Overthinking can be debilitating and without doubt, it is a common issue among us. Whether it’s a mistake you made yesterday, weeks, months or years ago, some of us have the habit of holding on to them and overthink. By fretting about how they’re going to succeed tomorrow, over-thinker’s tend to lose themselves in a constant barrage of thoughts. Thinking too much about things isn’t just a nuisance but can also take a huge toll on your body. Here are some of the things that can happen to you, if you are an overthinker.
1. It disturbs your sleep.
This is a struggle an overthinker is familiar with. In order for you to fall asleep, your body needs to be in a relaxed state. Not only that, you heart rate as well as breathing needs to go down. When you think about something over and over again, you are doing the exact opposite. This also causes you to stay awake longer, which can impair the quality of your sleep; when you finally fall asleep.
2. Your energy levels might drop.
Overthinkers also have less energy, since they don’t sleep as much as they are required. Apart from that, when you overthink, your brain is coming up with different scenarios of something that you are afraid of. Not only does this process consume a lot of your energy, but also makes you less productive.
3. It interferes with your problem-solving capabilities.
Numerous studies show that overthinkers have the tendency to believe that by rehashing their problems in their heads multiple times, they are helping themselves. Over-analyzing only interferes with your problem-solving abilities, which can also affect your life since you are dwelling on the problem, rather than the solution.
4. You are more likely to lose opportunities that could advance your career.
One of the biggest disadvantages of overthinking is that you end up with so many options, choices and scenarios that you have a hard time choosing one. Experts call this analysis paralysis, which causes you to get stuck in potential consequences and outcomes, which could never happen. While not taking chances means you don’t fail, it also means you don’t succeed.
5. You tend to repeat the same conversations to your friends and family members.
When you are overthinking about something, you might feel the need to express different scenarios with your friends and family members. While it might be ok in the beginning, it can become too much for them when they are asked about the same situation over and over.
6. You become emotionally absent around others.
When you overthink, you tend to spend a lot of time inside your head, which can cause you to be emotionally absent around others. By focusing on the thoughts and not others around you, it gives the impression that you are not interested in them or what they are saying to you. This can be detrimental to the relationship.
7. Your appetite might change.
Studies show that overthinking can have a huge impact on a person’s appetite. For some, it can be suppressed appetite, whereas for others, it can be a boost in appetite. Most people, when overthinking, also tend to favor “comfort foods”, which can be the tastiest and unhealthiest things.