When Overthinking Gets in the Way of Starting
When I first launched my website at the end of August, I wanted to start a blog. Do you know what has been my biggest hurdle for creating one? Starting. I have gathered ideas, written outlines, thought about what could be relatable, useful, easy to read, etc. and then today I realized… I was making the start so much harder than needed due to overthinking.
There are many reasons why overthinking shows up in our lives. Sometimes, it is not inherently a bad thing. Take this blog post, for example. I care about what I’m posting and want it to be helpful for those reading it. However, thinking through every possibility and every reader’s needs can leave me overwhelmed before I even begin.
The bottom line is we may not reach a point where every question feels answered, especially as chronic overthinkers… we can always think up more! A more meaningful question might be: What would be enough for this next step, rather than for the entire outcome?
You don’t have to have the whole thing figured out to take the next step. For me, today, that means finishing this post and letting that be enough.
If you’d like to explore support for anxiety and overthinking, you can learn more about my approach.