I Am An Over Thinker

Like stated in “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris, “A person had to do these things because nothing was worse than the anguish of not doing them.” A “normal” individual might argue, “Why not just stop focusing on that and stay positive instead?” To a “normal” individual that might seem realistic but it’s not so for someone like me. We all experience an innumerable amount of thoughts throughout the day, but the issue arises when one thought becomes recurring and more and more prominent in your thoughts. In a combination of anxious thoughts and my OCD, I can find myself entertaining the same thought for hours on end. This fixation on my anxious worries is what often at times causes me to choose stressing over sleeping. I’ve found myself thinking about one thing at 10pm and have that thought carry over until 4am when I can finally convince myself it’s just an unrealistic worry. What was that thought? It was whether I had bubbled my ID number in correctly on my scantron. Looking back I know that it’s ridiculous because I always check my scantron multiple times before I hand it in just to make sure I didn't make a mistake. Even after checking my scantron five times I still feel the urge to check again so I have to force myself to hand it in and trust myself. In the moment these things don't seem irrational. The over-focusing on thoughts and the rechecking of things seem like logical conclusions just to make sure I didn’t mess up. I mean everyone makes mistakes right? It’s sometimes hard to draw the line where it becomes obsessive. Like in the essay, I too find myself succumbing to my OCD because ignoring it would cause even more distress than I already am

Constant worrying – Stress can cause over load on the body and this in turn can cause the body to find it hard to handle things. You start to constantly worry about what is happening and what is going to happen.

Ever since I was young I’ve had anxiety. Every single interaction I’ve ever had has been carefully calculated and thought out before it has happened. Every situation has been worried, confused, and excessively mulled over ever since I can remember. Every anger-filled conversation has left me crying and shaking, and every sad one left me worried and sick to my stomach. Headaches were common,

Anxiety is one of the banalest features in the human mind. People with severe anxiety can have strenuous difficulties in life. In the past, anxiety was deemed irrelevant, and it was assumed to be benign. In recent years, Researchers have concluded that anxiety can be detrimental to one’s health. Anxiety can range from mild to strong, but nonetheless, it can affect lives severely. Almost everybody in the world has at least some type of anxiety. Whether it is presenting in front of a crowd, going to social events, reliving a traumatic experience, or even going on a rollercoaster. Psychology doctor, Peg O-Conner declares in her article that anxiety is, in fact, part of human nature (Conner). Conner argues that becoming unable to prioritize matters,

“There is nothing in this world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts.” This quote by Johnny Stones describes Christopher’s overthinking. Stones is saying that when you think about something a lot, you’ll either read into it too much, or start thinking about something else. This can lead to panic attacks, as overthinking is actually a symptom of Panic Disorder.

Ever since I was younger, I have had a tendency to overthink and obsess over everything. There was never a huge amount of pressure put on me., but even as I grew up, I realized many , if not most, of my friends had the same tendencies as I do. We wanted to ace every test and project, and would stress out when we didn’t get an that A on that paper. And this mentality translated over to trivial things as well. If we were choosing between McDonalds or Chipotle, we would choose one and then talk about how the other could’ve been the better choice forto have lunch. Even as I came to university and met a good number of diverse people, many still inhabited the same social constructs as I do.

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with anxiety, I have been told countlessly to stop overthinking and worrying. Until recently I thought my this was a strength, that worrying would help me prepare. At snowboard state championships I realized that I needed to overcome this challenge, this has changed my outlook my own fear ever since.

Do you ever get stressed out when you lose something important at the wrong time? A person who has an explanation for this is Daniel Levitin. Levitin believed that you should always look ahead in life, so you can prevent yourself from failing this is called pre-mortem which reduces stress and damage. I agree with his analysis because I personally have a bad habit of not remembering where I park my car. I don’t know why this happens to me, but unfortunately it does. Sometimes people wonder, why is this guy going back and forth? I really hope that no one thinks that I’m going to rob their car the next time I’m walking in the parking lot. If I could prevent myself from losing my car, then I would be fine. Levitin explained three issues that should help you look ahead in life, so you won’t fail. First he talked about pre-mortem and cortisol, next Levitin explained a part of our brain called the

Worries, doubts, superstitious beliefs- all are common worries of everyday life. However, when they become excessive, or make no sense at all, then a diagnosis is made. In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just can’t let go, no matter how hard they may try. OCD is a medical brain disorder that causes problems in information processing (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation [OCD Foundation], 2000).

I was always anxious, a worrier, with a quick mind that raced from worry to worry, always one step ahead of myself, planning what I was going to say whilst the other person was talking; planning the future, from where I might park the car, to how I was going to manage my death; and worrying about the past, why I’d said or done such stupid things. I assumed everyone did this, that their minds were bursting with stuff they were thinking, stuff they wanted to say, all the time. Thanks to my dad, who was the sole individual that noticed my subtle OCD signs, introduced me to this notion of meditation through performing it himself. I gradually spent more and more time with meditating with him - whether it be 5-10 every other day, or even sometimes 15 mins on the weekends.

You don’t want to have these ideas but you can’t stop them. Unfortunately, these obsessive thoughts are often disturbing and distracting. There are a couple categories that people who have OCD fall into. Some include “washers,” these people are afraid of contamination. Washing of the hands compulsions. Then there are the “checkers” people who check things, lights, door locked etc. Sometimes over and over again. Then there are the “doubters & sinners” these people are afraid of everything that isn’t perfect or done just right something terrible will happen or they will get punished. Then there is the “counters and arrangers” people who are obsessed with order and symmetry. They may have superstitions about certain numbers, colors, or arrangements. Then lastly you have the OCD “hoarders” having the fear that something bad will happen if they throw anything away. They compulsively hoard things that they don’t need or

A person that experiences anxiety finds it difficult to control their worrying and keep worrisome thoughts from getting in the way of doing the tasks they are given. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V, adults with generalized

Over thinking happens in the dead of night where the silent pierces the eardrums then suddenly one is hit with an overflowing process of thoughts of what could have been done or said during a life event. It might not even occur in the mist of dawn but while one fiddles with a pencil or while having an argumentative conversion. Overthinking is the process of asking what ifs, but it can also consist of the necessity of having a voice in society. Ernest Agyemang Yeboah distinguishes that “the tongue never rest. It speaks even when we sleep. It speaks through the mind even when the mouth keeps shut.” I’m a young female in high school, the one that is acknowledged as a shy or unimportant due to the color of my skin, to my age, to my gender and my social status. All these factors

My mind is almost always running and thinking about things. I am always choosing the worst outcome and working backwards for a game plan or how to solve the problem. I believe there is always an answer and I just have not found it yet. Ever since I was a manager, 20 years ago, I was taught to overcome adapt and solve the problem. This plays out in my personal life as well, with having 4 children and they have their problems and I want to help them solve them to. A technique still use is to draw a circle and put the things I can affect in the middle and the things I can’t on the outside. I would then tell myself to only worry about the things I can affect. In addition, I tell myself to not worry, make a plan and adjust it as needed, but then let it go.

People who have these types of worries have something called Anxiety Disorder. It’s when someone is extremely worried about something that’s probably insignificant or sometimes caused by a seroius situation. There are many types of anxiety disorder, like Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD). It’s when you’re constantly worried about the future and are restless and sleep-deprived. Then, there’s Dementia.A state of losing your memory and forgetting things that could possibly be very important. Next up is Delirium. It’s when you’re not fully aware of what’s going on.