We can change our automatic thoughts
Overthinking — ruminating, analyzing, worrying — immediately produces stress chemistry, lowering our mood, and increasing our irritability. Adrenaline (a stress chemical) is as good as a strong cup of coffee for getting us up and running. In fact, it produces a false sense of activity, making us feel like we’re actually engaged in something active, vital, and productive. Stressing ourselves out by thinking is one way of preventing feelings of emptiness, pain, and boredom.
Of course, our thoughts don’t need to be negative in nature. There’s nothing stopping us from using our brains to engage in truly productive activities like problem-solving, reflection, and creative output. In fact, we should use our brains for those sorts of things. The trouble is that our brains are lazy, and unless we have to solve problems or produce products, they’re quite likely to grab the easiest thoughts to reach for, the ones we normally think, the ones we thought at this time yesterday, the ones that are preprogrammed into our DNA — the negative ones. Unfortunately for us, asking our brain to consistently choose life-affirming positive thoughts goes against our nature.
If we listen in to the narrator in our head, we’ll usually discover a huge array of stress-inducing content. “So much to do… there’s no way I’m going to get there on time tonight.” “I’d better send the application in. I hope I didn’t miss the deadline….” “Dinner, what am I going to make for dinner?” “Pesach is coming soon; I’d better start planning….” “Oh, no! I forgot to call the bookstore!” and on and on for all the hours of the day.
The endless stream of tense tidbits tightens our muscles and etches lines on our foreheads. We feel irritated, exhausted, and stressed out.
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