Why Do I Overthink?

Overthinking has you creating problems that never existed.

It turns the small into gargantuan.

Our mind can be our best friend or worst enemy.

And unfortunately for many, it is an enemy.

The mind at a natural state is high in entropy.

Meaning, if it is left unchecked, it will resort to chaos.

Sort of like your car.

If you don’t maintain your car, give it gas, do oil changes…

Then it will devolve.

Overthinking is a sign of HIGH entropy.

Our goal is to lower the entropy via knowledge & action.

You’ll be surprised how much knowing why you do what you do, helps you engineer your future.

Today, you asked ‘why do I overthink?’

And today, I will give you a response.

The Source of Our Worries

Have you ever analyzed your worries?

What sparks the overthinking in the first place?

Answering that question does a lot of good.

You’ll notice a lot of your worries tend to be in RELATION to something.

It is rarely a standalone topic.

‘Not sure what you’re saying bro.’

Let me explain.

We are not afraid of failing.

We are afraid of being JUDGED for failing.

So your worries are rarely about you failing your speech because you are worried about the speech.

It’s more so in context with some figure judging you in terms of your choking your talk.

Other worries are relationally based as well.

You are always comparing yourself to something.

If you are worried about your future, then you are comparing the present with the future.

You aren’t just worried about the present.

Something took you out of the present & a comparison is being made.

This allows you to trace back a lot of worries.

When you compare too much, you create potential energy of awkwardness.

Even in social interactions.

You create a figment of ‘what is the right thing to say.’

And try to compare it with how you are behaving.

Problems are being created out of thin air!

So what I want you to know is that a lot of overthinking stems from a comparison of some sort being made.

Whether the comparison is a judgment from others, time-based, or how you think you should behave.

Why Thinking is Overrated

If you were to tell me a few years ago, that thinking is overrated, I’d call you stupid.

I mean…isn’t that the LITERAL definition of someone who is stupid?

A person who doesn’t think?

Nah.

• Stupid is when someone thinks in logical inconsistencies.
• Peace is when someone can stop thinking at will.

Our problem is that we confuse consciousness as thinking.

That’s a BIG mistake.

And this is why we overthink.

Consciousness is our awareness.

Thinking is a faculty of consciousness.

Let me give you an example.

John has a smartphone where he surfs the web.

Surfing the web allows him to learn, grow his online business & network.

With me so far?

‘Yes.’

But is it smart for John to ALWAYS be surfing the web?

‘No.’

Why?

‘Because once he has used the web, now it’s time to come back to real life.’

Exactly.

Our thinking faculties allow us to problem solve, imagine & create.

But once we are done using it, we need to turn it off and just exist.

When you see a baby laughing, you feel this level of joy.

You aren’t thinking.

When you see a cute puppy, you feel a level of warmth.

You aren’t thinking.

When you are talking to your best friend, you feel relaxed.

You aren’t thinking.

You are BEING.

Even when the intellect is stilled, you are still awake.

You don’t die.

That’s when you come alive.

It All Begins with Awareness to the Issue

So thus far, we understand that we overthink because of some comparison being made.

The comparison can happen in a range of different contexts.

The comparisons, unfortunately, is taking us away from the present.

And with the era we live in, being pulled away from the present has become the norm.

It has become SOO much of the norm, that nowadays, we confuse consciousness as thinking.

Our generation is in hyperdrive mode all the time.

We are a bunch of people always with faces on our screen, confusing the digital world as reality.

And that’s the same thing happening in terms of overthinking.

We assume that our thoughts are the real world.

While in reality, they are not.

In order to become more present, you need to realize that presence is your essence.

Overthinking is not natural.

‘Not natural? Well, that’s mean Armani!’

It’s not really mean. It’s a statement that helps you spark change.

If I told you that your dirty plate in the sink was naturally dirty, would you have any inclination to clean it?

‘Haha, not really.’

What if I told you that your dirty plate was TEMPORARILY dirty. And your goal is to wipe off the dirt.

‘Now I would clean it because there is a reward.’

Exactly.

At a natural level, you are conscious & aware.

Your goal is to turn down thinking faculties.

‘How?’

With a decision and reminders.

Turning down your Thoughts

Overthinking does not go away on its own.

It would be a perfect world if it did though.

Overthinking melts away the more that you start treating the mind like a muscle.

I told you in the last section that you are naturally present, we just need to get you back to your original form.

Therefore, you need to do some mental workouts.

You don’t want to overdo this.

The 2 most popular methods are mindfulness and meditation.

A mix between the 2 is powerful.

But you can just incorporate one.

I recommend starting off with meditation and gradually transitioning into mindfulness.

Meditation is when you pick a target & focus your mind on that.

When you lose focus, make yourself aware & gently bring yourself back to the target.

Mindfulness is when you are actively remaining aware throughout your day.

When you get lost in thoughts, you gently bring yourself back to the present moment.

The key is that we are building your awareness.

The more aware you become, the more your mind self corrects.

Entropy lowers.

And you think, rather than overthink.

But even more beautiful?

You can CHOOSE when to think & when to turn your thinking faculties off.

That’s a special kind of peace.

Start off light & work your way up.

2 min a day beats 30 min every now and then.

Go back to your natural essence.

See life in a different way.

No one wins when you overthink.

Think less & be present.

Overthinking A Little Less Everyday

When you go thru your first-ever breakup, you feel pain.

And a part of you wonders, how long is this going to last?

Give me an exact date man!!

But that’s the incorrect question.

The right approach is…you just take it one day at a time.

Take it one day at a time to improve & level up.

And as the days pile up, you realize that you are now stronger than the pain.

That’s how it is with overthinking.

You are wondering: ‘Why do I overthink and when will it end?’

Just know that your mind is always going to want to hop from thought to thought.

But you are still consistent, day to day, with some sort of mental workout.

You’ll realize your awareness is STRONGER than the hopping thoughts.

That’s when you’ll realize you are not your thoughts.

You are not your feelings.

You are something much more.

And a stilled present life will be a byproduct.

Good luck.

For more practical communication insights, subscribe to my free daily newsletter.

– ArmaniTalks 🎙️🔥