Do you run things over in your mind again and again and again?
Is most of your day consumed by contemplating whether to switch from boxers to briefs?
Have you spent hours beating yourself up because you didn’t complement your Uber driver’s stylishly-trimmed neck line?
Psychologists have a name for this behavior when exhibited by introverts:
It’s called Normal.
In most cases, overthinkers have two options:
- Try to stop or moderate your behavior. This might work. You could also end up spending years telling yourself, “I’m going to stop overthinking. I’m going to stop overthinking, I’m going to…”
- Use it to your advantage. Some of history’s most famous people were overthinkers: Thomas Edison (“I can’t stop thinking about light bulbs.”); Christopher Columbus (“I can’t believe I told Queen Isabella I’d find a route to the East Indies or die trying.”); and Fleetwood Mac (“Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.”)
Overthinking is not a curse. It’s a gift. A gift that keeps giving and giving and giving until it gives you an idea that cures cancer or endless ways to say to neurotic semi-strangers, “I’m sorry. I’m just not into couples counselling on the first date.”
Living Inside My Head 