Thinking About Overthinking

I was thinking about overthinking the other day.

Ha! What a sentence. In all seriousness, some of us (me included) have a tendency to overcomplicate things with a whole lot of thinking. We might hesitate to start tasks or make decisions until we feel we’ve got them solved, perfected, mentally licked. Or we might need to make a decision yet find ourselves in analysis paralysis.

For example, I won’t write something unless I feel I have a really solid theme or I’ve written enough in my head to prevent random clicking on a keyboard. Or I might agonize over delivering feedback to colleagues or friends. A skier, I’ve been known to spend an unreasonable amount of time researching my gear purchases, and finally, desperate, turn to my partner for guidance.

Just write the thing, he says. Just tell them, he says. Just get that pair of skis and go skiing, he says.

He makes it sound so simple.

And it is simple. It’s just that our minds get busy sometimes. When a mind is busy, it can act like a runaway train. Rabbit hole, anyone?

For some of us, overthinking is a pretty entrenched habit. If we want to snap out of it sooner, it can help to recognize the feelings that accompany this state of mind. Being caught up can feel heavy, heady, confusing and unclear. It feels serious. The seriousness makes it seem noble to think even more, as if the answers lie in more analysis. Which leads to more heaviness, more confusion and more muddle.

At some point, the wisdom within recognizes that we need to give our thinking a rest. Finally, we give up. Take a step back. When we let go, the answers/clarity/insight we need usually comes, seemingly out of nowhere. When this happens, it feels exciting and obvious and helpful. The solution feels on-point. It’s immediately easier to take action or make decisions. Learning to recognize when we’re overthinking and taking a subsequent break from ourselves can help the wisdom within chime in sooner.

Writing this newsletter was an exercise in starting and seeing what happens. Instead of giving credence to the idea that I needed to plan the whole thing out, I decided to see what would happen if I simply started typing.

And you know what? The words came quickly and easily, no seriousness required. Turns out the unknown isn’t so scary after all.

If this overthinker can not overthink, anyone can.

Nikki Platte