Over thinking

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I over think situations and life in general. Any have any tips I can practice on? I already am trying to focus on myself more and the things I want to do. Trying to watch youtube and things like that so I can enjoy some interesting shows. Having trouble letting my mind wander onto things other than what I'm doing at the moment. It really messes up my relationships and causes a lot of anxiety and stress and occasional meltdowns.

After talking with some colleagues about this exact topic (over-thinking), we've come to the consensus that there is no such a thing as "over-thinking". How much one thinks about a situation can't be measured by someone else.

Over analyzing then.

It's. The. Worst. Feeling. Ever. I'm like a robot at school since I'm hell bent on maintaining good to excellent grades, while doing utterly lazy and unproductive activity on the computer after the semester's over (and during free time) just to take the stress away... when video games seem like hard work, you know you're burnt out.

I can definitely over-analyze. Here is something that helps me in those circumstances when I am over-analyzing possible outcomes of differing courses of actions. The underlying assumptions are: 1) that there are other people involved, and 2) the behavior of other people is not 100% predictable.

I first consider the best possible outcome; then I imagine the worst possible outcome. I then think of these as two endpoints on a line. Basic geometry would suggest that there are an infinite number of points along the line connecting those two endpoints.

I then imagine each of those points along the line as an alternative possible outcome. Given that outcomes depend on the actions of other people (see assumptions), and that such are ultimately not predictable, then I say to myself that there are therefore an infinite number of possible outcomes. It might then follow that the probability that either of the two I identified might occur, or for that matter any 10 or 20 I might imagine, is quite, quite small. So small in fact as to constitute a waste of my time and mental resources.

While I thoroughly enjoy thinking things through, I loathe mental masturbation. I try to remember to suggest to myself that, when I over-analyze, I may be simply jacking-off my brain. I then find it easier to just pick a course of action, go with it, then try to absorb such lessons as may be learned from whatever outcomes ensue.

You probably aren't over thinking at all. In reality, it's much more likely that they just aren't thinking as much as you. Everyone tells me that I over think things all the time. However, it wasn't until I started to believe it and say it myself that i actually started to over think things. Before, it wasn't a problem, now it's become a nuisance.

I don't believe overthinking is as a big a problem as those who don't think about things at all.

Overthinking is a signal of anxiety or depression in my case. My natural inclination is to launch myself into things, and constant analysis leads to indecision and paralysis.

I've been able to make the most sense out of "overthinking" by using an energy metaphor. A lot of NT people I've known seem to have to fight a sort of energy gradient to put them into a mental state where they can analyze or focus. In my case, my brain is permanently switched 'on' to that same mental state. For me, the energy gradient is in the other direction: it takes effort to turn my brain off. So relative to people such as these, I'm an "overthinker". I don't feel there's anything wrong with my brain, but by comparison, other people may feel I'm stressing unnecessarily or obsessing too much about something because their perception of me is that I'm exerting a great deal of energy getting my mental state up to a point where it can consider scenarios, anticipate conversations, etc.

On the other hand, maybe the point of the word is to suggest I'm thinking about something I perhaps shouldn't be, like social situations, in which case they may have a point. Still, I've accepted this part of me long ago when I decided that I'd rather not be around people who felt compelled to point out how much more than them I was thinking.