Think Again

 Overthinking v Rethinking

Are you an overthinker? Do you ever find yourself in an infinite loop of rumination? 

For some they feel that overthinking means that they are putting a lot of thought and effort into something to ensure that it is done right. Or at least what they believe to be, done right.

Science has found that overthinking can inhibit decisive action and can actually cause decision paralysis. The truth is, overthinking doesn't help us make better choices but rather it cause us to make none at all.

The process of overthinking can also lead to heighten anxiety, impair making correct choices, overemphasize a problem, and cause forecasting (spending too much time guess what will happen as an outcome). 

Overthinking causes a lot of us to spend time ruminating. Ruminating centers on the past, dwelling, and brooding. Rumination can lead to sadness, regret, and depression.

Rumination focuses on "What I should have done...." and can lead to catastrophic thinking; going over the worst case  scenario and hypervigilance; always watching and always on guard. 

The more we overthink and ruminate the more we engage in avoidance behavior. We believe it is better to not do something than to do it wrong and have to think about the mistakes over and over again.

Why is it important for us to know this kind of information? The answer is simple, overthinking negatively impacts the brain.

The more we overthink and ruminate the more we strengthen the negative thinking neural pathways in our brain. A study done in 2023 found that when we overthink we train our brain to anticipate the negative and reinforce those neural pathways.

When I begin teaching our students about mindfulness I share with them that we are working to grow our Prefrontal Cortex and create positive neural pathways. Our Prefrontal Cortex is our center for wise choices, attention, and problem solving. When we overthink and ruminate we are negatively impacting the Prefrontal Cortex and create neural pathways that cause overthinking loops and fuel the cycle to continue.

Overthinking can also cause an increase in cortisol levels, which is the stress hormone. This can cause higher risks of anxiety and depression.

I know, that was a lot of information thrown at you. If you are like me you find it fascinating and helpful. I can look at people in my life and identify the overthinking and rumination. I know those people in my life also have high blood pressure and are often irritated by things that really do not affect them. 

Are you an overthinker? Do you know one? Do you have one in class? 

Are there students who freeze on tests, afraid to mark any answer for fear of getting one wrong? Do you have a student who does not want to come to school, has anxiety, or always seems to be negative?

You probably have an overthinker.

Mindfulness practices can help us learn to rethink. Look at things in a new light. See something from a new angle. Rethinking is to think again from a new perspective.

When we take time to calm our bodies, quiet our brains, and look again, we learn to rethink.

I started this post with words from Adam Grant. He has a podcast focused on Rethinking. Take a listen. He will have you rethinking from a new perspective what you were overthinking and ruminating. 

When we learn to mindfully rethink a situation we see things in a new light. 

This weekend try taking some time to assess if you are an overthinker and see how you could change that to rethinking. Could you be done with a thought? Could you shift? Take a deep breath and boldly rethink and gain a new perspective.