As I've mentioned time and time again, anxiety can do some ugly things to your thoughts. But it's not always the ugly things that can affect someone with anxiety disorder. Simply thinking about too many things, all the time can be a struggle to live with. These thoughts can just be thoughts, not worries or anything that a "normal" person would label as "anxious."
That's the thing about anxiety. People don't always realize that it's not that you're feeling anxious all the time. Sometimes there are just thoughts in your head that spiral out of control. Heck, the overwhelming number of thoughts going through our heads can be enough to make a person anxious. But what we fail to understand is how this overthinking and general anxiety hurt other parts of our health. I've heard others (and probably argued this myself) say that "It's only in my head. It's not hurting the other parts of me." Maybe not directly, but the problems that come along with anxiety can be dangerous to our health.
For one thing, overthinking can make you stressed. Stress and anxiety kind of go hand in hand. But stress can affect our sleep, eating habits, and overall physical health. And when you're not in peak physical condition, you have a much smaller chance of being able to effectively deal with mental illness.
Those who know me could tell you the most common reason I can't sleep is because "my brain woke up." I'm sure other people with anxiety issues can relate. One moment you're in a peaceful, deep slumber. Then the next, you wake up and start thinking. You may not even realize you're thinking. And it may not even be something that makes you anxious. Your brain just turns itself on and thoughts get out of control. It can be frustrating - and there's another element of your health affected by overthinking: emotional health.
It's easy to say people with mental health issues also have problems with emotional health. But it's not that simple. It's not like we don't feel happy or angry or sad or any of the other emotions a "normal" person experiences. The problem is that our emotions can get thrown off easily. Queue the overthinking.
I hate to throw some math out there, but let's try this equation:
Anxiety + overthinking + lack of sleep = unstable emotions
Get it? Even a person without a mental illness has probably experienced this problem. So what's the solution? As with all things mental health related, I'm sorry, but it's not easy. I cannot stress enough the power of guided meditation. The ability to control your thoughts is so valuable. It's really a skill everyone should learn. A hint if you're trying to get back to sleep: I've heard focusing on one thing and trying to get all the details right helps. Like picturing your childhood home. For me personally, I like to replay episodes of TV shows in my mind or recall a recipe I've recently made. It's mostly a matter of getting your mind to focus on one thing.
Do you have any suggestions on how to control overthinking? What works for one doesn't work for all. Only by working together to understand and treat mental illness can we overcome these barriers.
Those who know me could tell you the most common reason I can't sleep is because "my brain woke up." I'm sure other people with anxiety issues can relate. One moment you're in a peaceful, deep slumber. Then the next, you wake up and start thinking. You may not even realize you're thinking. And it may not even be something that makes you anxious. Your brain just turns itself on and thoughts get out of control. It can be frustrating - and there's another element of your health affected by overthinking: emotional health.
It's easy to say people with mental health issues also have problems with emotional health. But it's not that simple. It's not like we don't feel happy or angry or sad or any of the other emotions a "normal" person experiences. The problem is that our emotions can get thrown off easily. Queue the overthinking.
I hate to throw some math out there, but let's try this equation:
Anxiety + overthinking + lack of sleep = unstable emotions
Get it? Even a person without a mental illness has probably experienced this problem. So what's the solution? As with all things mental health related, I'm sorry, but it's not easy. I cannot stress enough the power of guided meditation. The ability to control your thoughts is so valuable. It's really a skill everyone should learn. A hint if you're trying to get back to sleep: I've heard focusing on one thing and trying to get all the details right helps. Like picturing your childhood home. For me personally, I like to replay episodes of TV shows in my mind or recall a recipe I've recently made. It's mostly a matter of getting your mind to focus on one thing.
Do you have any suggestions on how to control overthinking? What works for one doesn't work for all. Only by working together to understand and treat mental illness can we overcome these barriers.
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