Overthinking

When it comes to problem solving, figuring out what to do, where to go, what to be, why something is the way it is, I often find myself overthinking and in a panic which sometimes prompts some intense digging with no clear answers. Not only has overthinking made decision-making much harder, it has led me to stress out, fear, and question a matter that should be incredibly simple.

Overthinking makes me lose focus on what's important, and it has also generated negative thoughts and emotions that result in fear of unknown outcomes. Overthinking is toxic to the mind. I know this because I experience it. However, I am human and while I am more at peace with myself than I have ever been, I still experience negative thoughts, emotions, panic, fear, and anxiety, in addition to other obstacles.

Yesterday, as I was putting a lot of thought into my future career, my heart started to race to a frightening state that saw no end. Instead of simply thinking about where it is I see myself in five years, I started to vividly plan out the details, which led to cluttered thoughts and immense panic. Eventually, I stopped myself and relaxed a bit. In this brief moment of relaxation, I remembered what has kept centered me in the past year - meditation. This life changing practice has not only reduced a lot of fear in me, it also centers me and it brings me back to a calm state. This has been the key to a lot of my worries.

Overthinking in meditation is also a real thing because it happens to me a lot. When I first started to meditate over a year, thinking too much while trying to relax is all I could do. I thought, "Wait shouldn't this be a relaxing state? Why am I overthinking this?" Meditation was frustrating. Over time, I learned to just let my thoughts wander, not fight them, and then they would depart on their own. A good example I encounter every day is this: when I drive, I often witness other cars cut me off. I get upset, say "what the fuck?" to myself, and a minute later, that angry feeling is gone. I don't hang on to this incident because I didn't overthink it, I didn't hold a grudge, and it shouldn't affect my day. This should apply to everything that troubles me.

Overthinking is an obsessive thought that only keeps me from finding a thoughtful solution.