Man's Greatest Foe: Overthinking

By Nicole Clairmont

Man's Greatest Foe: Overthinking, focuses on the multiple aspects that surround overthinking and anxiety. This book will be in chronological order, firstly introducing the reader to overthinking – what it is and why it happens. Secondly, educating the reader on when overthinking becomes concerning and how you can identify between "good overthinking" and "negative overthinking" – make the reader understand that not all overthinking is bad. The book will allow readers to comprehend their situation much better and become aware of how overthinking can negatively impact their lives on every level – physically, emotionally, and mentally.

 

It will also include proven practical methods to help with overthinking and anxiety, allowing the reader to have control of their thoughts and feelings and preventing them from feeling helpless about their overthinking situation. The objective of the book is to give the reader power over their negative emotions and enable them to live a more positive and healthy lifestyle that promotes peace and growth

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole Clairmont
• Release date: Oct 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215363461

Book preview

Table of contents

Introduction:

●  A brief description of overthinking using different scenarios

●  Relating with the reader by narrating personal experiences

●  Explaining when overthinking is deprecating

●  Highlighting important features of the book and how they will prove helpful

Part 1: An Introduction to Overthinking

Chapter 1: A Detailed Introduction to Overthinking

●  What exactly is overthinking? Do you have a habit of overthinking?

●  Explaining different negative thinking patterns and how commonly it is experienced

●  When should you reach out? When does overthinking become a problem that requires immediate attention?

Chapter 2: Causes of Overthinking

●  Are you constantly in an environment that gives you stress and anxiety? Is the uncertainty of it all causing you distress?

●  Understanding the role of past trauma as a prime cause of overthinking

●  Explaining how perfectionism and struggle for control lead to overthinking

●  How can low self-esteem result in rumination?

Chapter 3: Harmful Effects of Overthinking

●  Chain reactions as a result of overthinking lead to more extreme negative thinking

●  Have trouble falling asleep? Unable to push the off button for all the worrying thoughts?

●  Immersing yourself in complete isolation, to the point where you experience a loss of appetite

●  Are you experiencing headaches often? Body aches as well as stomach problems?

●  How is overthinking wreaking havoc in your body?

Part 2: Strategies to Overcome Overthinking

Chapter 4: A Beginner's Guide to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

●  What is CBT? And how is it helpful?

●  Techniques and tools to practice cognitive behavior therapy

●  Simple and effective exercises to tackle overthinking

Chapter 5: Become the Parent you Needed Growing Up

●  Giving your thoughts a voice and responding to them, correctly

●  Allowing yourself to respond to your inner monologue with compassion and love

Chapter 6: Exercising the Mind and Body

●  Understanding how and why physical exertion will help with anxiety

●  How you can maintain a state of well-being and become aware of you think, act, and feel

Chapter 7: Child's play – use of Games and Toys

●  Using games and toys to make it less noisy up there

●  Why video games prove beneficial in improving mental health

●  Use fidget toys as stress relievers and help calm your nerves

Chapter 8: Setting Goals on How to Feel for The Day

●  Giving yourself an outcome of feeling only for the day

●  Why you should give your mind a direction to think along instead of letting it think of ALL possibilities

●  Do's and don'ts of goal setting

Chapter 9: Entertaining Yourself

●  Use tunes to pull yourself out of anxious states and depressive episodes

●  Watching movies to distract your brain and prevent it from excessively worrying

Chapter 10: The Five Second Rule

●  Introduction to the concept of The Five Second Rule

●  How you can implement it and why you should

●  How this rule is going to change your life

Chapter 11: Cosmic Insignificance and Learning to Let Go

●  Understanding what cosmic insignificance is

●  Accepting that there are larger things at play and adopting a different perspective

●  Learning the art of letting go

Summary

Introduction

You're standing in front of your mirror, all dressed to meet your friends, donning the outfit you took weeks to prepare. You feel content with how you look; all that time spent obsessing over the tiniest details was worth it. However, just as you begin to feel somewhat confident with your outfit, a chill runs down your back.

I look hideous.

Why would they even want to be friends with me if I look like this?

I will spend my life as a complete loner.

I've repeatedly caught myself in this type of internal monologue, where you make negative and catastrophically wrong predictions about the future. Taking the scenario at hand, it seems inexplicable to jump to the conclusion that one's friends could stop being friends for the mere reason that they didn't look good.

It's nighttime, you're lying in bed, you feel drowsy and are waiting for sleep to take you to dreamland. Just as when you're about to doze off; something trivial comes to mind and you twist and turn uncomfortably in bed.

I made everything so awkward today.

I should stop talking in gatherings. I only embarrass myself. I bet I made them so uncomfortable.

I should've stayed home.

I've often found myself in this harmful cycle of ruminating, rehashing memories from the past that I have no control over, and it does me absolutely no good to think about such things. If you can relate to either of the two scenarios I've presented to you, and find it difficult to pull yourself out of the internal monologue of unwanted thoughts, then you too overthink to the point where it is unhealthy. 

Don't get me wrong, everyone overthinks, the act of thinking too much about something or spending too much time analyzing something is familiar territory for everyone; however, if the thinking is hindering your ability to function, then it is definitely time to get concerned about your overthinking. If you constantly find yourself losing sleep because you're excessively thinking about the past or experiencing a loss of appetite because your mind is occupied contemplating decisions that have already been made – or even facing difficulty going through with plans because you've already made harsh predictions about what will enfold; then you are on the unhealthy spectrum of overthinking. It is imperative to know when your thinking patterns are becoming dangerous and something that you need to put an end to.

The inability to maneuver through the traffic of one's thoughts can be exhausting and overwhelming. Metaphorically speaking overthinking is quickly growing tentacles and rendering people unable to function properly; I don't know about you, but that does sound terrifying.

But fear not, this book will serve as your greatest weapon, and you can use it to fend off the evils of overthinking with it. This book will allow you to first understand what overthinking is; after all, you can't defeat something without knowing what it is. You will get acquainted with overthinking, why it is bothering you in the first place, and when it can become a problem for you. As horrible as I may have made overthinking seem, it isn't all bad. Overthinking is quite normal and everyone overthinks and worries about things that they at times cannot change; however, this book will discuss in detail when overthinking is harmful and how it can harm your mental and physical health to a great extent.

You will come across many creative and engaging strategies to cope with overthinking and learn to prevent yourself from constantly rehashing the past or worrying about the future. I believe that if there are two methods of doing something, people gravitate towards the more fun one; hence, I've included many exercises that will not only help with your whirr of negative thoughts but are also easy and relaxing – you will definitely find yourself repeating them.

Anxiety-ridden individuals can benefit from this book; it will teach them techniques to deal with their habit of overthinking and stop making problems for themselves that aren't there. This book is meant to give people the right tools to correct themselves when they're struggling with overthinking and anxiety. It will provide them with credible data and practical methods to break free from the shackles of worrying and stress, to the point where they can't even function properly.

One thing this book won't do is alienate and victimize; this book isn't going to feed you the idea that it is ultimately your fault for succumbing to overthinking and not choosing to let go of things. While it will lay out the groundwork on how to overcome the habit of overthinking, it definitely will not make you feel unsafe or place you under scrutiny. Instead, this book is filled with coping strategies on how to improve anxiety and overthinking.

When suffering from overthinking, you assume that you're the only one going through this; while you face difficulties making your mind up about other things, this you are certain of. However, that is not at all the case, you are not alone in this battle; according to the World Economic Forum, around 4% of the population struggled with anxiety disorders in 2019. Overthinking has become a habit that numerous people are struggling with. However, at times, they ironically overthink that they are the only ones facing such difficulties and tend to feel helpless – for such people, this book will prove to be of great help. It will prove to be a guide to help you on the path to beating this metaphorical beast, taking control of your thoughts, and learning to let go; so, let's begin!

Chapter 1: A Detailed Introduction to Overthinking

Overthinking: the art of creating new problems out of ones that never existed in the first place.

You can probably find countless quotes about overthinking, but out of the many, I've warmed up to this one in particular. It encapsulates the meaning of overthinking as well as its potential to be harmful. Overthinking is when you feel paralyzed by worry and anxiety, whether it is