Ever Caught Yourself Overthinking?
We are gifted with the ability to think, imagine, and comprehend. As we move on with life and grow and as life starts getting complex, it brings stress and anxiety in. Overthinking is a by-product of these two.
According to a study, more than 70% of adults between the ages of 25 to 35 overthink. This means 70% of millennials overthink. Surprisingly, this percentage is quite less for the older generation.
Given the fact, there are infinite reasons for a person to get trapped inside the tunnel of overthinking. And the worst thing is, sometimes one reason causes a chain reaction which means if a person is trapped in overthinking, one reason or event connects itself to another reason or event and we don’t even realize it. Sometimes we just imagine a bad event and the next moment we are completely lost in our own head. Here is my own experience which I remember and there are more which I don’t.
It was January 2019 and I was traveling home back from the office. It was two hours long journey by metro. Something happened and didn’t even realize that I had completed my journey until someone got my attention. Here is what happened.
I was traveling in the metro and had an argument with someone a minute before boarding the train. That person was standing after the safety line and I suggested that he should get behind the line for his own safety. He got pissed off and said something foul. I boarded the train a minute after started imagining…”What would have happened if I had responded to him by saying something bad?… What would have happened if I would have punched him for saying that?… What if he would have punched me back?… What would have happened to him if the person standing behind me had pushed me forward?… What would have happened if we would have caught fighting inside the train by CISF officials…..and so many more “What would have….if…”.
During thinking and imagining all this I was making weird faces about which I was completely unaware. Deep in my own thought, I realized someone is observing me and when I lifted my eye up, I saw an elderly gentleman looking at me and smiling. It was like he hold me by my shoulder and shook me. He said, “You are too young to overthink this much” and tapped on my right shoulder. I was shocked because I was present physically only. My mind was occupied somewhere else. I didn’t know how to react to him. I couldn’t speak a word. A moment later I figured that my face had turned red like it was burning, my head was exploding and my back was aching and I was out of energy.
After this experience, I decided to control my thoughts. I decided to follow just two things.
- Taking actions to control my thoughts: I started listening to podcasts, music, or audiobooks whenever I am free. I do it every day and now it’s a habit
- Living in the present: Read the book ‘The Miracle of Mindfulness’ and this book did wonders to me. The knowledge and techniques shared are very helpful and I practice Mindfulness often during the day.
Later in March the same year, I went to attend 10 days Vipassana course which helped me get rid of this disorder.
