Are You an Overthinker? Here’s an Important New Way to Think About It

“Don’t overthink things”— it’s one piece of advice that (like its cousin, “just do it”) is patently unhelpful. If you tend toward overthinking (like I do) you probably don’t even know how to not overthink.*

Because here’s the thing: That trait that other people call “overthinking”? In my mind, it’s just “thinking.”

I mean, how can you not consider all the whys and wherefores when you’re making a decision?

I’m being just a little flip. Absolutely, there are times when I engage in overthinking. And sometimes it’s gotten me into decision-making death spirals.

But I think “overthinking” gets a bad wrap.

Case in point: a few years ago on Facebook, someone posted the following:

I may have had a different reaction if I’d seen the meme today. But at the time, it got my hackles up. Way up.

I felt unfairly chastised.

  • As if thinking of different scenarios and analyzing them is bad thing.
  • As if overthinkers are children whose behavior and tendencies need to be controlled.
  • As if we must be dealt with appropriately, to avoid our nasty overthinking from ruining The Plan?

(I know, I know . . . when I feel chastised by a Facebook meme, that’s a me-problem.) But there’s a bigger issue here.

Now, for sure, I get it. Sometimes my overthinking annoys the people I’m closest to. Sometimes it even annoys me. After all, how much thinking and discussion is really required to decide whether I want to go out for a mocha frappé with my husband this afternoon?**

But this meme hit a big ol’ raw nerve. Not because there’s some truth to the meme. But because it’s not the whole truth. It’s not even a small part of the truth.

(Okay, maybe I wouldn’t have had a different reaction if I’d first seen the post today.)

Because here are the things I know:

  • In a world that pretends life is simplistic, the truth is: we’re more interesting than that.
  • Solving big problems takes time . . . and attention to details . . . and analyzing a variety of perspectives.
  • Overthinkers see the things that others don’t slow down long enough to look for.
  • If there’d been a few over-thinkers in many of the world’s decision-making rooms over the past several years (and they’d been listened to!), we might have avoided some of the unintended consequences of policies implemented too quickly.

In today’s society, we need more thinkers, not fewer.

We need people who think deeply and thoroughly, instead of merely parroting memes and talking points.

We need people who are willing to investigate multiple angles of a situation, to find common ground, and to point out potential dangers.

Our “overthinking” isn’t a burden. (Or at least, it isn’t always a burden.) It’s our superpower!

Now it’s true that, like any superpower, overthinking can be a blessing or a curse. And someday I’ll write a post about how to stop overthinking the minutiae of life that doesn’t need to be overthought.

But for today, consider this: Your tendency toward “overthinking” is not all bad. In fact, God created you to be an overthinker.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

So ask yourself: How does my “overthinking” positively contribute to my life, and to the world?

If you still have trouble seeing your thought processes as a blessing, pray for the Holy Spirit to walk with you this week and help you see this trait as God-given and positive, rather than a negative aspect of your personality

Hugs & Blessings,
Kendra

* If you’re not an overthinker by nature, but you’re in close relationship with one, you’re likely stymied by the mental gymnastics that take place in that person’s mind on a regular basis.

** Some days, quite a bit more than it seems on the surface: Do I want to put that much sugar & caffeine into my body right now? How long is today’s must-do list and will an outing sacrifice some of those important tasks (or make me cranky and resentful if I don’t accomplish them)? Do I want to hang out with my husband? (Yes! The answer is always almost always, Yes!) Will the outing entail other errands, and do those fit into my plans? If so, are there things I need to do beforehand, so I can tackle some other tasks while we’re out and about? . . . See what I mean?

 

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Hi, I’m Kendra

I help bright, successful over-thinkers change their negative thoughts using Scripture and the science of how God made you.

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