Overthinking

Have you found yourself thinking about a problem over and over again with no solution in sight? No matter how many times you roll the situation over in your mind you come up with zeros.
Our current culture is plagued with overthinking.
A prescription for anxiety, worry, panic, fear and even depression is to overthink.
Over analysis (overthinking) often produces paralysis of action. Our mind gets stuck on a subject which creates inability to take action about what we are overthinking.
Thinking about something over, over, and over again can leave you and me stuck emotionally,   unable to do anything constructive about our circumstances. Spinning our mental hard-drive leaves us confused, complicating our situation.
Overthinking reminds me of a Merry-Go-Round.
One of my fond, happy boyhood memories was riding on the carousel at Natatorium Amusement Park in Spokane, Washington. My kids and grandkids, when younger, enjoyed the Merry-Go -Round at Woodland Hills Mall here in Tulsa. There is something special, almost magical, about colorfully painted horses, shiny reflective mirrors, and of course, the music as excited riders went up and down on the back of their favorite stallion.
Merry-Go-Rounds go round and round. I am brilliant huh? Carousels are fun. Round and round the colorful, majestic horses go…to nowhere.
Overthinking is like a mental carousel. Round, and round, and round our thoughts and emotions go. Then we get off the carousel at the same place we got on. The overthinking Merry-Go-Round is not fun!
Overthinkers complicate what is simple. Make what is easy difficult. Worry about things that do not need worried about. Try to figure everything out. Turn solutions into problems. Wear themselves out trying to figure things out. Frustrate people who try not to overthink.
Overthinking can lead to stinking thinking!
Overthinking is wearisome thinking that may result in tired decisions, even stupid, regrettable ones. How many of us have been there and done that? I see that hand.
Observation: The two most common times for overthinking are nighttime and early morning. Nighttime. Difficult to go to sleep when the hard-drive is active. Morning: begin the day on the wrong foot. Rest and peace elude morning overthinkers!
So, what are overthinkers to do? I have a few simple suggestions, but please do not overthink them!
Solutions For Overthinking
If you are a Christian, you have the mind of Christ. “For who knows the mind of the Lord that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” I Corinthians 2:16. Blows me away! You and I are not God. But we can think the way God wants us to think. His Word in the Bible reveals His thoughts and how we should think. Certainly, the Lord does not overthink anything. He thinks and it is!
When tempted to overthink, do not. Wait. Wait without worrying. Do not push the panic button. Trust the Lord, who you love and serve, to show you the solution to your situation.
Look to the Lord for His guidance. Pray. Seek with confident faith His answer to your problem. He knows what you do not know. He sees what you do not see. He will do what you cannot do. I think the Almighty may chuckle at us (certainly me!) when we overthink about stuff He already has a solution for!
Seek the sound advice of a trusted, mature Christian friend. The Holy Spirit gives discernment and wisdom to others when we are stuck in the rut of overthinking. “Iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17). You and I are not very “sharp” when overthinking!
Read and meditate on the Word of God. The Apostle Paul could have over-thought in prison. Instead, he wrote for us “Finally my brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is respectful, whatever is lovely, if here is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, LET YOUR MIND DWELL ON THESE THINGS.” Philippians 4:11
Think God’s thoughts in the Bible. He wrote down His mind toward us and how we should live to glorify Him. Almighty God does not overthink. He thought. He spoke. He created. He redeemed. The Holy One made His holy word simple. Uncomplicated. A child does not overthink the fact that Jesus loves them!
Paul’s thinker was thinking the right thoughts! He was victorious in prison because he rejoiced in the Lord despite his adverse circumstances. Thinking according to God’s Word and trusting in the Lord will dismantle in a hurry the maze of overthinking for you and me too!
Set your “thinker” on keep it simple mode. Stop complicating the issue you are thinking about by endlessly reviewing it.
Take God’s Word at face value. Believe what it means. Trust what it says. Stop trying to figure faith out by thinking about it ad nauseum. Walk by faith, not by sight or overthinking!
When tempted to overthink, resist the temptation. Trust in the Lord. Take Him at His Word.
I have a feeling our Heavenly Father has everything figured out!
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding (trying to figure things out on your own with your thinker!); acknowledge Him in all of your ways, and He will direct your steps.” Proverbs 3:5-6
A Word For Your Week: Trust God. Do not overthink with your thinker.