Alexander Natividad - Week 13 - Drowning In Thought
Overthinking is a dangerous ability.
As you can probably infer from that interesting fact, I tend to overthink too much. This ranges from practices to regular assignments that I should not have to think about too much.
There’s always times where I feel like I am right, and the future would tell me that I would have been if I had stuck with my original option. I remember when I had my first driving lesson with my instructor, and I kept misjudging the distance on how far to stop from the limit line. I originally thought I controlled my slowing speed well, which it would have been good, except I overthought about the distance to the line and went over it.
Overthinking can be useful though; in this case, because it results in success rather than failure, it is commonly covered up by being known as a good adjustment, being at the right place and right time, or being well prepared for that situation. Unfortunately for me, I rarely have enough luck to consistently succeed by overthinking.
My favorite memory in relation to successfully overthinking comes from my actual driving test I did, which is ironic since a few months ago I could barely judge the distance to stop at the sign or turn into traffic only if the nearest car is 200 feet away. I had the thought that the examiners would take points off for any little mistake, so I decided to check my blind spots every three seconds. The examiner probably thought I was out of my mind while driving, but a win is a win and I got my license.
As special as that was, though, I would rather limit my overthinking and trust myself more. In a sense, it feels like dark magic—powerful, but at the wrong time it yields undesirable results—but I leave it alone and worry about the other important things in life.
Saplakoglu, Yasemin. 2019. Shutterstock. Accessed 2025.
Hi Alexander,
ReplyDeleteThe title of your blog as well as the picture you used caught my attention. I agree, overthinking more than not leads to negative outcomes and this is prominent in many aspects of our lives, from taking a test and thinking an answer is “too obvious” leading to us changing it and then getting it wrong to its impacts on relationships as well. Overthinking tends to bring out the negative in every situation because it highlights all the things that could possibly go wrong within that situation. This can cause even a good memory to become one! Which is why it is even more critical that you take time to try to overthink just a little bit less! It will make everyday life a lot more simpler and less stressful! I hope you are able to achieve this goal soon and props to you for getting your license!
Hi Alexander! You’re definitely right about overthinking being dangerous; I’m an overthinker as well, so I can relate to your sentiments on being in my own head to an unhealthy extent.
ReplyDeleteOverthinking and immediately assuming the worst is a part of myself that I’ve never liked—it always seems to ruin my good memories, taking me out of moments that I should be enjoying. Your story about your driving test made me change my mind on overthinking. I’ve realized that there are times when overthinking can help people achieve their goals and actually make happy memories. In the end, overthinking is a double edged sword; sometimes it’s a lifesaver, other times it can ruin your entire mood.
Hi Alexander, your blog was so relatable. Recently, I have been trying to get my drivers license and I still remember the first time I had to drive on the road. I was a little bit nervous my first time driving and because of that, I was constantly checking my mirrors to see where the other cars were in relation to me and if they were close enough for me to hit them. In the beginning I would also overthink about the stopping distance too. However, instead of stopping too late, I would stop way too soon and have a huge gap in front of me. I don't think that overthinking is bad in general because it usually leads to people being more cautious. However, I think it is a bad thing when someone is uncontrollably overthinking something because they are stressed about it.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex! I liked the way you set up overthinking as both a weakness and a strength—it's something that so many of us suffer from, but the way you described it as dark magic has me believing that it's even more excusable. It is ironic that overthinking really made you succeed, but I get what you mean about having to have more confidence in yourself. I also thought your point about overthinking being disguised as “good adjustments” was really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many times we praise someone for being over-prepared when really it's just another symptom of overthinking. Your post made me think about how much time I spend second-guessing, and now I'm questioning whether or not some of my habits are actually helping me or just holding me back. Your blog was actually engaging to read, and I liked the way you used personal experience into the larger concept!