Overthinking
kalikanzera Just posted something mentioning overthinking, and, well, it made me think.

I've never understood what "overthinking" is. I've been accused of doing it, though. "Just say what comes into your mind," people tell me. Or "Just do what you feel." Neither of these is very helpful to me. In Myers-Briggs terms, I'm a really strong thinker. Feelings often come only after I think about something and figure out how I feel about it. I know this can be hugely confusing to feelers who tend to have feelings first and then think about them. There isn't anything that "just comes into my mind." I don't feel like I'm a pot overflowing with stuff that I have dammed up all the time. It's not a matter of just removing the dam and letting things spill out. Things have to be picked up and looked at and analyzed before they come out in any way. There's not much to come out unless I think about it.

So back to overthinking. Does overthinking mean thinking instead of feeling? That doesn't seem right to me; thinking and feeling are both good and important, and I don't know why feeling would necessarily be better than thinking. Does overthinking mean analyzing things? I can't figure out what's wrong with analysis; I like it and it helps me understand myself and others and the world. Does overthinking mean obsessing about something to a degree that makes you unhappy with your life and unable to make decisions? I can see why that would be a bad thing. But why is that overthinking? Isn't that obsessing? Is there a difference?

I have the feeling that the people who accuse me of overthinking will look at this post and say, see, you're overthinking now! Because, after all, I'm trying to figure something out that seems obvious to a lot of people. But it's not obvious to me, and how else can I figure it out?

Edit: resolute tells me overthinking is a term used mainly by Myers Briggs feelers.