How does overthinking express itself in the body, the physical world? We can observe overthinking when we are over engaged in doing stuff. Physical overthinking happens when we do things that will not likely have any real effect on the outcome but our heart and soul prods us into doing them anyway. It has been called “majoring in minors” and “spinning our wheels.” It often occurs when we act look too far down the road and believe that we have the power and responsibility to prevent the accident that might happen.
We act on our overthinking when we engage the world at the whims of our monkey mind. The most famous fictional over thinker was Don Quixote. Cervantes’ character was compelled to joust with a windmill out of the danger that the windmill/knight represented to the world. His delusion grew out of his overthinking and expressed itself in his taking actions that were meaningless and foolish.
When we overthink ourselves, we delude ourselves into thinking we can meet the imaginary threats that loom just over the horizon. We assume a power over the future that does not exist We act in ways that are, at best, comical and, at worst, dangerous to our and other’s well-being. This is especially true when our overthinking spurs us into becoming over-reactive. We may take draconian measures against problems that have only occurred in our minds.
A few weeks ago, I was driving down the expressway following a white sedan. I saw brake lights come on about a ½ mile ahead and started to slow down. In that moment, the brake lights on the car in front of me came on and they came to an immediate stop in the lane. Fortunately, I had enough room to pass them in on the shoulder, thus avoiding an accident. The other car then began to move ahead very slowly, creeping their way up to the slowdown. Overthinking can lead to over-reacting with foolish and/or dangerous consequences.
We act on our overthinking when we engage the world at the whims of our monkey mind. The most famous fictional over thinker was Don Quixote. Cervantes’ character was compelled to joust with a windmill out of the danger that the windmill/knight represented to the world. His delusion grew out of his overthinking and expressed itself in his taking actions that were meaningless and foolish.
When we overthink ourselves, we delude ourselves into thinking we can meet the imaginary threats that loom just over the horizon. We assume a power over the future that does not exist We act in ways that are, at best, comical and, at worst, dangerous to our and other’s well-being. This is especially true when our overthinking spurs us into becoming over-reactive. We may take draconian measures against problems that have only occurred in our minds.
A few weeks ago, I was driving down the expressway following a white sedan. I saw brake lights come on about a ½ mile ahead and started to slow down. In that moment, the brake lights on the car in front of me came on and they came to an immediate stop in the lane. Fortunately, I had enough room to pass them in on the shoulder, thus avoiding an accident. The other car then began to move ahead very slowly, creeping their way up to the slowdown. Overthinking can lead to over-reacting with foolish and/or dangerous consequences.
Tips - Staying Rooted in the Present
Overthinking tends to focus on a future that is completely out of reach in the present. Therefore, the skill that can help our body avoid overreaching because of our overthinking, is to focus on the present. We can accomplish this by focusing our actions on areas and in ways that will address real problems that are within reach. In other words, define and live within your realm of control and impact.
A few things to consider:
“Tomorrow is tomorrow.
Future cares have future cures,
And we must mind today.” ~ Sophocles
A few things to consider:
- Accept the present for what it is without sacrificing your hope for the future.
- Acknowledge that you can makes changes that will affect the future but they are limited to the reach of your hands and your voice.
- Be a Serial Single-tasker. You may not complete a single task in one sitting but it is okay to set is aside as you deal with another task. It will still be there when you return to it.
- Do not allow the imagined rewards or fears of tomorrow to hide the opportunities of the present.
- Cultivate gratitude.
“Tomorrow is tomorrow.
Future cares have future cures,
And we must mind today.” ~ Sophocles
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