Maybe it's the sleepy afternoon talking, but I'm going to admit that I spent far too long overthinking how to write an intro to this article about overthinking things too much.
Acknowledging that publicly is one of the "12 Steps" somewhere, right?
As an anxiety sufferer, I have a Ph.D in navel gazing, and am very adept in twisting a simple "ok" text message into a big heap of drama.
I'm not saying that all of my worries are invalid. That's the thing about overthinking. Sometimes, the habit means that you catch onto a problem before it becomes a serious issue.
All because your uncontrollable anxiety spiralled down into itself while you stared glassy-eyed at the projected slides and didn't notice your hand reaching over-and-over again into the box of donut holes.
Who cares if your team is praising you?
You're clearly a glutton with no self-control and a complete lack of team spirit. Why else would you blatantly hog the meeting snacks and deprive your coworkers of some sugary treats?
There's no silver bullet or magic spell that a self-help guru can teach you if you just pay them four easy payments of $49.99.
I've spent years practicing the skill of first realizing I've gone down the rabbit hole and then calmly refocusing my attention on whatever is happening in the actual world around me.
It's a constant, difficult battle, but I'm getting better at it and can take pride in that achievement. Which is more than I can say for navel gazing. All I achieve with that is stress and lint.
