To The Girl Who Overthinks

        I hit the send button, then immediately regretted it. "Oh gosh, I shouldn't of said that." "They're going to think I'm annoying." "They think I'm immature." "It'll make them stop liking me." "Are they not replying because they think it's stupid?" "They must've of not even found it funny." And realizing all I had texted was "What's up chica?" 

     Overthinking: Creating problems that weren't even there. It's always asking yourself the,"What ifs?" Our society strives on overthinking now a days. Every action, ever text, every thing we ever do or say in over criticized and nitpicked. I've always been a struggling victim of this. I overthink EVERYTHING.

     I overthink because I have a fear of loosing people. I have a fear of them abandoning me, or not liking me anymore. I fear what will happen if I'm not prepare for the situation. Overthinking is just a fancy name for worry, doubt, and stress all mixed together. I worry about what the other person is perceiving or thinking about what I just did or said. I doubt that what I said or did what the "culturally appropriate" or like-able thing to do. I stress that I have to always find the right thing to say or do or else everything will collapse.

    Once in high school I shared my struggle with overthinking and worry with a close mentor. I remember her stopping me and going "Rachel, you do realize that overthinking and worry are a sin right?" I kind of stopped, dumbfounded. I guess I had always kind of saw my tendency to overthink and worry as just a part of who I was, not as anything I had to fix.

   She went on too explain how overthinking is saying, "I don't trust that what God has in plan for me is good, I don't think God has my best in mind, and I don't think God knows what He is doing." I mean that a pretty broad thing to be saying to God. Overthinking only took me deeper into a place where I didn't trust God with my life anymore. I had to really start delving into the Scriptures on how to deal with my constantly worried mind.

1. All overthinking does is waste time and energy

      The amount of hours I have spent overthinking one single text or one single encounter have only done me more bad than good. It causes unnecessary stress in ones life, and then once the moment has passed by we realize insignificant that moment even was to stress about.
      One thing that has always helped me when it comes to worry is asking myself,"In 5 years will this matter?" Most likely you won't. I mean I have a pretty good memory, but I can hardly tell you what I ate for breakfast yesterday without having to think about it.

2. We have to realize that God is good

     "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 

    "We know that in all things God works the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 

    Sometime in those moments of doubt, I can seem to forget everything that God has already done for me and I start focusing on this one moment and why He isn't helping me then. Knowing how to keep a heart of thankfulness and gratitude can help your mind overcome overthinking. I sometimes like to write down all the things I have to be thankful for, all the things God has already done in my life for "good". I have a family who's been kept safe, I have a house over my head, I have food to eat, I live someplace where I can freely speak the gospel.... the list could go on and on. Then we realize how much God has already given us that this unnecessary moment doesn't seem all that important anymore.

3. God can work with our choices whether good or bad.

     "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning..." Lamentations 3:22-23

     Sometimes when we've sent a text we feel like we shouldn't of sent or done something that we feel we made a mistake by doing we have to learn to turn to God. God can use every mistake or bad choice we make in our lives for our good. Also we have to realize that life goes on. We can't spend our time worrying about something that has already happened. No matter how much we worry and wish we could rewind and delete it the moon still sets and the sun still rises bringing on a new day. God will still have our life bring Him glory no matter whether we did something we regretted or not.

 

- Rachel