Hi, my name is Pranav. I am a Creator and a serial overthinker.
I am usually pretty decisive in some areas of my life.
But when it comes to my work, ‘overthinking’ is my middle name.
There are phases that can last from a few hours to a few days, where the only thing that I do is overthink, and ruminate my thoughts. I call them ‘overthinking ruts’.
Overthinking ruts are extremely unpleasant. When I get into an overthinking rut, I find myself increasingly getting anxious and worried.
Love thy work
I love my work. It is sacred to me. I want to change the world. So it is quite sad that something that I love is tainted by overthinking – a tendency that refuses to go away.
In order to help myself, I felt the need to make something, that will help me when I get stuck in an overthinking rut.
How could I be kinder to myself in this rut?
How could I get out of it?
How could I gently let go of all the worry?
And voila… finally, a solution came to me – a letter to myself.
This thought came to me when I was at a Zen Meditation center. This center is on a mountain-top. My mind was as calm as it could be. Nature and meditation do that to you. Perhaps, the stillness that I experienced while writing this letter, is the reason this letter has been such a kind friend to me.
The idea was simple.
I wanted to be a guide for myself when times are low.
A letter for future Pranav, that is stuck.
Since then, I have made it a point to re-read this when I get anxious.
And damn… does this thing work!
Not to brag (although my ego is quite feeble and always loves appreciation), but this piece of writing has truly helped me during turbulent times.
I realized that there are many others like me, who over-think about work, to the point where it makes them unhappy, restless, and stressed out.
And hence, after a few edits, I decided to make this letter public.
Who is this letter for?
There is no one type of person who would benefit from this. This is a letter for all the ‘Creators’ out there. These are the people who are not satisfied with the status quo and want to pursue something more meaningful through their work.
A Creator is not a painter (although a painter could be a Creator). An architect on a good day can be a Creator and so can a blogger. I personally know an accountant, whom I can call a Creator.
Creators are brave and noble. They make this world a better place. However, being a Creator ain’t no walk in the park. This decision comes with a cost. Being a Creator can be lonely. It can be demanding. Self-doubts come all the time.
This is for all the Creators like me, who get stuck in a rut and want a way to get out of it.
Do techniques work?
There are many techniques and resources out there, that help people get better with their overanalyzing problems. Some of them are quite effective as well. However, the problem with them is that they don’t address the root causes. These techniques don’t quite acknowledge the fact that overthinking is based on deep conditioning.
We don’t overthink because we like to.
We overthink because we are afraid.
Overthinking is based on intense fear.
This is not another step-wise guide on defeating overthinking. In fact, anyone who claims that he has a stepwise guide on this subject is lying. There will never be a stepwise guide. There just can’t be. When we think about overthinking, we are dealing with fear. Fear has no specific algorithm. We are not talking about a problem, that can be solved with step-wise solutions.
Overthinking can be dealt with, only when the underlying fear is addressed.
I want you to think of these letters as friends, that are coming to help you to ease your fear. There are no steps. I simply want to remind you what you already know.
As I wanted to write this letter to myself, it is written in the first person. It may get weird at a few places, because well, I am talking to myself. You have been warned.
Anyway, you can access the letter here. 🙂
P.S. – Do write to me if it helps you. Your email will make me smile.