Don’t let overthinking be what stops you from doing and being.
Ever since I started following Dr Michaela, I learned that overthinking isn’t all that bad. Overthinkers have positive traits that help them do good work (that's a whole story for another day). Also, some thoughts are productive. However, overthinking can be unhelpful sometimes and one of the end results is what I'd be discussing today - missed opportunities.
When you overthink situations, you end up not taking action. Instead of doing, you’ll be thinking. You'd find yourself in an endless cycle of questioning - sometimes rooted in negative thinking. Questions like:
Is it okay to take this action?
What happens if I do it?
What will happen if I don't?
Should I even do it?
Is it worth it?
What if things go bad?
Will they even like it?
Etc
Earlier this month, I got an idea to do something for a friend. It was time bound. I had to do it "now" or never. But I didn’t know if I should do it. I thought about this each passing day since I got that idea. I even did my research etc. But I didn’t take the action. I once thought of asking the person if they wanted something like that but I didn’t ask either (don't be like me). So I kept thinking without doing anything.
Long story short. I missed that opportunity. The sad part is that, it’s something the person actually wanted or maybe even needed. I had the chance to do it weeks ago but I didn’t. I lost that opportunity and I wouldn’t get it again. Maybe I’ll get another opportunity to do something else. But this particular one, nunca-never-jamais.
This is what overthinking can sometimes do. You may miss opportunities simply because instead of taking action, you were overthinking the situation.
I know it's not easy to just take action on something - especially for life-changing decisions. But you could start from somewhere. Dr Michaela says to ask yourself: Is giving this thought my attention moving me towards my values and goals, or is it pulling me away?
With this, you can determine if you should continue nurturing your thoughts on a given situation. I'll link to Dr Michaela's resources at the end.
I’m saying this and probably will go back and not take my own advice. Nonetheless, instead of overthinking situations, maybe we should just do. Take action.
Do you overthink situations? Have you lost opportunities - big or small - because you were overthinking instead of just doing?
Let's chat in the comments section.
As promised, you'll find Dr Michaela's free and paid resources here.
If this is your first time reading about Dr Michaela from my blog, here's a quick intro for you:
Dr Michaela is Dr Michaela Dunbar, a Clinical Psychologist and Founder of My Easy Therapy. She's my self-appointed virtual therapist even though I haven't had any sessions with her YET. She specialises in helping sensitive ambitious women conquer overthinking, self-doubt, anxiety etc, but her resources are generally helpful for overthinkers. So anyone can check them out.
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