There is a balance between critical assessment and the dangers of over-analysis in the complex fabric of decision-making, and the fine line between these two worlds can sometimes become blurry, causing people to fall into a cycle of constant and hesitant analysis.
It is a crucial skill to maintain mental and psychological healthDecision making wise; Know the warning signs of over-analysis and teach how to stop this destructive cycle.
Psychiatry specialist Dr. Wael Al-Momani says: Over-analysis refers to over-thinking about details and over-analyzing things, and it can cause psychological problems. This appears in constant stress, excessive anxiety, and loss of control over thoughts.
Symptoms and causes
Over-analysis can be stopped by developing self-awareness and accepting sometimes imperfection, according to Al-Moumni, who adds that over-analysis can be defined as excessive thinking about daily details, and may result from anxiety disorders or Stress Or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
He continues: Symptoms of over-analysis can appear in avoidance of making decisions and constant doubt, and its effects include excessive involvement in negative thinking, which negatively affects mental health.
Among the possible causes of over-analysis are life pressures and fear of making decisions, which is manifested in excessive involvement in the details of matters and repetitive thinking even about simple matters.
To overcome this problem, it is useful to focus on mental training such as meditation and accepting imperfection. You can seek support from friends or seek help from mental health professionals, as managing stress and reducing excessive thinking about details contributes to improving mental health.
Overthinking
For his part, family and social consultant Mufid Sarhan says: The basic principle is that a person should think about every action he wants to do and study it from all aspects, especially if he wants to make important decisions. But some people overthink, analyze, ask questions, and raise issues, details, and fears that are greatly exaggerated.
He continues: Such people often have a high degree of personal sensitivity, and search for ideal decisions. This may be due to the nature of the personality, or to the experiences of previous decisions that had a significant negative impact on his life.
One of the biggest mistakes is for a person to spend his time thinking about simple things that are not of value or importance, according to Sarhan, or to spend most of his time thinking about previous matters that are not useful to think about all the time, and this even causes anxiety and perhaps fear of making decisions.
Amplification turns into behavior
Counselor Sarhan believes that exaggeration, exaggeration, or exaggeration is an approved method and pattern of thinking among some people, and whether intentional or unintentional, the negative impact occurs not only on the person making the decision but on others as well.
He explains that exaggeration leads to distancing the matter from its reality and dealing with something different from what is on the ground, and perhaps this new matter is not related to the main issue except in terms of its name. For some, this may turn into a style and behavior that dominates all their actions and in all circumstances.
The reasons that lead people to exaggerate matters and be unable to make a correct diagnosis include lack of experience, lack of information, or inability to deal with it, according to Sarhan.
He points out that exaggerating things causes many problems for a person, including increased thinking and lack of concentration, and also leads to poor production and achievement at work. The negative effects do not depend on the person himself, but rather on the family, work colleagues, and friends, as a person’s behavior affects others.
Overcome over-analysis
To overcome continuous or excessive analysis, the Bevo Sensit website published several steps that contribute to stopping this negative behavior, including:
- Realizing that the time you finish analyzing is the first step towards changing this trend; Monitor your thoughts and behaviors closely, especially if you find yourself falling into a cycle of overly analytical thinking, and learn to recognize the signs and situations that cause overthinking. Self-awareness is essential to begin the transformation.
- Choose the knowledge that is truly necessary to understand a situation or make a decision, Then focus on that only, and stay away from collecting a lot of information that may not have a significant impact on your choice or understanding, with the aim of achieving a balance between maintaining awareness and staying away from excess information.
- Give your analysis specific time in advance, When considering an issue or arriving at an option, give yourself a certain period of time. This time limit prevents you from constantly thinking and pushes you to be more productive. After the allotted time expires, make a decision and stick to it.
- Intentionally redirect your attention to something else, If you find yourself overanalyzing, follow an exercise regimen, focus on deep breathing techniques, or just spend quality time with yourself, these activities may give you a mental break and temporarily refocus your attention elsewhere.
