Push Pause On Your Brain: 20 Signs You're A Textbook Overthinker
Next on the To-Do List: Overanalyzing
Remember that time you tripped on the escalator and everyone saw it? Or that time you stuttered during an important presentation and couldn't meet anyone's eyes for the rest of the week? If you're prone to overthinking, those embarrassing memories are always fresh in your mind. But what other signs and habits do overthinkers display—and are you one? From experiencing analysis paralysis to scripting conversations in your head, here are 20 classic signs you're a textbook overthinker.
1. You Can't Sleep at Night
Overthinkers often lie awake in bed at night, either worrying about something that's imminent, or something that already happened. After you're done ruminating on one thing, your mind shifts to the next topic in line. Essentially, your brain refuses to shut off.
2. You Constantly Replay Conversations in Your Head
What if you'd said this instead? Why did they reply that way? What did they really mean? Another classic sign overthinkers display is the habit of constantly replaying conversations in your head. These could be talks you had just today, yesterday, or even years ago. You can't seem to divert your attention because you're always overanalyzing the "true meaning" behind someone's words, or how you could've worded a reply differently.
3. You Overprepare
Whether it's an upcoming interview or presentation, you tend to think about all the scenarios that could happen and force yourself to prepare for each one in case it happens. While it's great to plan everything out, it can be exhausting. Worst of all, you don't let yourself off the hook even when things go smoothly.
4. You're Indecisive
Have you ever experienced "analysis paralysis," where you find yourself unable to make a decision because you overthink each one? After all, how can you be confident about choosing a certain variable or outcome if you're not completely sure about it? Indecisiveness in overthinkers results in a lot of research—and almost no action.
5. You Second-Guess Yourself
Even if you are finally able to make a decision, you second-guess yourself. Was it the right choice? Should you have picked something better? Were you wrong in your research? If you're constantly second-guessing your decisions, you're not only an overthinker, but you lack self-confidence and trust in your own abilities.
6. You Read Too Much into Texts and Replies
Someone might have sent you a simple "okay," in reply to a text you wrote, and whereas non-overthinkers would've just put the phone down, you stare at the word until it forms a thousand variations in meaning. Does "okay" just mean "okay," or are they now annoyed? Was it something you said? Should you say something back? Honestly, that four-letter word is going to haunt you until you get proper clarity.
7. You Can't Let Go of the Past
Of the many things that race through your head at night, keeping you awake and rooted on your pillow, are past conversations and moments. Maybe you tripped in front of your crush a few months ago, or you made a mistake in an interview. No matter how small or big, you constantly relive those embarrassing hiccups and struggle to move on, even when no one else remembers anymore.
8. You Constantly Worry About the Future
Life is unpredictable, but that doesn't mean you should always ruminate about what might or might not happen. Worrying about the outcome of an exam result or an interview is normal, but overthinkers take it a step further and concern themselves over events that may not even happen or are absurd, like the chance that earth could be swallowed by a black hole.
9. You Catastrophize
Overthinkers also love to catastrophize, meaning they're always imagining the worst-case scenario. Even when there's a much more probably chance that something will go well or in their favor, they tend to expect disaster. In their minds, they live by Murphy's Law: if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.
10. You Take Forever to Reply Back
Do you take forever to draft up an email or text? For you, it's never as simple as just typing out a reply and hitting "send"—you need to re-read it multiple times to be completely sure that there are no errors or phrasing that could be misinterpreted. Others might classify this as perfectionism, but overthinking is at play, too. After all, what if the receiver takes your response in the wrong way?
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11. You Draft Out Scripts in Your Head
You don't just relive embarrassing moments or replay past conversations—you script out future ones. Maybe you're meeting someone new or preparing to host a work meeting, and you play both the role of the speaker and the audience, challenging yourself with potential questions that could be asked. While this can sometimes be good practice, especially for interviews or formal discussions, it's not healthy to do this for every conversation.
12. You Can Never "Just Relax"
Overthinkers have probably heard this enough times from other people: "Just relax." It's not as easy as it sounds, though, because you can't just turn your brain off. Honestly, every time someone tells you to "just relax," you probably then start to wonder if they're annoyed by you or if there was something you said or did that tipped them off.
13. You're Always Apologizing
Even when you're not in the wrong, you apologize. Since overthinkers struggle to trust themselves and lack self-confidence, they always assume they should be the ones saying sorry so no one gets upset. Whenever they can, they steer away from conflict.
14. You Feel Self-Conscious in Social Situations
Did you choose the wrong outfit today? Is that why everyone is staring at you? Overthinkers also tend to be extremely self-conscious in social situations, feeling constantly on edge. This might push them to avoid eye contact, keep their head down, or shrink away from conversations.
15. You Overanalyze Body Language
When someone crosses their arms while they're talking to you, you immediately wonder if they're upset with something you said, or if they're bored and only keeping up the conversation to avoid looking rude. It's not just body language overthinkers obsess over, either—the slightest shift in someone's voice could also set off their internal alarm bells.
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16. You Can't Stand Uncertainty
As an overthinker, you can't deal with not having control, so not knowing something hikes your anxiety up tenfold. Maybe your friend invited you up for dinner at their new place, but you've never driven there before. What if you get lost? What if you can't find their neighborhood or a place to park? Unless you've drafted out a clear-cut plan, you're restless.
17. You Seek Reassurance
After you make a decision, you turn to your friends and family for their opinion. Did you make the right choice? What do they think? Their reassurance gives you relief because you can't trust your own call, placing more value on outside advice. But sometimes, even after they've shared what they think, you still overanalyze and doubt yourself.
18. You Worry What Others Think About You
Whether it's a passing glance or a curt reply, you're constantly worrying about what others think of you. You overthink everything you say and do already, but when people don't react in the way you expect, you're left floundering, replaying how you should've handled the conversation in your head. This habit can make social situations extremely tough.
19. You Fear Failure
Not only do you avoid conflict and have a tendency to appease others, you fear failure. Even the smallest mistake can make you spiral. And this comes as no surprise, given that overthinkers lack self-confidence and constantly experience imposter syndrome.
20. You Don't Know How to Live in the Moment
Because you can't "just relax," you're never able to bask in the moment and appreciate life the way it is. Instead, your mind is always elsewhere, replaying old conversations or reliving mortifying mistakes. And if you're not focused on the past, you're worried about the future—about the next presentation you'll need to do, the next social event you'll need to attend, the next interview you'll need to speak in. As such, your mind, like always, is constantly running.
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