I was hooked on this book from the first page as it got straight to the point.
The first part explained the concept of overthinking and provided potential explanations for why women tend to overthink.
The second part offered practical steps to overcome overthinking in three phases: 1) breaking free of its grip, 2) moving to higher ground and gaining a new perspective, and 3) avoiding future traps. I found the author’s use of the quicksand analogy to be spot-on and effective.
The third part of the book explored some typical scenarios that can trigger overthinking, such as health problems.
Nolen-Hoeksema stated that “Overthinking gives you tunnel vision that can only focus on what’s wrong in your life”. This reminded me of the powerful message in the book “Peace Is Every Step“, which encourages you to shift your perspective from “what’s wrong?” to “what’s not wrong?“.
I loved this book and, ironically, it was so thought-provoking that it made me question whether I was overthinking by reading it!
I highly recommended this book to anyone seeking to overcome overthinking.
Title: Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life
Author: Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
Year First Published: 2003
From Goodreads:
It’s no surprise that our fast-paced, overly self-analytical culture is pushing many people—especially women—to spend countless hours thinking about negative ideas, feelings, and experiences.
Renowned psychologist Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema calls this overthinking, and her groundbreaking research shows that an increasing number of women—more than half of those in her extensive study—are doing it too much and too often, leading to sadness, anxiety, and depression. She challenges the assumption—heralded by so many pop-psychology pundits of the last several decades—that constantly expressing and analyzing our emotions is a good thing.
In Women Who Think Too Much, Nolen-Hoeksema shows us what causes so many women to be overthinkers and provides concrete strategies that can be used to escape these negative thoughts, move to higher ground, and live more productively. Women Who Think Too Much will change lives, and is destined to become a self-help classic.