Science reveals that thinking too much can take a toll on your general well-being.
Of course, we all tend to overthink a situation occasionally. But if you spend hours worrying over minor matters, then you will probably struggle to keep your mind calm and focused.
"Our brains are amazing processors that make conscious and subconscious decisions upwards of 35,000 times per day. Careful analysis and scrutiny can improve some choices, but if we get caught up in analyzing every potential outcome, due diligence can lead to excessive worrying and decision paralysis," explains Dr. Fowler, director of professional wellness at Houston Methodist.
Whether you're fixating on the past or catastrophizing about the future, thought patterns that are more destructive than constructive can take a toll on both your mental health and physical health.
Here is how overthinking can have negative effect on you:
#1 May trigger mental illness
One study found a two-way relationship between overthinking and other mental health issues. Hafeez calls it a “chicken-and-egg” situation: High levels of stress, anxiety, and depression can contribute to overthinking. Meanwhile, overthinking may be associated with increased stress, anxiety, and depression.
#2 Interferes with problem-solving ability
How often do you overanalize things? Overthinkers believe that discussing certain situations or problems in the head helps them overcome them. However, studies claim otherwise. Overanalyzing interferes with one’s ability to solve problems as it causes you to dwell on the problem and imagine situations that may never happen, rather than finding actual solutions.
All that overthinking will never help you make a better choice!
#3 Disrupts your sleep
If you are overthinker you are most likely facing problems with sleep. This is because your body does not allow you to sleep when your mind is not at peace, thinking about yet another small problem. Ruminating on almost everything and worrying constantly about things over which you have little or no control often lead to fewer hours of sleep. As overthinking correlates to quality of your sleep it is easy to guess how following days can go wrong with all the sleep deprivation. It can affect your personal relationships, work life and as we already mentioned mental health.
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