I'm an overthinker...any advice
So I don't normally post here, but lately I've been feeling rather anxious and I was hoping that I could get some advice. So a little backstory as to some of the reason I think I'm feeling anxious.
First and foremost I over think a lot when I'm alone, which can be very very annoying.
Since April I've been working at the same place almost everyday and I have two weeks left in my contract; being in the same small area doing the same things really gets to me sometimes.
Recently I found a YouTuber I really like; I feel as though I get anxiety when thinking about one of his shows, though, in which he deals with dillema's through the personification of his feelings; it's got some good lessons, but it gets u thinking about your feelings a lot.
I'm going back to school for one last semester before I (hopefully) get into teachers college.
I'm also gay and though I have an amazing support system through friends and my sister, my parents are the kind of people who would rather not talk about it in the hopes that it's a phase.
And lastly, my friends are away the next two weeks so the people i usually talk to haven't been able to talk to me as much.
I know that this is a lot of information and it probably seems easy to discern where my anxiety is coming from, but I can't seem to understand what's going on sometimes and I don't have any strategies to combat the feeling (or at least any strategies that work). If anybody has advice it would be much appreciated!
@loyalDrum7673
Heya, Drum! :) Why you're feeling anxious are quite understandable. Overthinking can often lead us to snowballing thoughts, which can tend to get worse and worse and more uncontrollable! I'm wondering if you've ever written down the thoughts on paper, or said them out loud to yourself? In our mind, our worries, thoughts and fears can seem logical, but I find personally that my thoughts make no sense and I don't have much to worry about when I say them out loud!
Another thing I'd like to suggest is to figure out the reasons underneath the anxiety and overthinking thoughts. What cognitive disortions do you have with your thoughts and emotions? Here's a good site that explains the cognitive distortions, and a good app to use is called Thought Diary! (Available on iOS, not sure about Android). You could write down your thoughts/fears, then write down things that coutneract that fear coming to life. Additionally, have you checked out the Anxiety self-help guide?
I really hope this helps in any way, and I wish yout he best of luck on your journey xx
@rebecca947 thank u for the help. I do talk to myself a lot (it kind of goes with my over thinking) and I do have the thought diary but I haven't used it in a while. I haven't seen the cognitive thing yet though. Hopefully with your advice I can try not to snowball my thoughts.
If my mind is running rampant I do something with my hands. Like knitting or drawing or baking. Or doing my nails or makeup. Something. As far as overthinking to the point of anxiety, I read my bible, which corrects my perspective and remind me that whatever I am caught up on is not as bad as it seems.
@SereneBlueberry I usually have a fidgeting toy with me or try to at least. Maybe I'll start using it again to get my mind off of stuff.
Thinking a lot when you are alone isn't necessarily a bad thing. Self-reflection and deep thoughts are important to one's overall well being. It is the quality of one's thoughts that counts. If you are having anxious or racing thoughts it might be best to just be mindful or watchful at first. Not judging if they are good or bad. Probably writing them down or recording them to where you can return later to start the self-reflection process.
Then as you get more practice with being mindful and self-reflective you can practice doing it more and more in real time. Once a person gets better typically they can handle more stressful situations in real time as well. And then they'll find what stressed them before isn't as bad anymore.
It is a process that happens over time not overnight, but quite worthwhile. Basically it is integrating life experiences into the conscious and finding healthy methods of handling/coping with life situations.
And sometimes we regressive. Other times we grow. Like the fact I've been having a pretty bad panic attack/dissocating on and off since yesterday. I can't fully find the root cause yet but talking about things and self-reflection is slowly helping.
So hang in there. You got this.
