Anxiety Overthinking Quotes

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You’re overthinking it.’ ‘I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available.
Matt Haig (The Midnight Library)
Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.
Martha Wells (Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4))
Sensitive people either love deeply or they regret deeply. There really is no middle ground because they live in passionate extremes.
Shannon L. Alder
Head Vs Heart: A crowded mind Leaves no space For a peaceful heart
Christine Evangelou (Beating Hearts and Butterflies: Poetry of Wounds, Wishes and Wisdom)
While focusing on the present moment, we soothe our minds and construe our intuition and inner wisdom. Our mindfulness allows us to access lower levels of awareness and gain insight into our reflections and emotions. At the same time, it lessens overthinking and anxiety. (“The infinite Wisdom of Meditation“)
Erik Pevernagie
If you're stressing over happiness, you're doing it wrong!
Shannon L. Alder
Now that your worry has proved such an unlucrative business, Why not find a better job?
Hafiz (The Poetry Pharmacy Returns: More Prescriptions for Courage, Healing and Hope)
The more you rationalize, the more you move farther away from your authentic self.
Shannon L. Alder
They say, "Look before you leap." So look. But do not look for too long. Do not look into the void of uncertainty trying to predict each and every possible outcome, to evaluate every possible mistake, to prevent each possible failure. Look for the opportunity to leap, and leap faster than your fear can grab you. Leap before you talk yourself out of it, before you convince yourself to set up a temporary camp that turns into a permanent delay on your journey into your own heart.
Vironika Tugaleva
I understand that your brain is large and perpetually at war with itself
Chris Cleave (Everyone Brave Is Forgiven)
If you want to conquer overthinking, bring your mind to the present moment and reconnect it with the immediate world.
Amit Ray (Meditation: Insights and Inspirations)
The best way to stop overthinking is conscious micro action meditation ( laghu jnana kriya).
Amit Ray (72000 Nadis and 114 Chakras in Human Body for Healing and Meditation)
We were made to be distracted by life, by story.
Donald Miller (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life)
Remember, the talking about the thing isn't the thing. Doing the thing is the thing.
Amy Poehler (Yes Please)
Don't dull the voice of your heart just to please your brain As it swells into overthought and the desire to be right Switch on the light of your inner lamp. Listen to your heart so you can feel from your soul Don’t discount your heart to make your logic fit.
Christine Evangelou (Rocks Into Roses: Life Lessons and Inspiration for Personal Growth)
Overthinking is not a disease; it is due to the underuse of your creative power.
Amit Ray (Meditation: Insights and Inspirations)
We are trying to divide the cake, which is not even baked.
Sukant Ratnakar (Quantraz)
Overthinking can lead to worrying which leads to anxiety. Anxiety can at times be crippling, leave people frozen and unable to act. Overthinking can also lead to depression. Either of these can leave you unable to focus, feeling hopeless, and irritable.
Brien Blatt
It's tempting to start each sentence with an apology or disclaimer. To preface everything with "In my life I've found" so that people can't yell at me for being wrong (I often am) or misinformed (sure) or overly emotional (HOW DARE YOU). ... That's one of the frightening things about writing a book that no one ever tells you. You have to pin down your thoughts and opinions and then they exist on a page, ungrowing, forever.
Jenny Lawson (Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things)
We all know that feeling of being lonely in the whole damn world, despite the number of people around us. We are alone, in our own company. Surrounded by our thoughts and no superpower in the entire universe can help us to get rid of them. We cannot escape them just as we can’t stop our own imagination. We overthink non-stop. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.
Ash Gabrieli (Petrichor)
Thinking too deeply Will only drown me.
Greta Farrell (flavor profile)
Less thinking, more living.
S.R. Crawford (From My Suffering: 25 Ways to Break the Chains of Anxiety, Depression & Stress)
Do not let your mind kill the fun. दिमाग़ को मौजें रोकने न दो
Vineet Raj Kapoor
So the next time someone abruptly ends things and it stings more than you’d expect, try to remember that losing the possibility of something can be just as painful as losing the actual thing.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
Anxiety I struggle with things that are as easy to others as breathing. Like breathing. Like answering the phone. Or sending that email I have been meaning to for weeks. I panic when I am asked out to dinner, even if it’s with someone I really want to see. It’s hard for me to commit to anything, and when I do, I overthink it until my brain tells me I have made a mistake, like a rat caught in a maze, trying to claw its way out. I don’t know why I am like this. People ask me why I can’t do anything without jumping through a thousand thoughts, like hoops. But sometimes I wonder if my inability to function in the real world is really such a bad thing. I wonder if that’s why I’ve spent so much time sheltered in my imagination. And because I can’t live in the real world, I create worlds to belong to. And I wonder if the very thing I’ve always been told is my weakness, has all along, been my strength.
Lang Leav (Love Looks Pretty on You)
Information transmission research suggests that folks with higher anxiety are quicker to engage with, and slower to disengage from, negative information; so "as a trait and state," anxiety itself perpetuates paranoid thinking.
Amanda Montell (The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality)
Because facts are information we can learn from to adjust or inform our behavior in the future. Thoughts, on the other hand, hold the same weight as dreams. They’re in our brain, so they seem real, but they’re not. They’re quite literally figments of our imagination.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
Avoid perfectionism. It often leads to decision-paralysis and excessive procrastination.
Izey Victoria Odiase (99 Quotes and Affirmations For Self-Love & Personal Development)
In other words, though it might not feel like it in the moment, a big cause of anxiety can come down to intrinsic factors within you as an individual.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
Nothing happens by overthinking; then why stress? Is it too hard to sit down and relax!
Sukant Ratnakar (Quantraz)
The ancient Stoics understood these principles well, with Epictetus saying, “Just keep in mind: the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” We have power over our minds, not outside events. So, if we continue to focus on outside events that we don’t have power over, the conclusion is obvious—we repeatedly experience powerlessness and therefore anxiety.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
Stress and anxiety are not the same thing. Psychologist Dr. Sarah Edelman explains that stress is something in the environment, an external pressure on us, whereas anxiety is our internal experience of this pressure.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
Overthinking leads to stress, anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. Over-thinkers constantly stress about their responsibilities, if they are good people, if they are making the right choices, and whether or not they are productive or unproductive.
Chase Hill (How to Stop Overthinking: The 7-Step Plan to Control and Eliminate Negative Thoughts, Declutter Your Mind and Start Thinking Positively in 5 Minutes or ... (Master the Art of Self-Improvement Book 1))
LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN A MIRACLE IF MEMORIES COULD BE CONTROLLED ज़िंदा रहना जैसे जादू होता क़ाश के याद पर क़ाबू होता
Vineet Raj Kapoor
Nothing happens by overthinking; then why stress? Is it too hard to sit down and relax?
Sukant Ratnakar (Quantraz)
You deserve to be with someone who respects you enough to also respect your distress, even if they don’t understand it.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
She was going to lose her visa and her only source of income and move back to Canada, where it snowed all the time and people ate moose heart and—
Ali Hazelwood (The Love Hypothesis)
The thought behind worrying that causes so much anxiety is that people cannot accept one simple truth: We do not have control over certain things that happen in our lives.
Chase Hill (How to Stop Overthinking: The 7-Step Plan to Control and Eliminate Negative Thoughts, Declutter Your Mind and Start Thinking Positively in 5 Minutes or ... (Master the Art of Self-Improvement Book 1))
In conclusion, your worries lead to fears, which gives you anxiety. When you get anxious, you forget to use logic, and then worry takes over and sends you into a spiral of out-of-control thinking.
Chase Hill (How to Stop Overthinking: The 7-Step Plan to Control and Eliminate Negative Thoughts, Declutter Your Mind and Start Thinking Positively in 5 Minutes or ... (Master the Art of Self-Improvement Book 1))
(Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it’s the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also paranoid attention to detail.)
Martha Wells (Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4))
And then she felt her blood pulsate in her eyelids, which couldn't be healthy, but— Yes. Yes! She had a taker. Almost. Probably? Maybe. Definitely maybe. Tom Benton had said “good.” He had said that it sounded “good.” It had to be a “good” sign, right?
Ali Hazelwood (The Love Hypothesis)
Sam leans forward. "But then again I feel bad for feeling bad, if that makes any sense," she says. "It's kind of not fair for us to feel guilty for getting what we deserve. We work hard." It takes a minute for Sam's words to sink in. I have never thought about my deserving the good things that have happened in my life.
Renée Watson (Piecing Me Together)
If you have an open wound, someone only needs to flick you for the pain to be excruciating. It doesn’t mean they are stronger than anyone else or they are your one true love. I know this conflicts with a lot of movies and books that glorify pain, but try to trust me. Love doesn’t have to be hard, despite what your societally influenced brain tells you.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
When you relax, your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure drop; your digestion and blood sugar levels improve; you moderate stress hormones in the body; you reduce fatigue and muscle pain; and you increase concentration, good sleep, and confidence. And all this spells less anxiety and rumination. Combined with other techniques in this book, relaxation is a powerful tool for mitigating the stress of living.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
I thought about starting Year 12 and all the things that I needed to do and all the new people I might have to meet and all the people I would have to talk to and I caught a reflection of myself in the Waterstones window and realised then that most of my face was covered up and who in the name of God would want to talk to me like that and I started to feel all of this hair on my forehead and my cheeks and how it plastered my shoulders and back and I felt it creeping around me like worms, choking me to death.
Alice Oseman (Solitaire)
For many of my clients, they know something is off when they meet a person who they genuinely like and can see a future with, but their brain begins sending warning signals as if there is a major threat. They start wondering hundreds of times a day, But do I really like them? Are they really attractive enough to me? This dissonance is a dead giveaway that there could be some anxiety at play. It’s not that you have to like every person who is good for you, but generally a good person doesn’t make a neurotypical brain fire off in quite this way.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
A lot of times a new relationship might feel less exciting simply because it’s healthy! There isn’t the agonizing push and pull you had with that jerk who didn’t want to commit but liked to Netflix and chill occasionally. You’re not experiencing a roller coaster of emotions every twelve hours for days on end. You’re not so confused about their intentions that you’re rereading every text conversation fifty times. So your OCD or anxiety tries to make sense of this big change and falsely decides, “You don’t like this new person enough.” When in reality, drama does not equal love. Oftentimes, it means the exact opposite.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
It was too much of a gear change back then in the half an hour desperately trying to put the brakes on my frantic overthinking only made things worse. So did the acute awareness that everyone else seem to be able to do something that I couldn’t. But in that moment in the scout hall with the sun streaming in, I touched a still, settled, vast, spacious, magnificent knowing at my core. It was only for a few delicate moments, but there was no going back. The scab was removed and the rawness - the “Something Else” I’d been looking for - was finally exposed. I call it the Something Else because there’s no other way of describing this yearning - this indescribable thing or place or energy I’d been looking for - that came before words. But now I’d touched it. And goddamn it I wanted to touch it again.
Sarah Wilson (First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Story About Anxiety)
God was still smiling when he went into the guest room for his suitcase. He looked in the closet and under the perfectly made bed. He even pulled out the drawers of the one armoire on the far side of the room, but couldn’t find it. He was about to go back downstairs and ask Day when he turned down the long hall and walked into Day’s master bedroom. His suitcase was tucked neatly in the corner. He pulled it out but immediately knew it was empty. He looked in the first dresser but those were Day’s clothes. The second identical dresser was on the other side and God did a double take at his few toiletries that were neatly aligned on top. God rubbed his hand on the smooth surface and felt his heart clench at how domestic this looked. His and his dressers…really. God yanked off his T-shirt and threw it in the hamper along with Day’s items. He washed up quickly and went back to his dresser to put on a clean shirt. His mouth dropped when he pulled out the dresser drawer. His shirts were neatly folded and placed in an organized arrangement. God went through all five drawers. His underwear, socks, shirts, sweats, all arranged neatly and in its own place. He dropped down on the bed and thought for a minute. At first he was joking, but Day really was domesticating him. Was God ready for that? Sure he loved Day, he’d take a bullet for him, but was he ready to play house? He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and middle finger at the slight tension forming behind his eyes. God had been completely on his own since he was eighteen. He’d never shared space with anyone—hell, no one had ever wanted to. Fuck. Just last night Day was getting ready to fuck mini Justin Bieber, now he was cooking and cleaning for him and doing his damn laundry. He tried his best to shake off his anxiety. He never used the word love lightly. He meant what he’d said last night. God had only loved three people his entire life and for the past four years only one of them returned that love. Should he really tuck tail and run just because this was new territory? Hell no. All he did was unpack my suitcase. No big deal. He was just being hospitable. Damn sure is better than that seedy hotel. “My boyfriend’s just trying to make me comfortable.” He smirked and tried the term on his tongue again. “I have a boyfriend.” “Get your ass down here and stop overthinking shit! Dinner is getting cold!” Day yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
A.E. Via
He took a breath. He could feel his anxiety fade; he could feel himself returning to who he was. 'But would you sing with me?' Every morning for the past two months, they had been singing with each other in preparation for Duets. In the film, his character and the character's wife led an annual Christmas pageant, and both he and the actress playing his wife would be performing their own vocals. The director had sent him a list of songs to work on, and Jude had been practicing with him: Jude took the melody, and he took the harmony. 'Sure,' Jude said. 'Our usual?' For the past week, they'd been working on 'Adeste Fideles,' which he would have to sing a cappella, and for the past week, he'd been pitching sharp at the exact same point, at 'Venite adoremus,' right in the first stanza. He'd wince every time he did it, hearing the error, and Jude would shake his head at him and keep going, and he'd follow him until the end. 'You're overthinking it,' Jude would say. 'When you go sharp, its because you're concentrating too hard on staying on key; just don't think about it, Willem, and you'll get it.' That morning, though, he felt certain he'd get it right. He gave Jude the bunch of herbs, which he was still holding, and Jude thanked him, pinching its little purple flowers between his fingers to release its perfume. 'I think it's a kind of perilla,' he said, and held his fingers up for Willem to smell. 'Nice,' he said, and they smiled at each other. And so Jude began, and he followed, and he made it through without going sharp. And at the end of the song, just after the last note, Jude immediately began singing the next song on the list, 'For Unto Us a Child Is Born,' and after that, 'Good King Wenceslas,' and again and again, Willem followed. His voice wasn't as full as Jude's, but he could tell in those moments that it was good enough, that it was maybe better than good enough: he could tell it sounded better with Jude's, and he closed his eyes and let himself appreciate it. They were still singing when the doorbell chimed with their breakfast, but as he was standing, Jude put his hand on his wrist, and they remained there, Jude sitting, he standing, until they had sung the last words of the song, and only after they had finished did he go to answer the door. Around him, the room was redolent of the unknown herb he'd found, green and fresh and yet somehow familiar, like something he hadn't known he had liked until it had appeared, suddenly and unexpectedly, in his life.
Hanya Yanagihara (A Little Life)
Most people either live in the past or in the future. 
Those who dwell on the past are depressed, 
those who overthink the future are worried. 
Only a few are able to enjoy their Here and Now; 
only them find peace of mind. 
Omar Cherif
You're overthinking it. I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available.
Matt Haig (The Midnight Library)
The Wait in A.W.E. is the pause in which we experience presence - that quality of spaciousness where the mind isn't overthinking and processing but being an observer. With presence, there's no agenda. Nothing to do and no place to be. There's no thinking. Just being. Because we have chosen to be in the presence of something we value, appreciate or find amazing, our experience of that moment is nourishing and powerful. Waiting, when done with intention, is one way to be fully present.
Jake Eagle LPC (The Power of Awe: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose―In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day)
For those who ask, “Why do you want to be my friend?” I respond readers are naturally friends.
Kayle James (How to stop overthinking it: Unlock intrusive thoughts, anxiety and stress to achieve emotional freedom.)
I was a determined and ambitious little drama queen; I suppose I still am. Little divas tend to be very sensitive, though, and for me that led to anxiety, something I still contend with today. I was an old soul, with complicated emotions that sometimes overwhelmed me. After a hard day at elementary school, I would sit on the couch in front of the TV, feeling incredibly guilty that I wasn’t out working, earning my keep, doing more to help my family. I was a feeler and an overthinker, and my mind often went to some very grown-up places for such a young kid. Sometimes I would get upset over minor things that had nothing to do with me—if I saw an older person eating by themselves, for example, the sadness would be crushing. I would assume they were all alone in the world, with nobody who loved them enough to eat with them.
Lala Kent (Give Them Lala)
Let’s begin with a common explanation for anxiety: genetics. The truth is that no experts have been able to identify with absolute certainty a single genetic cause for anxiety. Researchers have, however, discovered a genetic component. Purves et. al. argued in a 2019 Molecular Psychiatry paper that chromosome 9 carries
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
You'll be fine." "I don't know if I can do this. I've gone blank." "You're overthinking it." "I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available.
Matt Haig (The Midnight Library)
Get a plan, because plans fix problems Mentally strong people are planners. They think ahead. They prepare. They do what’s best for the long-term outcome. You might think that this disconnects them from the moment, but the opposite is true. Worrying disconnects you from the moment. Overthinking disconnects you from the moment. When you are consistently sidelined from your own anxiety, it’s because you don’t have a plan regarding the thing that’s making you scared.
Brianna Wiest (The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery)
Easier said than done. I’ve never been that kind of person, thanks to my anxiety and chronic overthinking, so I’m not exactly one to roll with the punches and throw caution to the wind.
Lauren Asher (Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1))
Another reason it can be so hard to escape this vicious cycle is that the anxiety causing our overthinking works in clever and mischievous ways. It feeds on our worst fears. You might have noticed that your overthinking is exacerbated by some very specific triggers. This can be your insecurities about your personal capabilities, your relationships with certain people, your physical or mental health, etc. Simply trying to suppress your thoughts when they’re running wild often results in the opposite outcome. You start thinking even more about the thing you were worried about. This might sound like a helpless situation, but later in this book, we’ll discuss some techniques you can utilize to get out of this cycle.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
This is the thing I hate most about having anxiety, it’s not just the presence of ruminating and overthinking, it’s the fact that in the process, it strips you piece by piece of all rational thought until you’re left with just a vicious cycle of negativity and loneliness. You assume that everyone is out to get you, you assume that you’re the reason for even the slightest change in someone’s tone or behaviour. I know it makes me sound selfish, but in my brain, the world does revolve around me because other people’s happiness is indicative of my own actions. It’s almost as if I have a thin piece of wire attached to the top of my head, running parallel with everyone I ever come across. One small deviation in my wire can cataclysmically affect whoever’s on the receiving end.
Orlagh Birt (Under The Same Sky)
Obsessive compulsive disorder is related to anxiety disorders, but instead of being afraid, it is characterized by having to do things based on what you are thinking.
Chase Hill (How to Stop Overthinking: The 7-Step Plan to Control and Eliminate Negative Thoughts, Declutter Your Mind and Start Thinking Positively in 5 Minutes or ... (Master the Art of Self-Improvement Book 1))
You're overthinking it. I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available.
Matt Haig (The Midnight Library)
If you’ve ever heard, “Clean your room!” as advice for coping with stress, it’s because of this very reason. Clutter, be it at home or work, is generally a significant cause of anxiety because it subconsciously acts as a reflection of yourself. Things like the quality of lighting, the smells and noises you’re exposed to, the colors of the walls, and the people occupying these spaces with you can all cause or reduce anxiety and stress levels depending on how they’re managed. You might be surprised at how much of an impact good lighting, pleasant aromas, and walls with calming colors have on your anxiety levels.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
Practice how you want to say this to somebody. Choosing the right setting is important, too. Even choosing a time when both you and your partner are chilling out on a Sunday afternoon. A balanced time and place. It’s okay to feel nervous about it.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
Let’s begin with a common explanation for anxiety: genetics.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
By employing simple techniques like placing a cold cloth on your neck, holding an ice cube in your hand, or even taking a brisk cold shower, you are effectively jolting your body's system. These techniques act as a sudden interruption to the grip of anxiety or persistent worried thoughts.
Chase Hill (How to Stop Overthinking: The 7-Step Plan to Control and Eliminate Negative Thoughts, Declutter Your Mind and Start Thinking Positively in 5 Minutes or ... (Master the Art of Self-Improvement Book 1))
Sometimes, all your body needs is a little exercise to get past the initial adrenaline rush of anxiety.
Chase Hill (How to Stop Overthinking: The 7-Step Plan to Control and Eliminate Negative Thoughts, Declutter Your Mind and Start Thinking Positively in 5 Minutes or ... (Master the Art of Self-Improvement Book 1))
things
Amy White (How to Declutter Your Mind: Secrets to Stop Overthinking, Relieve Anxiety, and Achieve Calmness and Inner Peace (Mindfulness and Minimalism Book 2))
Avoid popularity; it has many snares and no real benefit.
Amy White (How to Declutter Your Mind: Secrets to Stop Overthinking, Relieve Anxiety, and Achieve Calmness and Inner Peace (Mindfulness and Minimalism Book 2))
Your worth is not measured in likes, comments, notes, or followers, but in your ability to love, be kind and keep negative comments to yourself, take notes, and lead by example.
Amy White (How to Declutter Your Mind: Secrets to Stop Overthinking, Relieve Anxiety, and Achieve Calmness and Inner Peace (Mindfulness and Minimalism Book 2))
You're overthinking it.' 'I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available.
Matt Haig (The Midnight Library)
Love is really a verb. It’s an action.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
The longest relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. You want to make sure it is one full of love, respect, and compassion.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
There are three categories of criteria that an individual must meet in order to be diagnosed with ASD. The categories are listed below along with the typical traits, which may indicate whether the individual needs further assessment: 1.Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across contexts, not accounted for by general developmental delays: lack of friends and social life friends often much older or younger mumbling and not completing sentences issues with social rules (such as staring at other people) inability to understand jokes and the benefit of ‘small talk’ introverted (shy) and socially awkward inability to understand other people’s thoughts and feelings uncomfortable in large crowds and noisy places detached and emotionally inexpressive. 2.Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities: obsession with ‘special interests’ collecting objects (such as stamps and coins) attachment to routines and rituals ability to focus on a single task for long periods eccentric or unorthodox behaviour non-conformist and distrusting of authority difficulty following illogical conventions attracted to foreign cultures affinity with nature and animals support for victims of injustice, underdogs and scapegoats. 3.Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities: inappropriate emotional responses victimised or bullied at school, work and home overthinking and constant logical analysis spending much time alone strange laugh or cackle inability to make direct eye contact when talking highly sensitive to light, sound, taste, smell and touch uncoordinated and clumsy with poor posture difficulty coping with change adept at abstract thinking ability to process data sets logically and notice patterns or trends truthful, naïve and often gullible slow mental processing and vulnerable to mental exhaustion intellectual and ungrounded rather than intuitive and instinctive problems with anxiety and sleeping visual memory.
Philip Wylie (Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder): How Seeking a Diagnosis in Adulthood Can Change Your Life)
So what does the negativity bias have to do with your thoughts? It means that you are hardwired to overthink, worry, and view situations more negatively than they are in reality. You see threats as more threatening and challenges as more challenging.
S.J. Scott (Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking)
Turning Rejection Around What if your friendly, hopeful conversation starter is not met with signals of approval or interest? If the person you approach is fidgety, avoids eye contact, appears uneasy, and exhibits none of the signals of welcome, chances are he or she is not interested in interaction—at least not at that moment. The first thing to do is slow down. Be patient, and give the person time to relax with you. If you present yourself as relaxed and open to whatever develops (whether a good conversation, a valuable working relationship, even friendship or romance), your companion may in time relax too. Use your verbal skills to create an interesting conversation and a sense of ease to break the tension. Don’t pressure yourself to be able to define a relationship from the first meeting. Keep your expectations general, and remember the playfulness factor. Enjoy someone’s company with no strings attached. Don’t fabricate obligations where none exist. It may take several conversations for a relationship to develop. If you had hoped for romance but the feelings appear not to be reciprocated, switch your interest to friendship, which has its own rich rewards. What if you are outright rejected? Rejection at any point—at first meeting, during a date, or well into a relationship—can be painful and difficult for most of us. But there are ways to prevent it from being an all-out failure. One thing I like to tell my clients is that the Chinese word for failure can be interpreted to mean “opportunity.” And opportunities, after all, are there for the taking. It all depends on how you perceive things. There is a technique you can borrow from salespeople to counter your feelings of rejection. High-earning salespeople know that you can’t succeed without being turned down at least occasionally. Some even look forward to rejection, because they know that being turned down this time brings them that much closer to succeeding next time around. They may even learn something in the process. So keep this in mind as you experiment with your new, social self: Hearing a no now may actually bring you closer to the bigger and better yes that is soon to happen! Apply this idea as you practice interacting: Being turned down at any point in the process helps you to learn a little more—about how to approach a stranger, have a conversation, make plans, go on a date, or move toward intimacy. If you learn something positive from the experience, you can bring that with you into your next social situation. Just as in sales, the payoff in either romance or friendship is worth far more than the possible downfall or minor setback of being turned down. A note on self-esteem: Rejection can hurt, but it certainly does not have to be devastating. It’s okay to feel disappointed when we do not get the reaction we want. But all too often, people overemphasize the importance or meaning of rejection—especially where fairly superficial interactions such as a first meeting or casual date are concerned. Here are some tips to keep rejection in perspective: -Don’t overthink it. Overanalysis will only increase your anxiety. -Keep the feelings of disappointment specific to the rejection situation at hand. Don’t say, “No one ever wants to talk to me.” Say, “Too bad the chemistry wasn’t right for both of us.” -Learn from the experience. Ask yourself what you might have done differently, if anything, but then move on. Don’t beat yourself up about it. If those thoughts start, use your thought-stopping techniques (p. 138) to control them. -Use your “Adult” to look objectively at what happened. Remember, rejecting your offer of conversation or an evening out does not mean rejecting your whole “being.” You must continue to believe that you have something to offer, and that there are open, available people who would like to get to know you.
Jonathan Berent (Beyond Shyness: How to Conquer Social Anxieties)
I cannot stress how much I love the idea of kindness being lubrication for tough situations. Whenever you’re struggling, in or out of the bedroom, reach for some lube, baby!
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
Let’s all agree to not hurt our partners for no real reason. We only need to share the content of our thoughts if something good can come from it.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
We don’t have the same worldview anymore. We don’t have the same emotional life. That’s why I don’t romanticize people from my past—chances are we aren’t even compatible anymore, if we ever were! Try to let the fact that you’ve grown be the closure you need from your past relationships.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
If my personal schema says I’m unlovable or unworthy of happiness, I will see everyone’s behavior through that lens. It won’t matter if someone actually does love me because my brain won’t allow me to process their affection correctly. That’s why self-awareness is so important.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
I completely understand where our instilled belief that “true” love should be hard comes from. You don’t need to look any further than whatever program is currently on your TV. It makes for a better narrative when someone has to jump through fiery hoops and disown their family in order to be with their one and only. The problem is that these stories are always framed as romantic instead of unhealthy and/or traumatizing.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
As a writer, I get that it’s hard to make a compelling movie about two people who meet at a house party, share similar interests, get married, live another fifty years in harmony, and then die. But real life doesn’t need to be dramatic to be enjoyable.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
Catastrophizing: Basically, being a drama queen/king. This one makes you overthink and magnify the effects that a situation has on you. Picture the soccer players that flop like theatrical fish when they barely get brushed by an opposing player. Playa, please.
Robert Duff (Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety)
I think we can all agree that romantic relationships are challenging for everyone. But when you throw anxiety, OCD, and/or depression into the mix, the idea of “happily ever after” might feel more like a propaganda campaign than something actually achievable.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
then puts a magnifying lens on all his flaws and starts turning each of them over in his mind, wondering why he is the way he is, tortured by the fact that he can’t seem to just “let it go.” After an hour of this, he realizes with despair that he is no closer to making a decision about his health issue, and instantly feels depressed, sinking into a storm of negative self-talk where he tells himself over and over again that this always happens, that he never sorts himself out, that he’s too neurotic . . . Phew! It’s hard to see how all of this torment and mental anguish started with nothing more than James noticing he had a weird-looking mole on his shoulder! We all live in a highly strung, overstimulated, highly cerebral world. Overthinking puts our ordinary cognitive instincts in overdrive. Excessive thinking occurs when our thought processes are out of control, causing us distress. Endless analysis of life and of self is usually unwanted, unstoppable, and self-defeating. Ordinarily, our brains help us solve problems and understand things more clearly—but overthinking does the opposite. Whether you call it worry, anxiety, stress, rumination, or even obsession, the quality that characterizes overthinking is that it feels awful, and it doesn’t help us in any way.
Nick Trenton (Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present (The Path to Calm Book 1))
Just like with ROCD, an easy way to see if your anxiety is valid or harmful is to examine the content of the anxiety. Is it based on something that is actually happening, or is it future-based? If it’s not based on the present, you’re simply fortune-telling and catastrophizing. In those cases, as Robin puts it, it’s important to remind your anxiety that “these are just stories you’re making up. You could believe them, but it’s going to cost you.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
Your potential partner is an outstretched hand that can help bring you to shore. But you can only reach out and successfully grab this hand if you’re already almost on land. If you’re thirty feet out, your partner can’t help you, even if you both really want them to be able to. No one’s arms are that long, even if your partner is very good-looking and tall. You’ve got to get twenty-eight feet closer on your own (and/or with the help of mental health professionals/medication/psychoeducation/meditation/coping skills/mindfulness—you get it!). Only then can the help they are offering actually reach you and make a difference.
Allison Raskin (Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD, and/or Depression)
You can also take small power naps in these breaks.
Robin McGill (Overthinking: How to Eliminate Anxiety, Create Productive Habits, Thinking & Meditation, Eliminate Negative Thoughts and Develop a Winning Mentality)
The people who are multitasking are usually doing too many unimportant things at the same time. Their focus is broken, and their mind is occupied with several things at the same time.
Robin McGill (Overthinking: How to Eliminate Anxiety, Create Productive Habits, Thinking & Meditation, Eliminate Negative Thoughts and Develop a Winning Mentality)
facility
Rachel Davidson Miller (Mental Health Workbook: For a Better Life. Anxiety in Relationship + Insecure in Love + Abandonment Anxiety + Trauma + Overthinking + Rewire Your Anxious Brain + Borderline Personality Disorder + Ocd)
What you feed your mind, will lead your life.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
Najee, 26, who has struggled with depression and anxiety for over eight years, often finds himself thinking: “Crap! I’m such a loser!” Other times he thinks: “Why am I always so anxious?” Najee repeatedly allows these thoughts to consume him as they solidify his truths and fuel his feelings of depression and anxiety. Because Najee has continually told himself that he is a loser or that he is not good enough, that has become his truth. Because of this, Najee found himself struggling with presentations at work and his productivity significantly dropped.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
If Andrea looked at her thoughts instead of through them, she would have been able to realize that she cannot control how people will think, feel, or react to the things she says, no matter how careful she is. If she had stopped looking through her thoughts, it would have helped her feel less anxious, and she would have been able to enjoy the party.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
After all, it is a thought. Now, when you are done, add the words “I notice that I am thinking…” Adding this phrase to your repetitive negative thoughts will allow you to notice how you have been seeing the world through your thoughts. It will also show you the kind of relationship you have with these thoughts.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
The habit of being thankful can (and should) start with appreciating every good thing in your life and recognizing that there is nothing that is too small to be grateful for.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
Then picture yourself zooming out and looking at it from the sky.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
by no means is this exercise meant to sideline your emotions, thoughts and feelings. Instead, this exercise is designed to help you challenge your negative thoughts and emotions (such as feelings of worry), and make you realize that you are a small but significant piece in a much bigger puzzle.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
when you focus on your blessings, it allows you to celebrate the present moment and focus your attention on the good instead of the bad. Our nature as humans is to want what we do not have; focusing on the negatives instead of celebrating the things we do have and all the positives.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)
ELIMINATE TOO MANY CHOICES If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.
Harley Hunter (Stop Overthinking!: 9 Steps to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, Negativity and Focus on Your Productivity)