Why is overthinking uncontrollable? Have you ever wondered what made us humans the top creatures among other species?
From the perspective of natural selection, the theory of evolution, and survival of the fittest, humans have attained the status of the elite of all creatures because they can think, and this ability has enabled them to control other creatures and ensure their own safety.
What is overthinking?
Overthinking includes ruminations, anxiety, and worries about events.
Remination refers to our repeated thinking patterns about our past mistakes, negative life experiences, and sorrows. Anxiety or worries refer to our excessive and, in most cases, our negative thinking and predictions about our future.
Overthinking is a problem almost every individual experiences in the contemporary world. We replay things over and over in our minds, imagining worst-case scenarios, and analyze situations endlessly, even when no solution appears. While thinking helps us make decisions, overthinking often has the opposite effect. It causes stress, anxiety, and mental exhaustion. But what do we think so much? Psychology offers several explanations.
How did we start overthinking?
As I mentioned earlier, ancient humans used intelligence to protect themselves from predators. With the use of intelligence, humans learned to create various new instruments, which were used for hunting. After that, people started using intelligence and thinking for everyday tasks. Moreover, thinking was essential for early humans to maintain a balance in Bands, cultures, and families.
In modern times, thinking, planning, and our problems are quite different. Today, we use our intellect for a better education, health, social life, careers, family wellness, and relationships. And in most cases, we think and overthink for better revenue, so that we can fulfill our needs and wishes. Thinking and overthinking have evolved with generations, and we learn that quality from our ancestors.
Overactive mind.
Can you stop your mind from thinking for a while? This was a question I had read in a book, but believe me, this question changed the way I think. Our mind is an instrument that never rests. All kinds of thoughts arise in it, consciously or unconsciously. Even when we go to sleep, the mind is still working.
The main reason behind overthinking is anxiety. Anxiety prefers uncontrollable negative thoughts and outcomes towards oneself in the future. Individuals with anxiety tend to focus on uncertainty, fear negative outcomes, and try to control events through uncontrollable thoughts via overthinking. Excessive thinking creates the illusion of control; our mind believes that if it thinks hard enough, it can prevent threatening events from happening. Unfortunately, this works rarely, and it creates stress and anxiety.
Overthink at night.
Our brain has specific parts for each function. The prefrontal cortex performs planning, decision-making, and analysis. When these areas become overactive, the brain distracts more and struggles to concentrate. As a result, Amagdala, a part of the brain generate emotions, signals threat, keeping the mind to think continuously. That’s the reason we overthink at night, when the brain has less barriors and distractions.
Perfectionism is also a main cause of overthinking and mental distortions. We all fear mistakes, analyze and exaggerate every decision we make, replay our past negative experiences, and worry about others’ opinions too.
Overcome overthinking:
Psychological theories suggest various techniques for reducing overthinking patterns. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT) provides the best reasons and solutions for uncontrollable thoughts. According to CBT theory, it’s our irrational beliefs that cause overthinking and psychological problems. These irrational beliefs include catastrophe, all-or-nothing thinking, and mind-reading.
- catastrophe. Analysing the worst conditions through negative thinking.
- All or nothing thinking: irrational belief that I need all the best outcomes, otherwise I am nothing. My value is nothing if I don’t get the best outcomes.
- Mind reading: Assuming that other’s reading my mind easily.
Psychological solutions.
Below are the best-known solutions for overthinking.
Mindfulness.
Mostly, we overthink about our past experiences and future predictions. Rarely do we try to enjoy the present we are living in. So, mindfulness is a technique wherethat is where we strive to fully experience the present. When we learn to live in the present, our mind and our thinking also remain in the present, which keeps us away from past traumatic experiences and negative thoughts about the future.
Cognitive restructuring.
Cognitive restructuring is a technique based on CBT theory. This technique involves discussing irrational beliefs between the therapist and the patient. It uses a method of Socratic questioning, where the therapist assesses the accuracy of the irrational thoughts through questioning. For example, assume that the patient is a student who has irrational thoughts about his exams, thinking that if he doesn’t pass, life will be meaningless. The therapist might then ask, whats the worst that can happen to you if you don’t pass. than students think about circumstances, and the exaggerated thoughts are reduced to some extent.
limiting rumination time.
Rumination can be limited by keeping yourself aware and fully productive in the present moment. One way is to set aside a specific time to focus on a problem solution, then focus your intentions on something positive. Talking about positive action, it can be any activity, be it sports, music, or meditation. Apart from that, mindfulness techniques can reduce overthinking. Physical activities like working on small tasks also engage you and prevent you from extra thinking patterns. Or a good technique is to write down your problems on paper, which will give you a better opportunity to understand your overthinking behavior.
Self-compassion.
Self-compassion is treating yourself with love, kindness, empathy, and acceptance. Here, individuals know that trouble comes to every person, and this is a universal problem. When we realize that problems are a part of everyone’s life, it gives us a kind of support that we’re not the only ones. Then, we give ourselves the same advice we would give a friend in such a situation. As a result, we feel a little relaxed, and anxiety, depression, or repetitive, destructive overthinking are somewhat controlled.
Conclusion.
Overthinking doesn’t mean how intelligent or incompetent you are; it is a natural trait that we have learnt from our ancestors through evolution. Thinking was a great tool that we as humans used to protect ourselves and hunt other animals. However, now the world is completely different; in the modern world, humans do not think only of hunting. In modern times, humans are worried about their education, then health, then the prosperity of their family, then relationships, social expectations, and thousands of other responsibilities. Now, for these reasons, humans have started using their brains excessively, which is creating the problem of overthinking. Understanding our thoughts and even accepting that problems in life and their causes, such as overthinking, are universal, enables us to channel our thoughts in a positive direction. Furthermore, practicing mindfulness techniques, spending time with family and friends, engaging in physical activities, and enjoying nature are all techniques to prevent overthinking.