This may begin with an occasional musing over conversations, self-doubt in decisions made, or anxiety about the future, but overthinking has become a part of everyday life for many young professionals today.
The fast pace of professional life and the ever-present pressure for responsiveness and high performance mean that there is never much respite from the constant influx of thoughts. Thoughts keep spinning and running even outside of office walls, whether about emails, pending tasks, personal development at work, or any number of ‘what ifs’.
According to Lalit Taneja, Anxiety & Confidence Coach and founder of HappyMind, “Overthinking in today’s world is no longer necessarily related to a large problem. In most cases, it happens due to accumulation of little unresolved questions.”
What makes it happen? One of the major contributors to such phenomena is the absence of clear mental borders. Work invading personal life via smartphones means that there is no signal for your brain to stop thinking. Gradually, over time, a person finds themselves stuck in a habitual mode of thinking even in situations where there is absolutely nothing to think about.
Another contributing factor is the expectation to make the “right” choice each time. In whatever context whether making career moves, interacting in meetings, or even crafting an email, there is always the possibility of making a mistake, which results in endless thinking and self-doubt.
Ironically, overthinking is often confused with thoroughness or caution. In truth, however, overthinking is energy-consuming without any resultant insight.
According to Lalit, the objective is not to cease thinking completely but rather to identify instances where thinking goes into a loop. “A small shift would be to detect thought repetitions early on and deliberately refocus attention. Awareness is the key to interrupting the cycle.”
Such practices as establishing “no-thinking times,” such as before going to bed, keeping records of repetitive thoughts, or minimizing unnecessary decision-making can prove effective in alleviating mental strain.
In an era when efficiency is valued, there is now an increasing need for mental space management. After all, the most exhausting aspect of the modern-day grind may be all the incessant overthinking that goes along with it.