My family and close friends know me as an incorrigible over-thinker. According to them, I always tend to make a mountain out of a molehill. I personally feel like I have entered into a lifelong contract with giving things more thought than they're due, with one worry disappearing and another invading my mind within seconds. I have, however, found ways of dealing with this problem and found them rather helpful at times.

DRAWING A LINE BETWEEN IMAGINATION AND REALITY

Once you start worrying about something, ask yourself some questions. Do the problems you are dealing with actually exist or are you simply making them up? Suppose you ran into an acquaintance in a shopping mall and waved at them but they didn't even look at you. You are wondering if they have a bad impression of you or if somebody told them really nasty things about you. Does this really require so much of your attention? Chances are, the person was probably in a rush or thinking about something (or perhaps the person in question is also an over-thinker and was battling with conflicting thoughts about something) and simply didn't notice you. If you can draw a line between imagination and reality, life becomes much easier. You can focus on things that actually matter. The assignment that you are supposed to hand in tomorrow deserves your attention!

However, if you realise that the problem is something that you should worry about, take steps to solve it — if it can be solved, that is. If you had a fight with a friend, you could apologise to them and make up for what you did. But go ahead and take the necessary steps instead of feeling guilty about it.

FOCUS ON THE PRESENT

Let go of the past. Stop worrying about the future. You should learn from your past mistakes instead of regretting them. When I was in sixth grade, I got a terrible grade in math. I really regretted not having prepared well for the test and I kept thinking about it for days. But then my mother told me to let go of the past and let this mistake teach me a lesson. I started being more attentive to Math from then on and I will never forget those words of hers.

It's equally important to stop worrying about the future. You won't be able to properly enjoy the present if you keep pondering over the uncertainties of life. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that everything will work out just fine. You need to cherish the beauty that life has to offer right now.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Do not beat yourself up for over-thinking. The best of us tend to have this habit and it is not a sin. However, it is a problem that should be brought under control and worked on. Yes, not all problems are imaginary. Some problems are serious and should be dealt with but as I have mentioned before, we should take the necessary steps to solve these problems instead of continuously worrying about them. Think of all the obstacles you have overcome so far. We all went through problems and difficulties that we thought were unconquerable but we did manage to solve a good handful of them, didn't we? Have courage and face your problems bravely. The tunnel will come to an end soon.

Over-thinking isn't something that we can eliminate from our lives for good, but we can definitely keep it in check. We shall overcome.

When he is not dealing with mood swings, Shounak Reza devours books and tea and longs for eras he has never lived in. You can contact him at www.facebook.com/shounakreza