2. Introduction
Overthinking refers to the process of repetitive, unproductive thoughts.
Since, thoughts can be focused on many different things, research has
generally differentiated between “rumination” about the past and
“worrying” about the future. Regardless of which word we use, we are
talking about constant thought loops that do not seem to have a
resolution. When a person is “overthinking” he/she is thinking about
the past or future without coming to a conclusion. In simple words
he/she is wasting time in an unproductive exercise.
3. Cause of Overthinking
• If we are dwelling on a past incident/action and we realize that we
made a mistake then we keep replaying it in our mind and it leads to
generation of negative thoughts and lowered self-esteem.
• If we are worrying about an immediate future event like an
exam/interview or about a long term future event like career business
or marriage then the result is important to us and it is also uncertain.
• The mind likes to be in control and does not like uncertainty. It
worries to resolve the problem of uncertainty. The more important a
thing is the greater is the reason to worry. Thus, an important
exam/interview keeps you worrying and sleepless.
4.
5.
6. Solution
Things in life can be placed into three categories:
• Direct control (your own thoughts and actions).
• Indirect control (people whose thoughts and actions you can influence by
your conduct-like family members, students and colleagues).
• No control (examples: weather, oil prices, government policies, exam
results and our past actions).
7. Solution
“Rational thinking” tells us that we should focus our energies on things
which are under our direct control and do the best that we can on such
things, examples: as a student know your subject well and as a worker
do your job well. The indirect control will be an outflow of an
individual's actions. Fellow students will seek help from or get inspired
by the most clear-headed student, similarly, the most competent
worker will inspire other workers. In due course the good
student/worker will rise to leadership positions and increase his/her
influence through indirect control of his/her thoughts or actions.
Rational thinking also explains to us the futility of focusing our energy
on things which come under the category of "no control". Thus, by
thinking rationally we can avoid falling in the trap of "overthinking".
8. Solution
• Give your best instead of trying to be a perfectionist.
• Practice Mindfulness. ( Staying in the Present ). Deep Breathing,
Meditation will help.
• Engage in activities which help to improve focus. Sports, Games,
Exercises. All these recreational activities focus our mind on enjoyable
activities. These activities also generate endorphins which make us
feel good and reduce anxiety.
9. What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or
tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.
Good Stress?
Difficult situations put our mind in the "fight/flight" mode and the
increased alertness level helps us perform better than if we had not
perceived the risk or difficulty in the situation we were confronting. So
long as we come out of the temporary stressful situation successfully
the stress has been beneficial. The last night concentration before the
exam helps us prepare and perform well. This is good stress.
10. Bad Stress?
We cannot expect to continue writing exams for one month with the
same enthusiasm as one or a few exams. The adrenalin rush for one
month will become "bad stress" because it will adversely impact our
health and our ability will get degraded.Stress can be bad because of
the intensity of the situation as also the duration of the situation. Daily
petty domestic fights (duration) can be as stressful as a loss of job
11. Symptoms of Bad Stress
Some symptoms of bad stress are:
• Excessive worrying.
• Trouble focusing.
• Twitching, trembling or shaking.
• Racing heart or heart palpitations.
• Panic attacks, Nausea, Stiffness or tension in the body.
• Sweating.
• Restlessness, Fatigue, Irritability or agitation.
12. Stress Management
Improving Mental Capacity and Stress Tolerance
You would expect a senior Army officer with considerable field experience or a senior
business leader or a senior public servant to have a high capacity of stress tolerance vis-à-
vis a young professional starting his/her career or someone who has handled very limited
complexities in his/her career. How has the stress tolerance of the people discussed above
increased? The answer is simple: Successful handling of complex real-life problems has
increased their capacity and confidence to do so in the future. Putting the idea in simple
words is that mental muscles can be treated like physical muscles. Just like our physical
muscles get strengthened by the "progressive overload" principle, so do our mental
muscles. If we do not overload our physical muscles our strength will not improve. If the
muscle overload is beyond a certain threshold and there is inadequate rest provided then
also our strength will not improve but deteriorate because the training would be
considered as "overtraining". The analog applies to the mental muscles as well. If after
handling a difficult crisis or operation a person feels that he/she has handled it well and is
confident to shoulder higher degrees of risks/complexities then the mental muscles have
grown. If the person is left dis-spirited and demoralized after being in a difficult situation
then the mental muscles have been "over-stressed". The person needs time to recover and
recharge his mental batteries and again recommence work on building the mental muscles.
13. Stress management techniques Remedial measures for
healthy living are helpful like:
• Good sleep.
• Healthy eating and not binging on food.
• Drinking plenty of water and fluids.
• Deep breathing.
• Telling your mind that "all is well" or "this difficulty will end.“
• Take the support of family and friends. Sharing of problems can be a
good stress buster whereas bottling up of stress in our mind with no
outlet can be very problematic.
• Taking psychiatric help can also be a good idea if the symptoms are
serious and you are tending to go into depression
14. Being under constant pressure can
affect mental health negatively: Virat
Kohli
Former India captain Virat Kohli has spoken about the importance of
focusing on mental health, especially for young athletes who deal with
constant scrutiny and pressure. Kohli said he has personally experienced
difficult situations when it comes to mental health, He also added:
• I personally have experienced times when even in a room full of people
who support and love me, I felt alone, and I am sure that this is a feeling
that a lot of people can relate to. So, take out time for yourself and
reconnect with your core self. If you lose that connection, it wouldn’t take
very long for other things to crumble around you.
• "You need to learn how to compartmentalize your time so that there’s
balance. It takes practice like anything else in life, but it’s something worth
investing in, that’s the only way to feel a sense of sanity and enjoyment
while doing your work,"
15. TRAVEL HELPS ME DE-STRESS'
The one thing that truly helps me
unwind after a hectic season is spending
time with my family. Apart from that,
I love to spend time pursuing my hobbies.
Travel is something that helps me de-stress
a lot, and of course coffee; I believe that
I am a coffee connoisseur and absolutely love
trying out different flavours and coffee spots
around the world," Kohli said
16. The Power Of Visualisation
"I visualize a lot, and I see myself in difficult situations and actually
convince myself that I can pull the team out in those situations. It won't
happen every time, but 8 out of 10 times, it will end up happening
because you are so convinced about it," Kohli explained
Similarly when we participate in the NFA Activities like GD, PPDT,
Lecturette and GPE. We should “Visualize” that we are actually present
in the SSB Center instead of our Home or Office. This will help us
prepare mentally on attending the actual SSB and we will be lot more
calm and confident. Our efficiency will rise and a better performance is
obtained.
17. Conclusion
In conclusion, overthinking can significantly contribute to stress,
impacting mental health and overall quality of life. Implementing
mindfulness, realistic perspectives, healthy boundaries, social support,
and relaxation techniques can form a comprehensive approach to
managing overthinking and cultivating resilience in the face of
life's challenges.
