10 Common Overthinking Mistakes That Are Holding You Back

In this article, I’ll explore ten common overthinking mistakes that might hold you back and provide practical solutions to help you move forward.

It’s time to transform your approach to decision-making and rediscover the power of decisive action. Let’s dive in and unlock a more empowered way of living.

Overthinking isn’t just a mental habit — it’s a silent saboteur that can undermine your well-being and productivity.

Stress is the main effect of overthinking. And the numbers don’t lie on its effects.

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In a 2018 study , 74% of people reported feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope with stress. Only 7% of young adults could manage it compared to 30% of adults. And it had meaningful impacts on their lives.

• Behavioral : 46% of people overate or ate unhealthy food. 29% started or increased drinking. 16% started or increased smoking.
• Psychological : 51% of adults felt depressed and 61% anxious. And 16% of those had self-harmed.

But let’s see the main causes (or, at least, those that matter to us).

• 49% of young adults experienced high levels of stress by comparing themselves with others.
• 12% of people felt stressed because they had to answer a message instantly.
• 36% of women and 23% of men suffered from their social appearance.
• And 60% of 18-24-year-olds and 41% of 25-34-year-olds stressed because of the need to succeed.

Over time, the mental strain can lead to health issues . And it can have many impacts on your life.

1. Decision paralysis → inaction due to stress
2. Decreased productivity → rigid thought patterns
3. Strained relationships → misinterpretation of intentions
4. Low self-esteem → criticism and self-doubt.

Recognizing the destructive power of overthinking is the first step towards breaking free from its grip. So you can reclaim your mental clarity and live a more fulfilling and productive life.

Let’s discover now the ten common overthinking mistakes that are holding you back (and how to fix them).

Perfectionism is a powerful force that keeps you trapped in a cycle of inaction and self-criticism.

I pursued perfectionism since I started writing online. I was unsure about my writing skills because I wasn’t an English native. And I feared people would mark me as a terrible writer.

However, perfectionism leads to burnout  and a constant feeling of inadequacy. You will soon abandon your dreams or feel like you are not good enough. And that road can only bring you to failure.

The fix for perfectionism is simple — embrace the concept of “ good enough.”

Not everything you do must be perfect. And most of the things you will do will suck. But you can take incremental steps towards your goals. This way, you can also understand what’s not working and why.

Perfectionism will keep you from succeeding. Don’t let it ruin your life.

Something very similar to perfectionism is overanalysis.

With perfectionism, you want to do a perfect job. With overanalysis, you wait for the best idea instead.

Yet, when you lose time for each detail, you take time away from doing things. You don’t put into practice what’s on your mind. And this behavior leads to inaction and missed opportunities.

I often wonder about my products and articles. I want them to make a difference and help many people.

But as I keep analyzing them, time passes. Our weekly meeting approaches. And I have nothing prepared.

I learned to fix a time limit for decision-making and trust my instincts. When I have an idea, I start writing about it. And if it doesn’t work, it will go better next time.

Set a time limit and build a pros&cons list to aid your decisions. And abandon the idea or start working on it as soon as it gets past two days in your head.

Everybody has their regrets. There’s no life without them. And I’ve done my share of regretting past failures.

I spent almost two years trapped in a job that gave me nothing in return. And I thought about all the time that I lost for months. It pained me to know I could have invested my time better.

But that’s life. Nobody will give me back those months. And nobody will give you back anything you lost.

If it’s gone — it’s gone forever. Or, at least, that’s how you should think about it. (And if it comes back, you’ll see then.)

How do you escape a prison of spiraling thoughts?

No, you don’t break through. You observe it.

• Observe your thoughts.
• Acknowledge your mistakes as learning experiences.
• And then, redirect your focus to actionable steps that help you grow instead of dwelling on what you can’t change.

Journaling and therapy can help you process past experiences — use them. They can guide you to set new goals starting from those past mistakes instead of dwelling on regrets.

Life throws problems and curve balls at us every day. And I don’t want to say we should always be ready to deal with them — you can never prepare for some things. But at least don’t create problems out of thin air.

If you think something terrible is going to happen, it probably will. That’s the simple law of attraction. So, don’t make your life more challenging.

Compare the problem with the potential worst-case scenario. Is it as bad as you thought it would be?

It never is. But if you can’t stop it, you can always solve the problem with grounding mindfulness techniques.

Deep breaths and meditation are the best against catastrophizing. They will help you minimize the problem and see it from another perspective.

When we’re children, we rely on adults to give us confidence and protection. But as we grow, we should let go of that protective crib and walk alone.

Relying on others for validation can weaken your self-confidence and decision-making abilities. On the contrary, you will build more confidence  if you make decisions and stop waiting for people to reassure you.

Building self-reliance is a long road. And you can get to the end only one step at a time.

• First, you’ll have to build confidence in yourself.
• Then, you will make decisions alone and take responsibility for the outcomes.
• And finally, you will stop searching for reassurance in other people.

How often did you think somebody didn’t want to talk to you? And how many times did you find out they were only introverts?

It happened a lot to me. And it still does.

Every time I get to know new people, I can connect with them easily. But sometimes, I meet people who don’t talk much. And my head wonders if they hate or judge me negatively.

Days later, I discovered they were introverts. (Or, at least, that’s what they say.) And it’s a shame that I got carried away by the anxiety of perceived judgments.

External judgment is one of the most common overthinking problems we have. And it creates a lot of stress because we can never know what somebody else is thinking.

Yet, that’s something you can’t control.

If they have you — they hate you. There’s nothing you can do about it.

It is better if they don’t. But when you focus only on what you can control, you empower yourself to act authentically and overcome the fear of judgment.

I always do mountains of research when I work on something that matters. But sometimes, this tendency escalates even for low-priority activities. And it becomes a problem.

In an age where information is readily accessible, it’s easy to fall into the trap of overloading yourself with data. You want to make the perfect decision. But, by doing that, you do not decide at all.

The obsession with gathering data leads to confusion, overwhelm, and ultimately paralysis. You get lost in a cycle of research and insecurities. And you don’t know what’s right or who’s telling the truth.

The key to overcoming the overflow of information is a hard limitation.

Limit your information intake to a few reliable sources. Then, set a time limit for each decision based on the information you gathered until then.

You can always make things right later if needed. But at least you won’t fall into a never-ending trap of insecurities.

On the other hand, there is a tendency to overgeneralize.

This mental trap can distort your perception of reality. And it will lead you to broad and negative conclusions based on limited experience.

“This always happens to me,” or “I’ll never succeed.” Are those sentences familiar?

It’s simple to fall into this thinking pattern when a single failure occurs. It happened to me many times when I started my business. But it’s counterproductive. It discourages and makes you more pessimistic. Plus, it forbids you from building an objective opinion.

Overgeneralizing keeps you in a cycle of negativity. But you can escape it by learning to recognize and challenge those negative thoughts.

• Find evidence that contradicts those thoughts.
• Actively search for instances when they didn’t apply.
• And practice cognitive reframing by focusing on specifics rather than drawing broad conclusions.

What was different this time? What was the decisive action that made everything crumble?

The realm of possibility is endless. But here’s the twist — everything is in your brain. Most of the time, those possibilities don’t even exist anymore.

You made your choice when you had to. And there’s nothing you can do to go back and change it. (Scientists haven’t invented time machines yet.) So, stick with it.

If you don’t, this constant self-doubt will paralyze you and make you unable to commit to your choices. You won’t have the confidence to move forward. And every related choice will trigger your insecurities.

Second-guessing is an indicator of a lack of confidence. So, building confidence  is the first step towards trusting your decisions more.

Then, you have to accept you can’t predict every possible outcome. You will make mistakes sometimes. But that’s not an indicator of your worth.

Every choice carries some level of uncertainty. You only need to find your acceptable threshold. Then, focus on the path ahead with determination.

Comparing yourself with others it’s wrong. We all know it. And everybody told us not to do it.

But we are competitors. Comparison helps us understand where we are and what the goal looks like. It only becomes a problem when it hinders your growth.

Sometimes, we take inspiration from those who reached a goal and try to emulate them. Then, emulation turns into building your unique path and finding success with it. But it can also turn sideways.

The comparison could become toxic if you keep emulating and want to achieve the same results because that’s impossible.

Comparison is healthy when limited. Could you use it to gauge the potential of your goal? But never use it to compare your values with someone else. You live in two different realities in a shared world.

• Focus on your journey and progress.
• Practice gratitude for what you have accomplished.
• And set new personal goals based on your values.

You can take inspiration from others. But don’t use their standards to measure your value.

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• Want more? Explore my other work at Cosmopolitan Mindset.