one of the three reasons mentioned above, which plagues our society today. Overthinking makes it difficult to live life to the fullest and often impacts your emotional and physical health. Understanding where your overthinking is coming from is the first step in the right direction.
Low Self-Esteem
A persons self-esteem fluctuates throughout their life, depending on their circumstances or stage of life. It is not ordinary to have moments where a person feels down about themselves and not strange to have moments where they feel good about themselves.