I was thinking about thinking today. I'm always thinking, I'm one of those people who can't shut my mind off very well. It's strange because when I need to focus at one hundred percent on a task, situation or event I'm able to compartmentalise everything that's not relevant, superfluous thoughts and emotions, and that provides laser-focus, but when I don't need that level of focus I can't seem to shut my mind off, it just thinks and thinks...and thinks...and thinks...I think you get it.
I over-think at times, meaning something rolls around in my noggin for too long and whilst it's there it spins outwards and out of proportion, I draw conclusions and make decisions and sometimes I'd be better-served to have released it and move on; the curse of the over-thinker I suppose.
While I was thinking about thinking I was thinking about what you're thinking.
I guess I mean, how you're thinking...how you think.
Are you a critical thinker or creative? Do you think analytically or abstractly? Maybe you're a divergent, convergent or concrete thinker? Sequential or holistic? I have a suspicion you might be a mixture of some of these and possibly all depending on who you are; a few will likely be dominant though.
I'm a mixture of all of them.
Critical and creative, analytical, concrete (practical) and divergent (lateral) as well. Abstract, yep that too...I guess my point is that I'm able to think in the way most relevant to the situation (mostly) and that's opened opportunities, and closed them as well...the concrete thinker in me. We are, after all, a mix of many different thoughts and attitudes and life demands flexibility.
Metacognition - The word for thinking about thinking
I believe it to be very important for one's own growth and progression through life to engage in metacognition. It's important to building and maintaining and guiding a team to perform at optimal level, to build and nurture relationships and just to get by with other people in life generally. Thinking about thinking, how you think and how others think, and having greater understanding around it will carry a person further with greater success in my humble opinion...but I'm a knucklehead and none-too bright...I want to know what you think!
Tell me how you think and why you're that way inclined or tell me how understanding how you and others think have helped you (or hindered you) in life. Are you an over-thinker...an under-thinker? If you want to have a think about this topic and think up a comment for me I'll be pleased to see it and to respond. I don't think that, I know it.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Any images in this post are my own.
I think you need to learn how to backburn if you don't already know how to do it XD Maybe you already do but the post makes it sound like you don't :D
I'm not sure how I think but simultaneously holding a lot of character thoughts in my head (necessary for roleplaying, helpful for writing) can occasionally get interesting.
I'm pretty happy with the way I think, meaning the processes, as they have helped me achieve a thing or two in life and contributed to what I think is a pretty good one. I tend to confront things head on mostly and that requires thought so I'm not really all that keep on inhibiting it...although it would help me sleep sometimes I guess.
Sometimes things need to go on the back burner. Back burned stuff just gets worked through in the background so it's slower than whatever is happening in the foreground but then allows you to get other stuff done (even stupid unimportant things like sleep which is actually apparently critically important and not the waste of time it often feels like).
Yeah, I guess that's what I do when I prioritise some things over others and even lock some away in the dark recesses of my noggin (I have a small pea-sized brain so there's loads of storage area.) In that way I have the ability to focus on what needs attention without tripping over the other stuff. I guess it's effective for me, although doesn't always work.
That's a mood :)
Lol.
I ovethink so try not to think too much 😀
The worst is when one is thinking they think too much and decide to think less and then overthink about thinking less and and that overthinking makes them think they should think less all over again...and...well, I think you get what I'm saying. I should stop overthinking it.
🤣 I've been thinking about how to answer this since yesterday...I think I've overthought it
Thinking about how to answer a post about thinking, I think, is not a bad thing to think. Overthinking it though, is a hazard of thinking about thinking and thinking about what response to make about thinking is a little too much thinking, I think.
I think thinking is your thang
I think your thinking on thinking thinking is my thing, is good thinking.
At least your head isn't full of stuffing and you can think some more
I have overthought such underthinking. It rarely ends well I think
Lol...Well then, speaking of under and over...get your ears around this. Some nice relaxing music to get you through your work day (hopefully without killing anyone, except El-Jefe.)
That's a fecking belter that one. I ain't heard it before. In fact I haven't free much of these guys but it's right up my street!
FFDP are legit. A great band man, check it.
I don't even know if I could pinpoint how I think. Maybe I would have to say I am a loud thinker because I am talking to myself all the time. It drives my wife crazy. My brain is pretty scattered though and I spend a lot of time alone in it.
I talk to myself all the time too, not often out loud, although I have done that in the past too, things like you got this, and don't quit, keep moving, and so on. It's called positive self talk and I literally just wrote a post mentioning it which I'll post on some later day.
I tend to be less scattered I suppose, very focused, although I have a lot going on up there in my noggin...overthinking isn't a nice thing sometimes.
Oh no, I have full on conversations with myself I think 😃
As long as you don't argue, it's all good.
Lol...Yep, that's totally legit. I'm not quite at the point of arguing with myself though...I'll let you know if I do. 😂
Hey, that's between you and yourself man!
Lol.
Lol. It's hard to put an order in our minds. What's worse is that it gets worse over time. You know, more thoughts, more work, and a lot of mental clutter.
For sure!
I try to think critically about everything. I sometimes over-think. I am good at helping others brainstorm, and my training in technical writing along with my experience in writing blog posts and making flyers helps me knit together a lot of ideas for others.
Hmm, probably critical thinking and over-thinkong come together naturally? I do the same, hence that comment. It's interesting you mention the brainstorm which I've used to great effect, some of the best ideas have come from the most ridiculous. I'm a strong advocate of getting people involved as it breeds a good team environment, and brainstorming does that.
Thanks for your comment.
It might seem paradoxical, but while I reject democracy as the political manifestation of the bandwagon and false choice fallacies, I do appreciate the value of brainstorming, collaboration, and crowdsourced information. I think this is because the former offers no way to distinguish between expertise and empty opinion.
That makes sense for sure. There's other times when brainstorming doesn't work so well, combat for instance, but it's a mighty good way to empower a team.
Hmmmm... You're asking me that, but I think I should think about it first. lol
I don't think of myself as an overthinker, because well - my wife overthinks.... to the point of anxiety.
I don't think of myself as an underthinker... I work with adults who don't seem to think much at all!
I am the Health and Safety Officer... which means I need to think for others, assess and categorise risks and come up with solutions to problems. I need to stop people from working unsafe and think about what they might think and do next or fail to do.
It is a lot of work.
So yeah, I guess I need a lot of logic but also use most of the methods of thinking. Perhaps not very abstract though.
I'm thinking that you thinking about me thinking about what you're thinking is a good Idea. It'll mean a better response. I think.
Anxiety can be a hazard of an overthinker and I'm really fortunate I don't experience that. IT's still time and energy consuming though. In my experience, WHS offices (workplace health and safety) are often always thinking, certainly on the job, and that comes with the territory. It's like being a military leader...people die if the leader isn't thinking.
Absolutely.
Right now I am also in the position of cleaning MY boss' messups... or at least his promises without thinking about what the implications are!
Some people are ill-suited to lead and it's left to others to do the real work.
My daughter soloqualizes, I mean she always talks to herself aloud most times you beside her will think she is talking to someone else she alone sees,
I have always been worried about that, I keep telling her it's wrong to talk to oneself very loud like that, but she will always defend the situation, I don't know if it's right.
Myself I think within myself and decide on how to follow issues, though I do talk to myself aloud too but not to the extent of my daughter's own level.
It's good to talk to oneself, it helps to co ordinate your activities, that shows a lively heart, and majority!
but do not allow it turned to worries which in turn becomes high blood pressure that affect people's brain or kill them.
I think some people need to verbalise their thoughts, maybe to reiterate, like hearing them makes it more real or valid. I'm not sure.
The brain is a powerful tool and can bring great awareness, or take it away, and everything in between. I guess we all need to determine how best to use it to achieve the outcomes we prefer.
You are really right, when we hear ourselves it makes our imaginations more concrete and our confidence are built stronger, thank you for this topic.
Overthinking is my life.
Like most tools, it depends on its application.
Given the wrong environ it feels like I am going mad.
Under the right conditions, simply the best feeling.
I agree with the two opposites you mention; overthinking has been my saviour at times, and, well, quite the opposite at others. Damn my overthinking brain...but also, good brain, you've served me well.
I guess I'm a bit like you, I think in all kinds of ways and my brain is always whirring. I kinda like it, though I do envy people who think more slowly and cautiously and can sleep better at night!
I don't mind either, I get a lot done, although sometimes I wonder if I think about more thangs than I really need to. (The answer is yes of course.) A hazard of being an over-thinker. I would like some better sleep at night too, it's not often something I manage.
I do try to meditate a bit. I can see my thoughts turning and whirling and resist the urge to follow, telling myself 'thinking'. It's kinda nice. It's like I can hold my thoughts at more of a distance, understand WHY I'm thinking them or why my head is fuzzy, and then find a little peace. Not sleeping sucks. I am a big fan of melatonin, mega magnesium night, and winding down before bed for this reason.
I've never been good at it, I think too much! 😀
Meditation is a good thing though, or so I'm told, and I guess I do it in my own way to some degree.
Before bed I dim the lights for a couple hours in the house, make things quiet and more conducive to sleep. It helps. Of course, sometimes I watch war movies and...well, sleep isn't easy to find then. I blame myself.
No one sleeps after a war movie 🤣 Did you watch Rogue Heroes?
I have not as yet, it's on the list though.
It's really good fun and I loved learning about the founding of the SAS as we kept googling stuff as we went.
My partner vocalizes so many of her thoughts... and I haven't figured out if she thinks way slower than I do... or if she has so many thoughts she has to sort through them all, but I do get impatient sometimes waiting for her to finish her thought/sentence. With all this... I do think about thinking quite a lot.
I understand exactly what you are sating and I think it might be a girl-thing. I find myself (in my head) saying, can you give me the short version, and I'll admit that I have said it out loud too. (It rarely goes down well.)
I guess that's one of the differences in men and women, the way we think. I find it fascinating though, and through understanding it better (from both aspects) communication gets better.
Wow! I had a hard time falling asleep last night, the ideas plagued me until after half past one in the morning. I guess, I had an attack of thoughts. The funny thing is that one believes that one dominates what one thinks, and listening to you, I understood for the umpteenth time that it is not so.
I also agree with you that one is a mixture of types of thoughts. Of course, there will be one that will predominate, although that will be determined by the situation.
I admit, I don't know why I think this way, I just accept that I am this way, and I strive to be a better thinker every day, learning something new, or simply broadening my perspective on the world.
Yeah, I hear you, sometimes the brain won't shut down of its own accord and some help is required, relaxing music or nature sounds, a few dabs of lavender oil on the temples...whatever works.
Striving to be a better thinker, as you say, will help you work towards better outcomes I suppose, that works for me too.
I am "thinkin'" that my human is more of a guy that...
This Tom Petty guy can explain it better than I can. I am just a frikkin cat on the back of a couch sofa for fuks sake..! MOL (Meow Out Loud)
And I think You will agree with what ol' Tom has to say 100%
One must allow a Tom Petty track speak for one on occasions. It is known.
A cute one though.
Highly pertinent topic! Especially in this distraction filled world both online and real life. But really don't know maybe what I did is meta cognition or meditation, hehe 😀 funny right. Because I do alot of rethinking just to get some things done.
I think the idea of meditation is when one doesn't think active thoughts and allows energy to flow through the mind, body and soul instead. (Something like that.) I guess that's the polar opposite of what metacognition is.
Rethinking isn't a bad thing. I tend to call it evaluation among other things, and it can be good to revisit one's thoughts to confirm one is on track or one requires a pivot.
Hola, ;)
I have no idea what kind of thinking I have or what kind of thinker I am, but I think (I think, therefore I am) a little crazy, absurd, maniac... and I don't think I'm a bad person. That's why what I think always has light and colors, and I try to gift it to others.
I think I know what you're thinking with your thinking and that thinking makes me think your thinking is well thought out. I think.
😂
Do I get the feeling you suffer from "intrusive thoughts", they sound scary!
There's an element of that for sure; unwelcome, involuntary and unpleasant thoughts and images for sure. I guess we all have that though right? It can't just be me. I've learned to deal with it mostly.
i have come across a few people who have had this weird phenomenon, am I missing out not experiencing it?
I don't think you're missing out to be honest. I guess though, we all have different thoughts depending on what's going on at the time so maybe thoughts like this come and go and you're fortunate enough not to have them currently.
I have voices in my head that tell me what to do! AND i argue with the fuckers too.
They should know their place in the hierarchy, but often don't.
Try telling them that!
What a great topic.
It makes me want to go off and think about thinking, but right now, I am in my no-thinking phase, so I can just make it through another day. I have about 6 more weeks of this no-thinking stage, but once in a while, thoughts do enter, then they get too deep, and I tell them so.
The problem is thoughts do not like to follow the rules and are sneaky and think while you think you are safe. Then BAM! You are in the shower, and all the thinking pours out into your head, and you are left with a brain full of thoughts that are way too good to not think about.
So I let them know that now is not the time or place and they will have to wait 6 more weeks before I can think those thoughts and give them the needed time. When they try and complain, I just explain that we are in survival mode, and only the thoughts that let us make it through another day sane are welcome.
This usually works.
For Now.
Not really holding out hope for the full 6 weeks, but we will see. One broken foot is the least of my thinking problems for now. Broken heals.
Oh, women, not all but a lot, do not think it bullet points. Why, when trying to explain thoughts to men, never go well. But if all else fails, a woman will give the bullet-point version of their thoughts to try and help a man understand. Most of the time, they don't, so after that fact, a man will hear a lot of "never mind" or "nothing" after that. :D
Have a wonderful Friday?
I'd rather think than not, there's enough brain-dead air-thieves around the world without adding to them. Besides, I tend to make it work quite well, thinking I mean, and whilst there's things I overthink, it's been that which has kept me and others safe in times of trouble. Having said that, it'd be nice to be able to switch it on and off from time to tome, something I find difficult.
Have a good weekend.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Thanks!
I am an over-thinker and can look at any given scenario I find myself in and, in a split second, have a choice of A to Z options. From how I grew up, it became ingrained to never let my guard down, even as a grown-ass adult, that never leaves you.
I was making a joke when I wrote my response to your post. It could have been taken either way by you, and I get why you said what you did, and it did make me laugh. I do thank you for that!
One of the things I learned at a very early age is to never judge a book by its cover. I still don't.
Letting one's guard down invites a hit in the face; I let mine down at times, and take hits most of those times...which is why I let it down less and less.
agree.
learned that lesson again just a few months back but it came from the internet and only hurt me so willing to live with that.
I think and think a lot and all the time. But when I need to focus on a problem, for example right now, in the last few days, I have been thinking a lot about Argentina, it is going through an unprecedented crisis, an incredible devaluation. .... affects me? Yes, I have some income from there and I have to manage it as wisely as possible, so my thinking is focused on that.... the best option, the best management, what to do and what not to do.
I am a creative thinker, but a practical one... although depending on the topic, I can be a bit abstract.
Thinking is going to depend on a lot of things, the situation, the issue, the moment in life, the difficulty, I think we are all a bit of all those types of thinkers. But I tend to be creative, practical and focused.
Now... when there are no things to focus on... I wander in my thoughts, I imagine, I visualise a lot of things. I never stop thinking... except for a single moment, when I connect deeply with the natural.
I love your reflections! And to comment on them, thank you!
I don't believe there's anything wrong with thinking a lot, although it's a problem if one can't push things aside to focus on the important things; it's about prioritising them and having the ability to compartmentalise the other things for later. I've always had the ability to do that, to see the important things and set the others aside until the right time, or just a later time. It seems you do the same.
Same as me I guess, although I have this ability to have laser focus when I need...it gives me a certain...intensity I guess, at certain times and in some situations. I don't see it as a bad thing.
Thanks for having a read, I'm glad you like this one. I wrote another about power today, I'll release that into the interwebs at some stage, maybe this weekend.
Edit: Super easy #weekend-engagement topics tomorrow. 🤣
It is often necessary to focus, I do it and it is not bad, it is necessary.
I'll be waiting for that writing!
Yes, super easy topics, the hard part is the choice hahahahaha but I can solve it.🤣
I think almost everyone overthinks. It's a curse of humanity: we think too much, usually about things we should have stopped thinking about long ago. We think about work tomorrow, we think about plans for our next vacation, we worry about the big presentation we need to give next week, then randomly we think of our crush from 4th grade and we find ourselves reenacting a half-remembered conversation with them and thinking about what we should have said.
Exactly.
Having spent over half my life meditating 20-40 minutes everyday, I've had plenty of time to watch my mind and see how it works. Buddhists in general, I think, think about thinking even more than most, altho more in a general way and not looking at any specific thoughts. Trying not to anyway.
The funny thing about thoughts is few of them have any value. We tend to dwell on things and then revisit them again and again and again and again, when there is no value in that at all. In that way we tend to think the exact same things everyday.
I read an interesting thing once in a psychology paper. It said that study after study shows that the more people think over a decision, the worse their decision becomes. In almost all cases percentage-wise a coin flip and instant choice would give a better result.
heh anyway, excuse the rambling comment musing about thinking about thinking. Interesting topic.
I also think people spend time thinking about things they should simply not even allow in their heads, like what the Kardashians are doing for instance, or Botox. There's so many things that simply don't matter but people seem to fill their heads with that stuff rather than thinking about the things that will create a better life, better relationships, financial security, or just more (genuine) happiness. The world is bonkers.
On the coin flip-decision thing...I agree. People have lost their ability to listen to their intuition, or maybe they're so bogged down with all that superfluous noise, propaganda and disinformation they are deaf and blind to their own true thoughts (and feelings.)
Nutbags.
Interesting topic I think though, one that I want to think more on...no pun intended.
I don't think that anyone nowadays can avoid overthinking. I don't know how to get rid of some pinching situations.
Unlike you, I am never able to have full focus, I have always something in my mind rolling and rolling and rolling. I am a kind of guy who never forgets because I am a king in overthinking and every night before sleep, I suffer because of those thoughts which is past but it still hurts me.
What actions are you taking to address those issues?
The only solution I have left is sleeping pills. When i get tired of those bad thoughts, I take sleeping pills, and that's all.
At day time I keep myself busy in certain things but at night time I have only one solution for those bad hurting thoughts.
Or you could work on your thoughts, attitudes and actions to help move it all forward. Dulling it sleeping pills doesn't address the root-causes.
Believe it or not, I have tried my level best to get rid of them. But that was all invain.
Now I think that, with time, I will recover from that all.
Hope for the best.
I think a lot too. I'm an overtginkwr but lately, I don't think of any other thing aside from how to make money. Things are getting expensive everyday and we gotta make money to stay away from poverty...
I'm always thinking about money, money money.
Money must be made
Yes, money.
It makes some people do some interesting things like comment-farm here on Hive for instance. Plagiaris also I guess. It rarely goes unnoticed though.
Hopefully you're taking some action and not just thinking though, that's what's often required.
I think overthinking is kind of a disease that lets you think the wrong things, that do not even exist, I am not an overthinker, But sometimes some situations force me to overthink on somethings. This is life and this is how it goes.
A disease you mean?
I'm not sure it's a disease, more a state of mind, and it can be brought on my many factors I suppose.
I have met with many people, who think beyond the limit. keep thinking about the things that never exist and they hurt themselves for those things !!!
Indeed, some people do that and some don't really think at all.
Exactly, that is why I'm relating it to some kind of disease, a mental disorder.
As I said before, the word is disease, not decease. Deceased means dead.
Oops. sorry, My bad, I didn't get it before. correcting.
It's been a while sir and how have you been? Good to see your face again on your display picture.
I call myself a strategic thinker. I am a mixture of all you mentioned and I don't overthink things. I pick what I allow to get to me. My mind plays or mules on the things that are important but I still don't overthink on them, if that makes sense. I just do all I can do as expected of me and stop stressing over the things I cannot control.
Yes a while, I thought you'd left the blockchain all together actually, I've seen so many come and go since mid-2017.
Controlling the controllable things and not getting anxious or stressed about those we cannot is a good way to go although realistically all humans will struggle with this; some to a greater degree than others, but it's common to all, despite how people choose to represent it.
Hahaha it's hard to leave the blockchain and particularly, Hive. I still pop in and out.
Absolutely true...most people struggle with this and sometimes when we think we don't stress, we still stress over things despite pushing it away. It's natural I guess and that's where learning comes.
Having the ability of metacognition will boost up the brain activity and I also think that people with metacognition will see success. As they at least have control of thinking.
This is important, being in control of one's thoughts. It's one of the only thing a human can truly control about themselves and their life.
The right thoughts + the right attitudes = the right actions and it's actions that make things happen.
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I think I'm an overthinker. There are times I try to imagine what would happen then I also think about what to do, what other choices do I have when I face that scenario. I also overthink about some details in whatever I watch, read, or hear. Must be the effect of watching too many crime/detective shows.😅 Then I go back into thinking that I shouldn't think too much because it probably won't do me any good. I think I've used the word think too much now. 😵
A certain amount of thinking is required and I believe at times we need to work a little harder, think harder or more objectively. I guess there's a line between that and overthinking, we need to know when we cross it right? Of course, there's so many things we should move on from out thoughts and not waste time with.
I think you didn't use the word think too much in a comment about thinking that required you to think your comment through. Lol.
That's what I should still learn--knowing whether I'm thinking critically or I'm already overthinking. It can become stressful at times when I think too much and more so when I know that I AM thinking too hard. I guess I should practice yoga or some form of meditation to relax my brain when thinking seems to much. 😅
It's sometimes difficult to see and that's why I use detachment, find a little gap away from those thoughts, to gain some perspective.
This is a good comment, I will definitely write about it