Is overthinking good or bad? many people have this question, Overthinking is a habit that has become very common in today’s youth and generation. Thinking and analyzing every small thing and getting lost in that thing until it gets over. All these can be signs of overthinking. Along with this, people who overthink have many kinds of habits that produce different effects on them.

Here my question to you is whether you also keep thinking about different things throughout the day and your mind never remains empty. If all these habits relate to you, then this article is for you. In this article we will know:

• What is overthinking
• Is overthinking good or bad
• Can overthinking ever be useful or can we take it positively
• What can be its negative effects
• And also how can we control it or change it in a positive way.

Is Overthinking Bad for Your Mental Health?

What is overthinking?

Now look here, many people get confused that thinking about anything is not bad but let me tell you that thinking about any work more than doing it due to which it becomes destructive instead of being productive is an important part of overthinking. Now if you look at this, there are two major forms of overthinking:

Past oriented thinking (Rumination):

Now I will give you the best example of this; what did I say to him that day there; I wish I had done this work earlier; this type of overthinking about past situations easily converts into guilt and regret.

Future oriented thinking (Worry):

Here you think about any future thing or event like what will happen if I fail in the interview? What will people think if I do this or that, all this is a result of fear, uncertainty and anxiety about the future.

Now here the biggest problem with overthinking is that you are not thinking but looping is happening, you are repeating the same thought again and again in your mind without any clear decision or conclusion.

Let’s finally answer the big question: Is overthinking good or bad?

Can overthinking be useful?

Now, since it is not right to think too much about something, that is why overthinking is generally considered negative, but in some situations it is sometimes helpful, but if it is under control, then many types of thinking can happen in your mind, you can know this.

1. Analytical thinking: This means thinking about some decisions while taking them and doing a detailed risk analysis of them, now because this is necessary and most overthinkers do all this naturally.
2. Creativity boost: In this, people create different ideas in their mind, like some creative people who are working on art writing, innovation or any projects, they create unique ideas by thinking about it deeply.
3. Better planning: Most Thinkers think in multiple cases for every situation which strengthens their ability to plan things.

But now here’s the problem:

• This thinking does not bring a limited solution but brings endless confusion.
• Thoughts do not lead to any action but only generate stress.
• Most people keep repeating the same thought again and again without moving forward.

This definitely shows that controlled deep thinking is productive but overthinking without direction is harmful.

Negative effects of overthinking

Now that we have talked about its benefits, let us now talk about the side effects of overthinking which affect every aspect of life.

1. Mental health damage: Now because whenever you overthink, anxiety, depression and stress increases, the mind never rests, something or the other is going on in your mind all the time, which destroys your mental peace.
2. Decision paralysis: We always experience that due to too much thinking we are not able to take any right decision, every option seems confusing and due to this the opportunities that we have are also lost.
3. Decreased productivity: When you keep thinking about something again and again like a looping process, you get busy in it and are unable to do any work or action. This leads to lack of focus and also wastes time.
4. Low self confidence: Overthinkers always start doubting themselves, like thinking about themselves, asking questions like whether I am right or not, will I be able to do this or not, but this self-doubt destroys confidence.
5. Relationship problem: Now thinking about every thing, blaming yourself or others without reason, making assumptions and finding negative meaning of every action of the partner, all this makes the relationship weak.
6. Sleep issue: This is a problem with most people. When they go to sleep at night, they keep their mind empty and keep thinking about things of the world. Now due to overthinking the mind becomes overactive and they are unable to sleep at night or even if they do, it is not peaceful, and they have to dream or do very strange activities while sleeping. This affects your physical health also in the long term.

Why do we overthink?

Now whatever its symptoms are, there are some psychological reasons behind them, such as:

1. Fear of failure: We feel that if we make a mistake then something or everything will be ruined. Due to this fear we start thinking excessively. We are more afraid of the result of something.
2. Past trauma: Now everyone’s life is different, many people have a painful past due to which they take extreme caution in every new situation and due to this overthinking develops.
3. People pleasing nature: Now if you always want to keep the person in front of you happy, then you will think about every small thing. Did they feel bad about it? Or did I say something wrong?
4. Low self worth: When someone feels that they are not enough in something then they analyze everything to prove their value.
5. Perfectionism: People who want perfection always look for excellence and this also becomes a reason for overthinking.

What researches says about overthinking?

According to modern psychology, overthinking is often linked to anxiety, stress and depression. A Harvard University study says that we spend 47% of our day not in the present moment but in unnecessary thoughts, the main reason for which is overthinking.
The University of Michigan found that people who mostly think about the past or future rather than living in the present have high cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

How to stop overthinking

Now here I am going to tell you some practical tested and golden tips which will help you a lot in controlling overthinking:

1. Become aware of your thoughts: The first step is to know whether you are overthinking about something or not. Whenever you feel that your thoughts are going in a loop, pause that movement immediately.
2. Write it down: Many studies also say that journaling can be a powerful tool to remove overthinking. By writing down your thoughts, your mind feels light and gets clarity.
3. Set a thinking time limit: Set a fixed time in your day in which you can worry or think deeply for 15 minutes and the rest of the time keep yourself distracted in good work.
4. Take a action: Whatever thoughts you are thinking about too much, take a little action for it and work on it; if you do more than you think then automatically your mind will become light and you will get clarity.
5. Practice meditation or mindfulness: This can be a bullet point because research also says that by meditating for 10-15 minutes daily, the mind always remains in the present and becomes fresh, this will also help in reducing your overthinking.
6. Talk to mentor or friend: This can help a lot in lightening your heavy mind and is a practical way, whatever ideas are going on in your mind, talk about them with your close friend, this will give you clarity as well as happiness.
7. Focus on what you can control: Many things are not in our control, that is why if you are thinking about them then the mental pressure increases. Always concentrate your thoughts on those things which are in your hands.

So by understanding all these things you must have understood a lot that overthinking is such a thing which happens in everyone’s life, there is no need to take it too seriously but if it becomes a habit then it can be dangerous for your mental health as well, so for this one should identify the right and wrong and work on it, this will always be best.
If you want a happy, focused and peaceful life then learn to get out of overthinking, try to do more than thinking about things, make your mind a master, not a slave. If you have any confusion or question in your mind, you can ask in the comments. For other such helpful contents, do explore dt covers.

Read also this-

Why discipline is more powerful than motivation – And how to build it