Overthinking

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Do you know what the word “overthink” means?

It certainly sounds unsafe and unhealthy, eh? 

Let’s break down the word.

The “over” in this context means to “an excessive degree” or “overly”. That’s what my outdated mobile English dictionary said. Check yours to make sure it’s not lying. 

“Think.” 

“To go over in one’s head.”

“To communicate to oneself in one’s mind.”

Now combine the two words and mash them together like the shawarma ingredients of an unregistered fast-food vendor. Chips from stolen potatoes, cucumber slices from stolen cucumbers, and fried human foreskins, collected and preserved.

“Overthink”- To think or analyze too much.

What does this mean exactly?

Suppose you’re on your way to work. Your best friend calls you. He asks you where you are. You tell him you’re on your way to work. Your best friend immediately hangs up the phone. 

Someone who just “thinks” takes the friend for a concerned person.

What about the overthinker? The guardian angel of the overthinker tells him, “Mate. Listen to me. Listen to me closely! Lick the dust off your ears and hear me loud and clear!  We have a problem!  And by we, I mean you.  Your best friend is on his way right now to your house…to steal your imported butter…and to also sleep with your wife. He’ll probably use your comfy bedroom slippers, too.”

“Oh no! Not my comfy bedroom slippers!” you exclaim. “My size is hard to find. And I bought those online!”  

The guardian angel impatiently nods. “Your size is hard to find! Relax. Relax! I have a plan! Turn back right now and go back home! We’ll catch them in bed together redhanded like a hand with ketchup stains! Then crush your friend like a watery mashed potato! Go! Go! Go! Now! Delete your Facebook photos with him now!”

Wow. Overthinking.

Here’s a thought. What if the guy’s guardian angel is actually correct? What if the guy’s best friend is stuffing the guy’s wife? 

Overthinking is the first path towards starting to think outside the box. 

When you just think, your mind gathers surface-level material. Imagine someone is standing in a field. 

A unicorn( and it talks) asks them, “What do you see?

They say they see a few trees. 

When you overthink, you exit that ‘expected’ mental path and go down an unknown road of thought. 

This unknown road reveals things that you know…from a deeper perspective. 

While that guy just sees a few trees, you see something else. You see Mother Nature’s hair, and it is balding. 

I have a good friend of mine named Tim. 

Last week, Tim visited the hospital that was his place of birth. The hospital is placed next to a timber wood company. 

It dawned on Tim that his lazy parents named him Tim, cause it’s short for “timber”. 

The next time you want to do something important, just don’t think about it. Overthink it.

You could be doing yourself a favor.