Musings of An Over Thinker (& how to not go insane)

I am an over thinker but I know I’m not alone. If you’re reading this and you too are an overthinker — you know what it’s like to be asked, “What are you thinking?” and to only be able to answer with “Everything and nothing.”

There’s a madness to it that you come to accept — the difficulty of falling asleep, sleeping deeply or even sleeping in, as well as the brilliant (and sometimes seemingly pointless) thoughts that constantly interrupt my focus and the tasks at hand.

Have you been there?

It can make you crazy but it doesn’t have to. Trust me, it’s definitely made me go nuts on occasion, but I think I’ve finally hacked the system.

I mentioned earlier that overthinking interrupts my sleep habits. Nothing could be truer. Take movies before bed for example. Simple date night right? (It freaks me out!) No film is safe. I can’t watch a romantic film before bed because I might be up all night wondering what happened next or why they chose to be together at all. Documentaries? Out, because I’ll be thinking of ways I’d like to help, or learn more or… And what about scary stuff? No way — I’m a mother with a gift for imagining worst case scenarios. Scary movies are out all the time.

If you’re in the golden situation of being in a relationship with a non-overthinker, good luck! They don’t get it and they most likely never will. Just lovingly let them know it’s one of your beautiful curses and to respect it and not analyze it. Seriously, it’s the only way.

I do like to read books before bed, but that’s a tricky one as well. It can’t be too inspirational or creative, or I’ll be writing in my mind all night or forming a business idea. Fiction is best. Nothing too lovey or romantic though (not my cup of tea anyway) because then it’s the same issue as with the movies. Reading Harry Potter is great before bed. I can’t make any businesses out of it or over analyse the story, but it does carry some incredible metaphors if you haven’t already discovered them! I will say, that my favorite pre-bedtime book so far, has been “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert. (get it!)

For the most part though, if I want to sleep, I have to slow down my thinking at least an hour before bed. And no caffeine (for me) after 12pm. I get seriously wired. I don’t even want to know what speed would do to me. I’d probably explode.

When it comes to the day to day handlings of my over active mind, this is the biggest hack of them all:

Balancing the inhale with the exhale.

For starters — meditation. Mind you, let me start by saying that meditation is hard for me. I’m constantly noticing my mind wandering, planning my day, writing a book, thinking about my outfit and what’s for lunch. But then I avert from those pinball machine thoughts and guide my attention back to the moment.

To the inhale and the exhale. You’ve got to have both. Without one, you’ll die. And it’s the same all across life.

In her book, “Carry On, Warrior”, Glennon Doyle Melton says, “Reading is my inhale and writing is my exhale.” When I read that line, my heart jumped and felt like, yes! Somebody gets it!

Which leads me to my most consistent and dependable overthinker’s hack.

Balance.

Not in the way we know it, but in the inhale/exhale sort of way. Some of us love working and we want to work a 12 hour day. So be it if it makes you come alive! But work is an exhale and must be balanced with an equal amount of inhale. What feeds you? What fills you? 12 hours at the beach? A day of reading at the park? Spending a whole day with your friends? Whatever it is, balance out your exhale with a nourishing inhale.

I have to read. I have to absorb and discover new information, new paths to awe in this cosmic masterpiece we call life. But if I don’t write, I crash from overload. I have to speak, to share, to take the words and thoughts I’ve taken in and reform them in a therapeutic release.

Your mind is a gift. And if yours is active, be thankful. Be inspired. Learn. Take it all in. But be sure to release your inspirations in some way. Business, art, music, written or spoken word, movement, sex, laughter…. Without the exhale, you’ll collapse. Without the inhale, you’ll die.

Both are needed and when one is missing, the overthinker goes mad.

Are you an over-thinker? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

And will you do me a favor? If you liked this piece, please like, recommend it to others and share it so that more people can see it. The more we share, the more we grow!

Navae Lukas, Life & Business Catalyst helping Women Move Beyond Their Fears & Reconnect to Their True Selves, While Creating Purposeful Lives & Businesses. Follow on Instagram for more juicy words and inspirational images!

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