Is It Bad to Think Too Much?

Do I think too much? Have you ever asked yourself this question? If you’re nodding, then you’re right, you think too much. But don’t worry, I do, too. In fact, almost all of us do. However, the issue we’re going to try to solve today is: Is it good to think too much?

Oftentimes, thinking something over and over leads us to melancholy. It leads to obsessions, phobias, depressions and ultimately to feelings and passions that can sometimes keep us from doing everything we want to do. Imagine that our question is a seed. This question could grow and become much much bigger, sprouting more and more branches, creating a loop that will only break when we stop thinking about it. It’s exhausting for the mind and may even provoke headaches or migraines.

Besides exhausting us, thinking too much also has other inconveniences. Have you ever stopped yourself from doing something because you spent too much time thinking about it? Have you ever thought about what you would have said to someone if you had had the time to think about it? Trains pass, and you can end up missing them.

As we all know, trains always pass once more if we simply remain at the same station, but we can’t just always keep making the same mistake. If you have not done something due to the doubts that invaded you and took over your mind, it’s very likely that you will do the same thing next time around. And opportunities don’t have a set schedule like a train station does. We don’t know when the next opportunity will arrive.

Every poison has an antidote. Voltaire said: “A collection of thoughts must be a pharmacy where the remedy to all ailments can be found.” As you know, antidotes are made from venom. Although, if we don’t use the correct dose and go overboard, we won’t get better. In fact, the complete opposite will happen.

If we want to avoid it, we can. For example, we can start doing other things, distancing ourselves from the thought that’s haunting us: practice sports, listen to music, go to the movies…

Lastly, I offer you a wonderful method: meditation. Meditating, contrary to what the Western world tends to think, doesn’t imply sitting down and thinking and thinking. Quite the contrary, meditation implies not thinking about anything, letting your mind go blank, like a blank sheet of paper. Let yourself be guided by your thoughts, but don’t let them control you.