“You will never be free until you free yourself from the prison of your own thoughts.”

~ Philip Arnold

Overthinking. We all do it. But how much one does it can drive a person insane. Overthinking has the ability to ruin a person, but what we need to realize is that it only will if you let it. It’s like an itch that won’t go away. You need to realize that everything that’s happened in your life good or bad happened for a reason and there’s nothing you can do to change it. You simply have to take a deep breath and tell yourself that everything will be okay because it will be.

The mind of an overthinker is something that never stops. You analyze every situation, big or small, good or bad. You worry about absolutely nothing, which becomes something. You spend every second of every day worrying about something. You blame yourself for things you didn’t even do because it’s the easier way out. Most of all, the mind of an overthinker criticizes him or herself the most, every action made, every word said. You replay moments in your head over and over again, like a tape on rewind, figuring out what went wrong. Was is something I said or did that made things the way they are now? What would I do differently just to make the outcome different? If I haven’t had met this person would my life be better or worse? Would I be happier? Most of the time you’ll find yourself getting upset and maybe even crying because you wish that you could go back in time and do things differently. No matter how many different scenarios you think of, the outcome is never what you imagined it.

You get a bad test back that you thought you did really well on; you studied for it for weeks. You met with classmates to review, made flashcards, took online quizzes, met with your professor. You think that no matter what you do, nothing will pay off. You think about what you could have done better. Was I not prepared enough for it? Did I really know the information? Did I not pay enough attention in class? You become angry at yourself for a while, days, but then you realize that you’ll work harder for the next exam and change the way you studied. You get the next test back and again, it wasn’t the grade you expected. You become too hard on yourself in school that if you get a B as an overall grade for the class, you feel like you failed.

Overthinking makes you feel like you’re not good enough, for your friends, family, and even yourself. You think about what you would change, whether it’s the way you look or how you talk. Every time you’re in public you see couples together you think,“What do I have to do in order to be that happy?” You see your friends in relationships when you’re the single one and get all silent and sad because you want what they have, so bad that it’s killing you in the inside. You pretend like you’re happy and not bothered when it’s just a mask you put on every day.

Text messages are the worst, especially if it’s between you and the new guy you’re starting to talk to. You’re talking like everything is okay when suddenly he sends you an unexpected text. You read through it over and over trying to decipher his words. You text your closest friends to get their insight on the conversation, hoping that they will find a solution and everything will be okay. But when you do ask your friends they all have different sides, but each one makes sense. He could be saying this but what if he’s saying that? Is he being serious or sarcastic? After hearing all of your friend’s advice you decide to reply, and as soon as you hit the send button you regret it.

“You will never be free until you free yourself from the prison of your own thoughts.”

Breathe. Just breathe. Everything will be okay, maybe not today or tomorrow, but with time it will. You are in control of your thoughts, nobody else. Remind yourself that everything will be okay. Look at yourself in the mirror each day and tell yourself that you are enough; the more you say it out loud, the sooner you will realize that it is true. The easiest way to stop overthinking is to simply go with the flow. Take situations as they come and figure them out in that moment, not before, not after. Your happiness is the only thing that matters, and when you achieve that happiness, the world will fall into place.