What does overthinking do to your body? Overthinking massively affects your body. Starting from your brain, and creeping down to your heart, digestive system, immune system, and skin. It engulfs every vital organ of your body.
Do you keep thinking about the ‘latent’ meanings of what people said to you? Are you repeatedly thinking about your embarrassing moments? Do you have long sleepless nights and your brain just won’t take a break at all? Do you keep playing ‘what if/only if’ scenarios in your mind? Quite sadly, my friend, you are a victim of overthinking. It just does not affect you mentally, but also physically. What does overthinking do to your body? That is exactly what we are going to talk about. Hang in there!
Is Overthinking bad for you?
What is overthinking?
Overthinking literally means to ‘over’ think. It is when you persistently think and worry about the same things. As an overthinker, you will lose the power of taking prompt actions or making valuable decisions. This will bring about drastic effects on your personal, professional, and public life.Â
What does overthinking do to your body?
1. Overthinking and your brain
It is the first and foremost victim of your overthinking. As a person overthinks, cortisol, a stress hormone, releases that kill cells in a part of the brain called the Hippocampus.
According to research conducted at the University of California, chronic overthinking has a tremendous impact on brain functions. As the brain cells die off, the brain structure and connectivity get affected. This leads to mood swings and brain disorders.
2. Overthinking and your digestive system
Have you ever noticed that before any much-anticipated event like a job interview or an exam, your stomach gets upset?
It is because overthinking results in stress, which directly affects your digestive system.
It causes:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Changes in intestinal microbiota.
- Increased gastric secretions lead to acidity.
- Changes in gastrointestinal motility.
3. Overthinking and your skin
Skin, the largest organ of your body, shows visible aftereffects of overthinking in the form of pimples and acne. This is an anti-inflammatory response of your body to overthinking.
Many skin disorders get worsened by worrying and overthinking. These include:
- Alopecia areata
- Atopic dermatitis
- Pruritus
- Psoriasis
- Seborrheic dermatitis
4. Overthinking and your immune system
It suppresses your immunity through the release of cortisol, which negatively affects the immune system’s strength. As a result of which you get more at the stake of falling ill, that too for a long period.
Wedding blues, exam blues, and cold feet all are terms that are very much related to overthinking and simultaneously getting sick.
5. Overthinking and cancer
As your body’s immunity gets low, the cells start malfunctioning and become an easy target for foreign and alien substances. Your chances of getting cancer increase.
Overthinking is carcinogenic. Let it sink!!
6. Overthinking and your heart health
If you have a favorite pastime of persistently pondering over one point or another. Then you are at risk of getting cardiac issues like:
- Palpitations
- Chest pains
- Light-headedness
- Hypertension
7. Overthinking can make your body bulky
It acts either as an appetite suppressor or an appetite enhancer. In most cases, it is the latter.
It results in ‘binge eating’. The comfort food of choice as a rule of thumb is never healthy. It is full of high fat and sugar content.
According to research conducted at Harvard University, cortisol plays a key part over here as well. It is one of the culprits that make you overeat.
All that ‘worry eating’ leads to drastic weight gain. Mostly the overthinking bug hits you at midnight. That is the time when you are sedentary. Meanwhile, you eat high-caloric food and just lie around.
8. Overthinking can deplete you of body energy
It drains you of energy. As overthinking needs a lot of mental energy. So, it fatigues you and you are not able to carry your normal life functions easily. Eventually, it makes you less productive.
Furthermore, your body will feel as if you have run a marathon. Although, it was your ‘running thoughts’ that won a 1000-meter race.
How ‘not’ to overthink?
1. Run an overthinking test on yourself
First and foremost, check out whether you are overthinking or not. You can run a test on yourself. Are you constantly playing with the thoughts of last week when you ruined the cake that you took for a party? It means you are overthinking!
2. Get a physical outlet
Secondly, distract yourself by:
- Doing mindful breathing exercises like deep belly or diaphragmatic breathing.
- Exercising or going out for a run, stroll, or jog.
- Doing yoga.
3. Vent it all out
Thirdly, share everything that is bugging you and causing you to overthink with a close family member or friend. Lower your guards. Pour it all out. As a result, you will get solace, comforting words, fresh perspective, and a big bear hug.
4. Revive the lost tradition of daily diary keeping
Fourthly, make it a ritual to write everything down in a diary before going to bed. Remember the lost tradition of daily diary keeping? It has always played a vital role in keeping people’s sanity intact by sending the brain signals to get out of ‘overthinking mode’. In the meantime, it also enhanced their problem-solving skills.
5. Try to be optimistic
Lastly, breathe in positive thoughts. Breathe out overthinking. Take it easy. Do not overstress yourself on trivial issues. Live life to the fullest and try to savor each and every moment.
Takeaway
Overthinking has a number of harmful impacts on your body. Your skin, heart, immunity, and digestive system get affected by it. So, next time you overthink, then do remember the potential consequences.
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The reins of the overthinking horse are in your hands. If you find yourself thinking about the same stuff again and again. Then you have to share it with a close friend or a family member, write it in a diary, and air it off through physical activity or mindful breathing exercises.
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If the problem persists, then seek professional help.
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