The Prison of Overthinking
“You can’t break out of a prison made of thought with more thinking.” I heard Krishna Das say that during an episode of You Made It Weird (Pete Holme’s podcast), and I had to jot it down because it resonated so much for me.
We live in a culture that worships analysis in the interest of productivity. Got a problem? Think harder. Still stuck? Think some more. Can’t decide? Make a pros and cons list. We treat the mind like a Swiss Army knife with the right mental tool for every situation.
But what happens when the mind gets in its own way? When overthinking becomes the cage, not the key?
I’ve spent countless hours trapped in thought loops, convinced that if I just analyzed the situation from one more angle, clarity would emerge. Instead, I found myself deeper in the maze of my own making. Each new thought added another wall, another corner to get lost in. I end up looking back and wondering how I got months past the initial problem coming to my attention without taking any action.
The prison of overthinking is particularly insidious because it feels productive. You’re not being lazy, you’re being thorough! You’re not avoiding action, you’re preparing for it! Except preparation becomes procrastination, and analysis becomes paralysis.
Sometimes the answer isn’t another thought but the absence of thought. Not more information but less interference. Not better thinking but the courage to stop thinking and start being. This is one of the many reasons I’ve been wanting to start implementing meditation in my routine. Why haven’t I already? (Cue list of excuses that are easily invalidated)
The key to escaping a mental prison isn’t mental, it’s experiential. It’s putting down the thoughts and picking up your life. Sometimes all you need is to put one metaphorical foot in front of the other and get yourself unstuck.