The Silent Thief: Overthinking and its Impact

“If overthinking burned calories, I’d be a supermodel.” -Anonymous

One thing I do frequently but am gradually becoming more intentional about this season is rising above overthinking. Overthinking can really rob you of creativity and freedom to thrive in life. There have been so many times I have talked myself out of doing things over the years, and I have realized it was an underlying fear of not being in control of the narrative or how I felt a situation should play out. Overthinking is really just fear deep down inside. I recently read that “Overthinking is the art of creating problems that weren’t even there.” I thought that was so powerful, but also so true.

The back to school season is always such a busy time of the year for me, and it’s because of the transition with scheduling all my kids’ doctor visits and therapy appointments, all while getting them registered and dealing with all the overwhelming stuff that comes with the season. Last night before I went to sleep, I felt myself getting overwhelmed by the list of things I needed to get done the next day, such as registering my middle and youngest daughters in school, school shopping, and making calls to set up appointments, all while doing the normal basis of our routine. If you don’t know me personally, I have two girls who are special needs, and just thinking about getting them out of the car, putting together their chairs, going inside and out of the multiple schools I needed to go to, was a lot. Hopefully, they would be on their best behavior while doing it.

That all seemed overwhelming to me. When I woke up that morning and read my devotional, there was a scripture that really encouraged me, and it was Psalm 55:22: “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” That scripture blessed my heart that morning, and it just really took the weight of what I was feeling. I asked God to give me wisdom for my day and help me sort out my day in a way that was peaceful and effective. I felt so much peace that morning, and I went to register my girls for school with my nephew tagging along with us. What I had made so complicated in my mind was really quite easy for me. I feel like if I would have listened to myself and kept overthinking how difficult it would be to do simple tasks while having the whole crew with me, I would have stayed home, still overwhelmed by the fact that I needed to register my girls for school.

It made me think how often we talk ourselves out of doing things just because they may seem hard or because we don’t know all the answers. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there and do the thing you’re overthinking, because most of the time the situation doesn’t turn out like we imagine it. Imagine the day you have an idea and act on it without allowing yourself to overthink it. That’s true freedom. Instead of allowing doubt and fear to rob you of life, what if you sought God’s wisdom about a situation and allowed Him to give you the wisdom to move forward in it? That’s what I am challenging myself to do in this season.

I want to stop overthinking so much and embrace the freedom and flexibility to face challenges head-on, even when they’re tough. That’s truly how growth happens. I recall when I first began posting on social media, I was constantly doubting my content choices and worrying about how others would perceive it. Now, as I reflect, I realize how that stifled my creativity and hindered my ability to express myself authentically. Overthinking essentially deprives us of the opportunity to live life beyond conventional norms. It leads us to create problems and narratives that don’t actually exist.

My challenge and encouragement to you is to take the plunge and do the thing you’ve been contemplating. You’ll never know if it’ll work unless you give it a try. Don’t let overthinking prevent you from seizing the opportunities that come your way. I hope this inspires you. Please share in the comments how you manage to overcome overthinking.