Overthinking Social Interactions? Here’s How to Overcome It

Taking a step back can help move the relationship forward

Photo by Alexander Suhorucov on Pexels.

I’ve always had a wild imagination.

One of the few activities I enjoyed as a kid was daydreaming. Highly insecure with low self-esteem, I made up stories and built imaginary worlds as a form of escapism.

But spending a lot of time in imaginary worlds can make dealing with real-life social interactions challenging.

For example:

• If I greet my colleague in the morning and he doesn’t return the greeting and appears closed off, I start wondering if there’s a problem brewing.
• If I send an email to a senior requesting assistance and don’t hear back from her, I assume she’s intentionally ignoring me.
• When I text my best friend for lunch together and don’t receive a reply, I recall our previous interactions trying to find out what I’ve done that angered her.

Giving others the benefit of doubt

Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. — Erma Bombeck