Overthinking: From mental prisons to possibilities

I don’t know about you, but in the recent past, I have tended to overthink, and overthink on all of the bad stuff - future anxieties, past decisions, social interactions, etc. I have replayed conversations, worried about what others think and have dwelled on ‘what if‘ scenarios. Finally, dread and a sense of hopelessness settle in, making it difficult for me to concentrate or make decisions. 

Recently, I stumbled on a clip by Mr. Daryl Black (An inspiring speaker, author and musician) on overthinking the positive rather than the negative. (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOIQZjljVP4/?igsh=am95d3NndW1yZTJn) I appreciate the way he articulates his thoughts. I particularly liked when he said, “If you can overthink the worst, then you can overthink the best… Overthinking gets a bad rap.” Usually when I overthink, it’s about the bad stuff. I love his definition of overthinking, which is “just energy and what you focus on.” He goes on to say, “What if we redirected that energy toward hope and towards truth and toward possibilities?”

I know that this is pretty straightforward; however, it’s a newer way of thinking for me. Instead of spending all of my brain power thinking about how things could go wrong or I’m not this or that, I could be spending that energy imagining all of the ways it could go right or being thankful that I am this or have that.

I also like how he said, “The next time your mind starts spiraling into worry, stop and ask yourself ‘Am I using this overthinking to build my future or to break my present?” 

A few months ago, I wrote a blog on anxiety and mentioned experiencing feelings of self-condemnation and self-doubt about a number of things, including my inability to get a serve over the net in pickleball. One of my friends noticed that I was battling with my serve and even commented that I have to “stop overthinking it.” Of course, I knew that she meant that I was overthinking the negative aspect of it.

Once I started down the negative overthinking path, full-blown anxiety set in. It not only affected my serve but spilled over into other aspects of my life. It was in this blog that I shared a hack to getting rid of anxiety, which was gratitude. It was interesting to find out that from a neuroscience perspective, a person cannot be anxious and thankful at the same time, as they live in different parts of the brain. The core principle once again, is positivity, as gratitude is a form of positivity. 

Should a similar situation arise in the future (It’s a foregone conclusion that it will occur.), I will let my mind replay previous successes rather than failure. I will envision myself being successful, carrying it out, but also, I will practice, practice, practice.

Lesson learned: I have the power to ‘flip the switch.’ I just have to start thinking about things the right way - Imagine myself being successful.

"A mindset of positivity can propel you forward, while negativity can hinder progress, making you feel as though you are moving backward."