SOLEPATH FOR REAL LIFE
Why do I
overthink everything?
When your mind won’t stop turning things over.
Perhaps you replay a conversation long after it’s ended. You wonder whether you said the right thing, made the right decision or missed something important.
Sometimes thinking things through is helpful. But sometimes it leaves you exhausted, uncertain or unable to move forward.
Before trying to stop yourself from overthinking, perhaps it’s worth understanding what matters so much to you that your mind keeps returning to it.
A MOMENT FOR YOURSELF
Six Questions Worth
Asking Yourself
There are no right or wrong answers.
Take your time. You may recognise yourself in more than one question, or find that different situations bring different answers.
The purpose isn’t to stop thinking. It’s to notice what your thinking might be trying to tell you.
When I keep thinking about something, am I trying to work out what to do next?
Perhaps you want to move forward, but keep turning over the choices before you. Think about a decision that has stayed on your mind.
Something to notice: What would help you take one small step, even without knowing exactly how everything will turn out?
Am I worrying about how something I’ve said or done might affect someone else?
You may replay a conversation because someone’s feelings or wellbeing matter to you. Caring is valuable, even when worry makes it tiring.
Something to notice: Is there something kind and useful you can do — or have you already done enough?
Am I trying to work out what the right thing to do would be?
Perhaps you return to a situation because it doesn’t sit comfortably with you. Your wish to act with integrity may be part of what keeps it alive in your thoughts.
Something to notice: What matters most to you here, and what would acting in keeping with that look like?
Do I keep returning to something because I don’t fully understand it?
You may revisit details, ask questions or search for an explanation. Wanting clarity can be a strength, even when there isn’t enough information to settle everything.
Something to notice: What do you know, and what might you have to leave unanswered for now?
Am I thinking through all the different things that might happen?
Perhaps you can see several possibilities at once. That imagination can help you prepare, but it can also make every possibility feel equally urgent.
Something to notice: Which possibility needs your attention now, rather than every possibility at once?
Am I looking for a deeper meaning or truth in what’s happened?
Some experiences stay with us because we want to understand what they really mean. You may need time to reflect before something feels settled.
Something to notice: Can you allow meaning to become clearer with time, without asking yourself to find every answer today?
NOTICE THE PATTERNS
What might your thoughts reveal about you?
You may have noticed that your thoughts often return to something you care about: taking action, the wellbeing of others, doing what’s right, understanding clearly, considering possibilities or finding deeper meaning.
The reasons we overthink aren’t always the same.
A quality that serves you well in one situation can become exhausting in another. You don’t have to reject that quality to find a gentler way to use it.
Recognition comes first. From there, you can begin to notice when thinking helps you — and when it’s time to give yourself some space.
KNOW YOUR SOLEPATH
There are two ways to
know your SolePath.
CHARACTER
SolePath Discovery
Explore the character you’ve developed through your experiences, relationships and choices.
TEMPERAMENT
SolePath Measuring
Explore the temperament beneath your learned patterns: your natural ways of responding.
They reveal different things about you, and your character braid and temperament braid are often different.
Know Your SolePathALREADY KNOW YOUR SOLEPATH?
Take the questions further.
Bring overthinking into your SolePath Companion
Bring a real situation, a question or a pattern you’ve noticed. Companion can help you explore it in the context of your own SolePath.
Why do I keep replaying a conversation after it’s over?
How might my Joyful Path influence the way I think things through?
When might my DarkPath make uncertainty harder for me?
How can my Progression Path help me move forward when I feel stuck in thought?
You don’t need to follow a programme.