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Overthinking

Bologo

Have fun with birds and bees.
is a Contributor Alumnus
Ok, I've learned that overthinking about little things DOES in fact lead to a great deal of tension and nervousness about them.

For example, sometimes you might just want to say hi to someone, but then you start thinking, like, where you're going to do this, how you're going to do this, etc etc etc.

Ok, I do know this stuff, but I do however have a few questions. Also, some for discussion. Just tell me with your own experiences.

...If you do overthink about something and get too nervous and don't do it, what do you usually do after?

Eg. Unfortunately, I usually just get mad that day when I don't do it, but then, I realize what I did wrong, and then I just decide to "let things flow" and then it actually works pretty well.

...Does overthinking also apply to things like tests in school? If so, what experiences have you had with it applied to things such as this?

...If you do overthink, do you usually have reason to actually do that, or does it just tend to happen?

...Do you think it tends to happen more on your "off" days?

...Does overthinking only happen with the little things, or can it also happen with the big things?

...Do you overthink about doing things for everyone? Or is it only certain people?

Ok, so the only reason I'm asking about all these questions, is because, I consider overthinking to be my worst quality, and I want it to stop so it doesn't come and bite me in the ass. I just figure the best way to get help for something like this is to listen to other people's experiences and learn from them as well as your own.

I know, some days it's just unavoidable, because personally, for me, if I'm having a totally shitty day, it just comes naturally and I start worrying chronically and overthinking wayyyyyyy too much.

Let's discuss this eh. =)
 
I'm usually spontaneous when talking to people I know well but with others I'm generally really conservative and plan out how the whole conversation will go too!

Besides that though, I have planned out what my ideal courseload, GPA, clubs, and all of that would be for college... I've even gone far enough to compile it all in a word document and judge whether or not I'd get into certain colleges.

I've done the same for tennis matches during my season if I knew who I was going to play... Drawing out gameplans, writing up what shots to avoid, and what shots that I should use myself. Usually when I do this, I never stick to what I planned so it's a little weird... I learned to handle things as they come... in tennis anyways.

I'm sure everyone overthinks sometimes... Some more than others but thats all cool! As long as you're not in one of those awkward silence moments during a conversation because of your overthinking, you should be ok I think.
 
I apparently have OCD, so if intrusive, uncontrolable, and sometimes ridiculous thoughts fall under what you're referring to then I know alllll about it. I'll give an example.

I was on my way down to my basement the other day to maybe do some drumming (I do it more for the excersise heh). As I was descending the stairs, my grandmother, who was off to the right of the staircase, had her back turned to me, as she was washing something in the sink. As soon as I saw this, thoughts raced through my mind completely subconciouscly (I don't realize it till later it's weird) and I instantly made a huge effort to be extremely quiet as I made my way down to the basement. Why? 'Cause I for some reason thought that if I made it downstairs without her noticing and then started playing drums, she would get surprised when she hears all the noise, and will therefore think that I'm a very athletic and sneaky person to make it downstairs unnoticed, which is a huge plus 'cause my mom sometimes bitches that I'm not athletic enough =\.

And sure enough, right after I realized what I did I very spontaneously thought "Oh shit! Now that she knows I'm sneaky, she will be more suspicious of everything I do and start questioning me more when I say I'm going out to a friend's house when I'm really going to get stoned at a party!" Tell me if that's rational or not.

Obligatory hope it's not tl;dr.
 
I tend to overthink a lot when there's a in the situation... I'll confuse myself about if I really like her or not, how to talk to her, why I like her in the first place, how to act, worry about if she likes me- and then I do nothing at all.

For me, my problem stems from my inability to be myself sometimes, and I work to get rid of this.

When I overthink I tend to get really stressed out, and then I just forget about it until it comes up again- rinse and repeat.

With tests, overthinking will usually be a bad thing, and you should almost always go with your first choice (especially in those easy classes).

Kid A, that seems completely irrational.
 
I lived with an extremely bad mother. I've then since moved away 3 years ago. Everybody around me that shared attributes with her like smoking and laughing at stupid things I did made me feel everyone was a clone of her, which sometimes led me to beaking down, and also no friends at school because they just can't like somebody who's "emo". I'll get over it, but goddamn it's hard after 7 months of pure shit life -_-
 
I overthink absolutely everything. I'm naturally analytical, so it just happens. Part of the reason I don't really have friends, maybe. ._.
 
i know what you mean, i think the whole overthinking thing stems from insecurity, or being overly self conscious. caring too much about the image you portray to people etc. i overly overthink on off days.
 
I tend not to think at all, which can lead to really bad situations. I used to think too much, the way I stoppped was to stop thinking about stuff and just listen to that voice that says DO IT. It might help that I have absoloutely NO dignity left.
 
read the title as overdrinking



haha your awesome.


Anyway, i'll stop trolling for a second. I used to be an overthinker when I was younger. I guess I was more of a nerd then, because I would always look at things and analyze everything and try to be logical and all this shit. I was smart then so I figured I should use my smarts somehow. Nowadays I tend to just follow spontaneity a lot more, although I do stop and think things through when I believe I should. I think it's kinda interesting how people deal with every day situations.
 
Some time not too long ago I started caring about the impressions I made on other people. I didn't want them to remember me as just some asshole or just some smartass or some other assorted insult.

Since then it's been like a plague, I can't stop overthinking in public (or even around my roommate). The only time I can relax any more is late, late at night when it's quiet outside. It would be fine except that staying up late fucks with waking up the next day to go to classes and such.

I wish I could gain back that "fuck-the-world" philosophy I used to hold, for better or for worse.
 
The reason why I overthink isn't because I care about the impressions I make on other people, anyone who knows me knows I don't give a fuck about that.
Actually I don't even really know why I do it, I guess I don't like to be hasty or something.
 
I pretty much laugh off everything except girls, which I overthink so much I start hyperventilating.

Woe is me!
 
I have a natural affinity for analysis, which isn't much of a problem. My main problem is that I tend to think out loud, and few people appriciate my articulate analyses, often criticizing me for being rude or psychotic.

However, during high school I've been forced into many social and academic environments which require spontaneity, and I generally perform well under pressure. Although I sometimes make a fool of myself, people rarely think much of it, since I have done my utmost to cultivate the impression that I have no social skills. (I often do this by wearing shirts that say "I have no social skills.")
 
The only true reason for overthinking is self-doubt and since that cannot spawn from the self, it must come from others.

You can say you don't want to be hasty and that you mean you don't want to make mistakes. By themselves, mistakes mean nothing, but a mistake soon becomes a tool for comparison against someone or something else.

Making a fool of yourself likewise means nothing without another person to compare a "fool" to. These are just analytical comments though, purely definition.

I'm glad I still function around people and that overthinking has never affected my work or my school. It's just... I wish I didn't have so much of my headspace cramped by thinking about the ramifications of my actions on EVERYTHING.

This thread, for example.
 
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