I’m an Overthinker

I don’t know how I ended up like this.

Was I born this way?

Is it in my DNA?

Is it because I’m an Aquarius? lol

I don’t really know. But what I do know is it's exhausting. It’s like my brain has 50 tabs open at once and none of them are playing music, but somehow it’s still loud.

Childhood

Growing up, I didn’t have a single worry in the world. Like most kids, I was too busy climbing trees, playing football in the street, and hanging out with my cousins.

But during those same carefree years, I was also watching. Absorbing. Learning.

From how people reacted when I made mistakes…

To what got praised and what got punished…

To how women were expected to behave or look a certain way.

Without realizing it, I was taking mental notes. And those notes slowly turned into rules. And those rules slowly turned into pressure.

Adulthood

Somewhere along the line, I became deeply self-aware. And self-awareness is a double-edged sword: it helps you grow, but it can also make you spiral.

Now, I tend to overthink. Sometimes I find myself replaying…

What I said.

How I said it.

What they thought when I said it.

Whether I was too much, too little, too quiet, too loud.

And it’s not just the past, I overthink the future too.

I catastrophize. I sometimes imagine worst-case scenarios. I try to mentally “prepare” for things that might not even happen. It’s like I’m trying to future-proof my emotions.

The Loneliness of Overthinking

You know what’s wild?

Overthinking rarely happens when you’re surrounded by people. It creeps in when it’s quiet.

When you’re in your room.

Alone.

When your phone is down.

When your brain isn’t occupied by a task.

That’s when the thoughts come rushing in, one after the other. It’s like your mind becomes a very annoying overachiever doing the most when you need it to just chill.

But then, step outside. Go for a walk. Talk to a friend. Sit at a cafe and have coffee.

Suddenly, the same overwhelming thought starts to feel... smaller. Lighter. Less consuming.

Sometimes, it just takes seeing the world to realize how small our problems are in the grand scheme of things.

How Did We Become This Way?

The thing is, I know I’m not alone in this. Overthinking has become a shared struggle. But how did we end up this way?

I believe it has a lot to do with the pressure we carry from living in a society that sets unrealistic expectations.

And layered on top of it all is a quiet but constant pressure to be perfect. Somewhere along the way, we started believing we need to have it all figured out, to say the right thing, to always perform at our best. And perfection? It’s the quickest way to trap ourselves in our heads. Because when we aim for flawlessness, every small misstep becomes a reason to overanalyze, to spiral, to doubt ourselves. Seeking perfection doesn’t just slow us down, it drowns us in thoughts.

I wish we could fix society, change its pace, rewrite its rules. But that’s out of our hands. What is within our control, however, is how we respond to our thoughts. It takes awareness and practice to notice when our mind spirals and to gently pull ourselves back. It takes courage to step outside the noise in our heads and remember how small our worries are compared to the vastness of the world.

So if you’re like me, constantly navigating a mind that won’t quiet down, here’s your reminder:

You’re not crazy.

You’re not broken.

And you’re definitely not alone.

You’re simply human. With a brain that’s trying its best to protect you even if sometimes, it goes too far.

The next time the thoughts come rushing in, try this:

Step outside.

Take a breath.

And remind yourself that not every thought deserves your attention.