Day 7: The Bad Habit Hit List: A Countdown to Unf*cking Your Life, One Crappy Habit at a Time
#9 Overthinking Everything? Or Am I Just Overthinking That?
You ever catch yourself overthinking about how much you overthink?
Or am I overthinking this?
Or am I just accurately assessing the situation?
But wait, if I’m asking that, does that mean I am overthinking?
Or is this just normal thinking?
What is normal thinking?
OH GOD, WHAT IF I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY HAD A NORMAL THOUGHT?
Congratulations, my friend.
You have officially reached the mental gymnastics Olympics, and you didn’t even stretch first.
Overthinking is the brain’s equivalent of a hamster sprinting full-speed on a wheel—except the wheel is on fire, and the hamster is having an existential crisis.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Because we’re intelligent, sensitive beings who process information carefully and methodically.
Just kidding.
It’s mostly fear, self-doubt, and an overactive imagination running wild like a caffeinated squirrel.
Fear of making the wrong choice – Because obviously, choosing the wrong sandwich today will cause a butterfly effect leading to global catastrophe.
Perfectionism – If I analyse this problem from every possible angle, I will eventually achieve a flawless outcome. (I did not.)
Too many ‘what ifs’ – What if I do this and it goes wrong? What if I don’t do this and it goes wrong? What if everything is already wrong and I just haven’t noticed yet?!
Signs you definitely, might be, possibly, could be, an overthinker… maybe… 👀
You write a text, delete it, rewrite it, delete it again, and then spend 10 minutes staring at your phone like it's about to explode.
You send it, then instantly regret it.
You replay conversations in your head like they’re the season finale of a show you didn’t understand the first time.
You draft multiple versions of an email and then decide to just not send it because what if they think I sound weird?
You’re currently debating whether this article is really about you or if you’re just overthinking that.
The problem with overthinking
It’s exhausting.
And counterproductive.
And let’s be honest—it rarely actually helps.
Thinking is useful.
Obsessively dissecting every thought like a forensic scientist examining a crime scene?
Less so.
It leads to decision paralysis, unnecessary stress, and (ironically) worse decision-making.
Because when your brain is caught in an endless loop of "what-ifs," you don’t move forward—you just sit there, spiralling, until you give up and watch Netflix instead.
How to shut up your brain (just a little bit)
Set a Time Limit on Thinking – Give yourself a deadline. "I will allow myself exactly 10 minutes to overthink this, and then I have to move on."
Ask, ‘Will this matter in a week/month/year?’ – If the answer is "no," then it’s probably not worth losing sleep over.
Flip the Script – Instead of "What if this goes wrong?" try "What if this goes right?" (Groundbreaking, I know.)
Write It Down & Move On – Sometimes just getting the thoughts out of your head is enough to stop them from running laps around your bonce.
Take Action (Even Small Ones) – Overthinking loves inaction. Even doing something small can help break the cycle.
Final thought (or overthought?)
If you’re overthinking right now about whether or not you’re an overthinker… that’s kind of your answer, isn’t it?
And that’s fine.
Welcome to the club.
We overanalyse the shit out of our lives daily.
Now, do me a favour—stop overthinking whether or not you should read another article and just click subscribe already.
No analysis needed.
👉 Subscribe now before you start overthinking it.
Next up: #8 People Pleasing - Oh, sure - I’ll do that for you now! … <mutters under breath>