Over Thinking
Does anyone struggle with obsessive thoughts or over thinking? I struggle with them a lot. I over think a lot and obsess over certain things and it is very annoying. My obsessive thoughts lead to anxiety and depression. My brain just has to analyze everything instead of letting it go. I was wondering if this is common of people on the spectrum. When I over think and analyze, I usually get lightheaded and don't feel like doing anything else except focusing on the thing that I am obsessing about.
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This is quite common but not limited to people on the spectrum/
The Science of Analysis Paralysis: How Overthinking Kills Your Productivity & What You Can Do About It
In contrast, “Maximizers want to make the best possible decision; even if they see a bicycle that meets their requirements, they can’t make a decision until they’ve examined every option.”
Research suggests that whether you’re a satisfier or a maximizer can have a huge impact on your happiness and well-being. Four different studies carried out by Swarthmore College studied the psychological effects of these two decision-making styles. They found that:
Maximizers reported significantly less life satisfaction, happiness, optimism, and self-esteem, and significantly more regret and depression, than satisficers.
Maximizers were more likely to engage in social comparison and counterfactual thinking (i.e. What if I had chosen option number 2 instead?) and experienced more regret and less happiness after making a consumer decision.
Maximizers experienced a greater increase in negative mood when they did not perform as well as their peers.
Though analyzing every last option in the quest for the best choice may lead to an objectively better outcome in some situations, maximizing ultimately leads to more anxiety and regret and less happiness and satisfaction with your decisions.
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I had that when I was 13-17 years old, especially when I was 16 or so. About the meaning of life and such. Then I was like that again for years after but due to relationship stresses, trying to figure out what I had done to make my then-boyfriend abuse me and such (I honestly thought it could be resolved, that he wasn't manipulative, that I had done something to deserve it).
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I had that problem before I started the med Neurontin/Gabapentin for my OCD.
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Very much so. I was actually diagnosed with OCD before I was diagnosed with ASD. I've been called analytic to the point of being a "nutjob." I thought that was harsh, but nonetheless, it is hard to turn my brain off from certain obsessive thoughts, no matter how unusual it is for me to dwell on them and break them down constantly. I'm especially prone to ruminating over things that are not necessarily pleasant in nature, and/or probably too hard to figure out or define as precisely as I'd like. I want things to make sense, to have no cognitive dissonance, and to be as black-and-white as possible, but sometimes, I can't reduce things that readily, and it bothers me further. I keep wanting to split it apart.
Often I just need to redirect to simpler stuff and try to enjoy the moment more and be thankful for what I do have.
I feel like the reason I show up late in class is because of the lack of sleep as I used to spend nights thinking about how I can get classmates to talk to me more often and become less absent in class and get the feeling that classmates actually like me and want to be friends with me rather than just saying it as an attempt to cheer me up when I feel sad.
It keeps me up until 2/3am and I end up imagining scenarios that don't make any sense at all.
Does anyone struggle with obsessive thoughts or over thinking? I struggle with them a lot. I over think a lot and obsess over certain things and it is very annoying. My obsessive thoughts lead to anxiety and depression. My brain just has to analyze everything instead of letting it go. I was wondering if this is common of people on the spectrum. When I over think and analyze, I usually get lightheaded and don't feel like doing anything else except focusing on the thing that I am obsessing about.
yes, and the Department of Rehab diagnosed me with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. along with 5 other personality disorders. and there are only 10 personality disorders. thus far.
especially since i tend to dwell on the past a lot. and when i dwell on the past, i gravitate toward events that i perceived as negative. and i got diagnosed with clinical depression. and took Ativan and Prozac. for anxiety. although other factors could have contributed to anxiety and depression. such as social rejection, bullying, structural engineering failure, gender identity disorder.
and the overthinking is tempting. it feels. seems. appears that. it takes more energy to overthink than for my brain to be at ease. natural. artificial.
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If you were to look up overthink in the dictionary, you'd see my picture next to it.
I've recently did the process of turning external emotions off and now I'm wondering if I should because I think more than I just feel so it must have made the overthinking worse. Maybe I will be okay as time goes by but it's really difficult right now because sometimes I will analyze jokes and it makes them not as funny. I try not to think about it. I don't even know why I am analyzing them. I think it's something a comedian said and it got me thinking about the nature of jokes. Ever since then it won't stop.
I've googled how to stop overthinking. It doesn't help. I did a mindful exercise...nothing. I tried deep breathing.
I struggle with overthinking. I will analyze conversations that I have had or even hypothetical situations that might occur from ever angle. I also get very micro detail oriented where I think about things to very deep degrees. Sometimes it's good, but most times it is an endless process that only creates more questions and things to analyze and yields very few resolutions. I get told all of the time that "your over thinking it man" or "it's not that complicated" or " relax, you're wound too tight"....it drives me nuts. In my mind, I think why aren't people thinking as much as I am; their is a lot of serious stuff that needs thinking about!! ! It was one of the biggest reasons I thought people were idiots prior to my diagnosis last year. Now that I know, I can at least recognize where it is coming from...but it doesn't lessen the amount of thinking I do.
It's difficult because you don't want to miss out on anything and sometimes it is good but a lot of it is a burden if you don't know how to stop it.
People usually just tell me "just stop thinking about it" or "there's always that chance but you gotta focus on the positive". At best they will tell me "none of that is true you're just thinking negative" which doesn't really help me because I know I'm thinking realistically. It's not like I've invented these possible outcomes in my head.
It makes me so indecisive and then that continues the cycle because I'm thinking "well stop sitting here and thinking and just do it" but then you're like "well do what? I don't want to make the wrong move" I think if my head had people in it and the thoughts had a physical effect they'd spin so much they'd get fatal whiplash.
Overthinking is a constant struggle for me since i was a child! The main catalyst has always been the severe anxiety and thus the attempt to not make a fool out of myself. I would try to think of every single probable outcome, every hypothetical scenario and would then ponder, lament and panic over things that haven't even happened yet. It made me feel paralyzed and restricted me in every aspect of my life.
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Overthinking is a constant struggle for me since i was a child! The main catalyst has always been the severe anxiety and thus the attempt to not make a fool out of myself. I would try to think of every single probable outcome, every hypothetical scenario and would then ponder, lament and panic over things that haven't even happened yet. It made me feel paralyzed and restricted me in every aspect of my life.
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impulsive versus indecisive
yeah i am way too indecisive. it's like i have to think up every last outcome, before doing anything. and there are an infinite number, or at least, a lot, of outcomes. and by the time i think up a lot of scenarios, there is no longer a chance to do anything altogether.
almost everyone i have ever interacted with is too impulsive. especially the ones younger than me.
yeah i am way too indecisive. it's like i have to think up every last outcome, before doing anything. and there are an infinite number, or at least, a lot, of outcomes. and by the time i think up a lot of scenarios, there is no longer a chance to do anything altogether.
almost everyone i have ever interacted with is too impulsive. especially the ones younger than me.
It surely sounds familiar.
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