Who doesn't like to make a well-informed decision? Since the internet invaded our lives, we have most of the information we need available on our phones and laptops. This has its own pros and cons. Because of all the information at our disposal, we are more prone to ruminate (or reminisce) and overthink more than our ancestors used to do. Reminiscing and overthinking are two different mental processes that often get confused with each other because both involve thinking about past events, but they differ significantly in their purpose, focus, and impact on our mental health.
While reminiscing, we recall and reflect on past experiences or relationships. We try to analyze them and gain some perspective from our past experiences. Often, this is a healthy and normal process that helps us to make sense of our behavior and lives, gain some perspective, and derive meaning from our past experiences. Reminiscing if done occasionally, is typically a positive and nostalgic experience that can bring us joy, comfort, and a sense of connection to our past. It can be triggered by various stimuli, such as a song, a smell, a photo, a letter, a thing (souvenir), or a conversation. It can lead to positive emotions such as happiness, gratitude, and contentment. At the same time, if we ruminate only about negative experiences like trauma or tragedy, it can also increase our anxiety and deteriorate our mental health. Depending on what is the trigger, reminiscing can be an extremely rewarding or frustrating experience.
On the other hand, overthinking refers to the tendency to obsessively ruminate on past events or worry excessively about the future. It is a negative and counterproductive process that can lead to anxiety, stress, and even depression. Overthinking rarely involves any positive thoughts, it often involves dwelling on negative thoughts or feelings, such as deep regrets, mistakes, fears, loss, or uncertainties. It can lead to a cycle of self-doubt, second guesses about decisions already made, and can lead to a cycle of self-doubt and self-criticism. It can also be triggered by various factors such as a traumatic event, difficult decisions, buyer's remorse, or any other challenging situation. It can result in negative emotions such as sadness, guilt, self-doubt, and shame.
So, how to differentiate between them. Overthinking and reminiscing both involve ruminating about past events. One way to differentiate between them is to look at their purpose and focus. While reminiscing is focused on gaining insights, wisdom, and positive emotions from our past experiences; overthinking is focused on avoiding or fixing negative outcomes and is often driven by fear of failure, rejection, or loss. Reminiscing helps us to appreciate the good things that have happened in our lives and learn from the challenges we face. In contrast, overthinking leads to a cycle of worry and self-doubt that can be hard to break. Another way to differentiate them is to look at their impact on our mental health. Reminiscing is generally a positive and beneficial process that can improve mood, boost our self-esteem, make us feel good and nostalgic about the past, and enhance our social and personal connections. It can also help us to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression by providing us a sense of continuity and stability in our lives. In contrast, overthinking is generally a negative and harmful process that can worsen our mood, lower our self-esteem, increase self-doubt, and damage our relationships. It can also lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, and fatigue. Reminiscing is focused on appreciation and learning, whereas overthinking is focused on avoidance and fixing. These are two distinct mental processes that we confuse, but it is important to differentiate them as they differ in their purpose, focus, and impact on our mental health.
Can we avoid overthinking and just stick to the positive aspects of reminiscing? No, it is not possible, otherwise, our brain would have adapted to do that to avoid self-harm. All we can do is understand the difference between them and try to cultivate a healthier and more balanced relationship with both processes. It will help us to improve our focus on our past by learning to focus on the positive and let go of the negative. It's not easy as we often fall into the trap of overthinking, and as I already mentioned, we are more prone now as we have so much information fed to us. Nowadays, even the simple process of booking an airline ticket or a hotel reservation can be mind-boggling. Try to reminisce about good memories of the past and avoid falling into the trap of overthinking. All the very best.
Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic.
©Vinay Thakur, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com
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