3 types of “overthinking” in the modern era
There are three common types of "overthinking": rumination, future tripping (uncertainty about the future), and overanalyzing (over-analysis)
In the modern world, there is no shortage of situations where we can easily fall into "overthinking". Whether it's worrying about the consequences of new market trends, worrying about the content of emails sent to customers, or losing sleep over your boss's reaction, these are all opportunities for people to get stuck in a rut of thinking negatively.
Constant overthinking can lead to fatigue, and if left unchecked, it can erode your mind and mental health. But to truly address this problem, it is important to first acknowledge and understand that there are actually three forms of "overthinking": rumination, future tripping, and overanalyzing.
Rumination (Reflection)
Rumination is described as a mental loop where you dwell on past events, especially negative or traumatic events. People with this "ovethinking" system often get caught up in a spiral of regret, guilt, and "would, should, could" situations. They review what happened and often blame themselves. An important aspect of reflection is their orientation to the past - and getting stuck there.
Symptoms:
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You focus on negative feedback.
- You often bring up past failures or mistakes when talking to others.
- You are overly cautious, perhaps double or triple checking your work because you want to avoid mistakes.
How to cope:
Instead of letting reflection take over your entire day, limit it to a manageable amount of time — usually no more than 15 to 30 minutes. Choose a suitable time of day (not right before bed) and choose a specific location for worry time. It could be a chair, a specific room, or even a spot in the park. Divide your worries into two categories: worries you can control and worries you can't control. For worries that are under control, think about possible solutions. Every time an uncontrollable worry arises, try visualizing it. Imagine putting your worry in a balloon and releasing it into the sky.
Future tripping (Uncertainty about the future)
Instead of being stuck in the past, victims of Future tripping are concerned with the future. The uncertainty about what might happen, the possibility of failure, and the fear of the unknown make them a challenging form of "overthinking."
Symptoms:
You spend too much energy planning for every possible situation to always feel prepared
- You find it difficult to celebrate your successes because you're always thinking about what's next.
- You often feel restless or agitated, driven by thoughts of remaining to-do items.
How to cope:
Reduce exposure to unnecessary stressors. Be intentional about the information you consume, especially from social media. Identify triggers that expose you to future risk, such as updates on market movements or KPI dashboards or personal financial accounts.
Overanalyzing
While Rumination and Future tripping were bound by time – one looking back and the other looking forward – Overanalyzing focuses on depth. It involves delving deeply into a topic, thought, or situation, often to the point of overdoing it. Although they sometimes yield insightful conclusions, more often this system of "overthinking" leads to getting bogged down in details that may not be particularly relevant.
Symptoms:
You delay action to do more research.
- You frequently seek approval or validation from others, because you lack confidence in your own analysis.
- You have difficulty distinguishing between high-priority tasks and low-priority tasks, leading to a backlog of decisions.
How to cope:
Instead of striving for the perfect choice, aim for a “good enough” choice. When a decision meets your established criteria and is satisfying enough, you should move forward with it, even if there may be a better option.
Select up to three criteria, with one ranking higher than the others. If you're in a group decision-making situation, ask everyone to brainstorm and agree on the criteria.
