Revisiting old embarrassing memories down memory lane can be time-consuming and humiliating. But with thinking about your actions, words, and thoughts throughout the day, life can be more of a chore than a blessing. Thoughts like ‘How does my hair look?’ Or ‘Did I just sound like I wanted attention?’ Or ‘What if I fail this test right now and never get into a good college and live with my parents the rest of my life?’
The overthinking never stops. From grade pressure, failing a sport, and your plan for the overall future. This excessive behavior can become heavy on a person, weighing you down like the world’s reputation is on your shoulders. And when you lie down to sleep, it’s like a thousand screens repeating your smallest mistakes instead of your accomplishments, making most overthinkers sleep deprived. And sleep deprivation, in turn, makes you overthink your amount of rest time to your productivity.
Why do overthinkers want to be perfect at everything when imperfection is important for growing? Gwendolyn Baker overthinks about her future. Gwendolyn dreams of being in the film industry, but her thoughts on whether this is the right path stay in her mind.
“For my future, I have the career of go big or go home. I just overthink, like will people like this film idea or will people not,” Baker said.
Gwen explains how she needs to be creative in a way that the people watching her film would enjoy. The fear of pursuing a dream but never getting far enough to satisfy that perfect plan weighs on many minds, young and old. With Baker achieving many difficult goals at such a young age, like writing scripts, poetry, and publishing books, she still has doubts about her future in film and whether it’s enough to truly bring her happiness.
“What if I do all that and it’s still nothing, you know?” Baker said.
The future being a winding path with overwhelming unknown is one thing, but even the present can create a storm of overthinking. Ayleen Morales overthinks school work and school persona. Grades can make you feel like you’re not good enough, but so can how others perceive you.
“I’m gonna be the best person I can be, but I’m worried that I’m not doing the right thing. I feel that sometimes if I make a face, I don’t mean it in a bad way at all,” Morales said.
Morales explains how, when you see someone looking at you differently, you automatically believe it in a bad light.
“They don’t come up to you and ask when they overthink it themselves and then never talk about it,” Morales said.
People see you differently from how your friends and how you see yourself. Others may overthink that a look over the shoulder could mean you look at them rudely, or you may see someone give you a stare when they are squinting at the board behind.
“I think a lot of people do it, especially our generation, because of what we’ve grown up with,” Morales said.
Social media can bring doubt from seeing other people’s relationships online. Overthinking comes with comparing when you’re on your phone; this correlates with dating, friendships, and how you ultimately see yourself. Comparing your partner to another shouldn’t be taught as normal in this generation. In the famous book “The Little Prince,” there is a quote: “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” This generation would rather have multiple quick dates than a full committed relationship. A real relationship takes time and thought; overthinking what you and your partner do could lead to ruining the relationship.
“I don’t want you to be with me for the wrong reasons. I want you to be with me for the right reasons. I think people should be dating to marry,” Morales said.
Overthinking your love life, friendships, and yourself is not okay. Having confidence and talking to someone instead of overthinking is the best part of life. Next time you overthink, ask, “Can I do something about this?” If yes, take your time and figure it out without the stress. If not, live your life and move on. As my dad likes to say to me, and now as I say it to you, is this thought worth one month or one minute of your time? Your imperfections are what make you perfect, so enjoy the moment by being loud with your friends, dancing in public, and being kind to others. Overthinking is a normal part of life, but it’s essential to understand that not knowing every page of your story is important to fully living. If you opened a book knowing it front and back, would that still be worth reading?
