What it’s like to think in circles. And then think in circles. And then  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Overthinking What it’s like to think in circles. And then think in circles. And then Chris Guillebeau Jan 10   READ IN APP   Thank you for reading A Year of Mental Health. We’re just getting started and there’s much more to come! If you like it, pass it on. Share Scenario 1: “I said something awkward.” I said something awkward in a conversation. How awkward was it? How much damage did I do? Did the other person think it was as awkward as I did? Are they even thinking about it at all? It’s probably ALL they’re thinking about now, just like me.  Should I talk to them about it? Should I apologize for being awkward? Maybe it’s not an apology that’s needed, it’s an explanation. I’ll talk them about my history as an awkward person and how I didn’t mean to say the awkward thing in the awkward way. It actually wasn’t supposed to be awkward, it was really quite intelligent and normal, but it came out awkwardly and now I feel awkward. But here’s an idea. What if, instead of addressing it, I talk to them about something else—anything—in hopes of overwriting the awkwardness? How much overwriting needs to take place before the awkwardness is forgotten? And how can I make sure I don’t say anything awkward in the over-explaining? Alternatively: what if I just disappear and avoid that person forever?  Yep. That’s what I’ll do.  Scenario 2: “I posted something on social media.”  No one is going to like this post.  The post is flawed. I shared an opinion and the opinion is too provocative/bland/over-the-top/boring. Maybe I should delete it. It’s the algorithm’s fault. It’s my fault. I’m just not interesting enough. I’m not a good writer. I’m not attractive. This other post has a lot more likes. The poster who posted that post is better than me. My post has some likes now, but they’re from my friends so those don’t count. One person said something negative about my post; now I’ll spend the rest of my day thinking about it. A lot of other people said nice things, but they don’t really mean them. They’re just being polite. The person who said the negative thing was probably right. What can I do to make this stranger like me more? I hate that person but I still want to please them. I should respond and explain my thinking in more developed language. That will make all the difference, surely. Okay, I’ll never share anything again. Scenario 3: “I need to make a decision.” What should I do today? What should I do right now?  I need to return that phone call. I should have called back sooner, and now it’s too late. The person I need to get back to is probably annoyed with me. I’ll wait another hour or another day and then I’ll worry about it more.  What should I do with my life? What am I working toward? Am I doing anything that matters? Didn’t I used to have dreams and goals?  Maybe I’ll just do what I’ve already been doing. I’ll do what makes other people happy. I’ll keep my head down and not bother anyone.  But I’ll also keep thinking about it. Conversation Starters Do you overthink? Do you overthink? Do you overthink? Ways that overthinking can be helpful. What stories do you tell yourself about overthinking? How much time you spent thinking about your last social media post or comment. Leave a comment You're currently a free subscriber to 🌻 A Year of Mental Health . For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. Upgrade to paid   Like Comment Restack   © 2024 Chris Guillebeau New York, New York, + Airplanes ✈️ Unsubscribe