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7. Why You Need to Stop Overthinking

It’s not only harming you mentally, you’re physically manifesting pain to your body. Here’s why you need to take control back.

Human beings are social creatures. Therefore, whether we acknowledge it or not, we are always affected by how other people treat/react to us. Sometimes we might unnecessarily fret over minor faux paus or even major social indiscretions. This behavior stems from evolutionary biology during the period whereby humans lived primarily as hunters and gatherers. Being socially ostracised was a sure ticket to death. It was impossible to survive alone in the wild.

However, in the modern-day, we are no longer in danger of staying alone in the wild. But due to the human social adaptation over time, the notion of overthinking emerged. This is whereby some individuals tend to think too much about how other people perceive them in a given situation or another.

THE ACTUAL EFFECTS OF OVERTHINKING

Even though overthinking is not a pathological condition, scientists have proven that in case it develops into a habit, it can bear significant impacts on your general wellness. In most cases, this act entails placing tremendous focus on the negative things, i.e., ruminating over innocuous comments about self, rehearsing past events or being concerned about the future.

Psychologists claim that whenever one ruminates on specific thoughts, they can develop into additional negative fantasies. Such a situation can impair an individual’s usual functionality. For example, you might develop insomnia due to compulsive thinking. As such, your routine functionality is disrupted, including your appetite and other aspects of your life.

Sometimes, overthinking might be a misguided manifestation of self-protection. Some folks believe that if they assume that everyone is out to get them, they won’t have to get close to anybody. Therefore, they protect themselves from hurt.

Another result of overthinking, especially negative thoughts, is that the individual develops physical health problems the likes of body aches, headaches, bowel issues, and so forth. Mental health issues such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression & borderline personality disorders emerge.

Lastly, to eradicate this behavior, you can undertake exercise such as controlled breathing exercises to help your brain focus more on your breathing rather than thoughts. Journaling can also assist you in processing & expressing thoughts already in your head.

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