You’re not a deep thinker. You’re just overthinking. It hurts, doesn’t it? We often romanticize overthinking as some kind of intellectual depth — as if staying up late analyzing every possibility means we’re wiser, more thoughtful, or more mature. But here’s the truth: overthinking is not deep thinking. It’s mental self-torture disguised as insight. What Is Overthinking, Really? Overthinking is when you take a simple situation and complicate it until it paralyzes you. You create problems that don’t exist yet, or worse — that will never exist. It’s not reflection. It’s rumination. It’s the difference between learning from the past and getting stuck in it . Deep Thinking Leads Somewhere. Overthinking Goes in Circles. When you’re deeply thinking, you're exploring, questioning, and learning. There’s clarity at the end. But when you're overthinking, your thoughts keep looping. You replay that awkward moment. You re-read that text message 12 times. You write a rep...