Overthinking-Thinking About It!

 

“Nothing will harm you as much as your thoughts unguarded.” –Mahatma Buddha

My last blog got quite a positive response. Many people wrote to me saying that they were able to connect to it as they too tend to overthink and that it was good to know that they had company.

So, what makes us over think in the first place- as far as I’ve experienced and understood life and observed people-yes, you got that right- STRESS is one of the most prominent causes of over thinking.

Another major factor is the availability of too much of free time with nothing to engage one’s mind productively.

Sometimes, it can be just the opposite- non availability of free time, too much to do every day can cause a different kind of over thinking.

One of my dear friends wrote to me that she didn’t understand why over thinking was made to be such a monster these days- if Newton had not indulged himself in over thinking when the apple fell on his head, we simply wouldn’t have the laws of gravity! Well, I’d say that that was a case of deep thinking and analyzing things rather than over thinking.

So, what exactly is over thinking?

Overthinking — also referred to as rumination — is when you repetitively dwell on the same thought or situation over and over to the point that it disrupts your life. Overthinking usually falls into two categories: ruminating about the past and worrying about the future.

 Source: What Is Overthinking, and How Do I Stop Overthinking Everything?

Written by Stephanie Anderson Witmer | Reviewed by India B. Gomez, PhD

Merriam-Webster defines it as

: to think too much about (something) : to put too much time into thinking about or analyzing (something) in a way that is more harmful than helpful

Coming back to our own rumination about over thinking- was I always like this- thinking things through and through and through….

As far back as I remember, I was an active, joyful, happy child with my parents repeatedly remarking , "We are going to send you off to a circus!”  That bubbly was I😇. 

So, when did the things start to change for me or in me or about me- it’s difficult to put my finger on any particular time or incident. As I kept growing up I started becoming a bit serious, withdrawn, an introvert. When I was in my early teens, I had a good friend who actually pushed me towards the path of contemplation.

We used to go for walks together in the evening and she would prompt me to think about the burning issues of the time like eve teasing, dowry, corruption etc. The idealists that we were, we used to have serious talks about these things. Corruption and dowry were plaguing the society those days- as if they have been eradicated now😒- but they had a place in our school syllabus, so there was some discussion about these in the school. 

But, eve teasing was something about which no one talked about openly those days and it troubled us a lot as we couldn’t even share the horrid experiences with our parents.

So many incidents while travelling in overcrowded local buses, or being molested in market places- mum was the word. You were not supposed to talk about it to anybody!

 It was that friend who encouraged me to think deeply about this issue in particular and then there was no stopping me…

Entering into the later years of my teenage I met another very good, extremely close friend- and guess what- our hobbies included discussing the deeper aspects of life😉, be it early morning walk or evening walk- we were at it unless we were in a group of friends! Of course, we had other hobbies too- reading, listening to music- it was she who introduced me to the ghazals of Jagjit Singh- watching meaningful cinema and yes, definitely, discussing about it- again , it was she who introduced me to the beauty of movies like Silsila, Arth, Masoom etc.

So on and so forth, life went on with its usual ups and downs, a few events affecting me quite deeply- and I didn’t realize how and when did I get engulfed in this web of OVERTHINKING!

 

Well, I definitely don’t mean to say that friends made me an Overthinker- not at all! What I feel is that we have inborn tendencies and sometimes, some people and situations  act as catalysts to bring those tendencies or traits to the fore!

I’d again like to end my blog with a quote,” People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.”- George Bernard Shaw

OVERTHINKING....an endless path!

I'd definitely love to hear more about this from you.😊