‘Was it the right choice’? ‘Is this really what I want to do’? Surely these lines are familiar to many of you. Who hasn’t, at some point in his/her life, had second thoughts? Who hasn’t felt like an elephant trying to climb a tree, when realizing he wasn’t meant to do what he does? Having second thoughts is part of human nature, but second-guessing your decisions can lead to doubting them. That can get you in trouble.
Second thoughts are healthy
Moreover, they’re much more epidermic. It’s very OK to rethink your choices, to wonder if you have done right or wrong, to ponder if you have chosen the class, the subject or even the major you wanted. Especially for young adults that don’t have the clarity or an instinctive direction towards what they want to do in life. It helps you evaluate your decisions, act and correct in a timely manner. In other words, it’s the process that leads you towards calm, insightful decisions.
Overthinking your decisions.
In most case scenarios, when you have second thoughts about a decision you’ve made, you tend to overthink things. Basically everything. That leads to second-guessing yourself. Is it the right decision? What if it is not going to work out? – The thousands of questions like that start to pop up in your head, while, in reality, there is no need to stress yourself about the things that you did. Those sorts of discussions, not only will lead you to a self- doubt mode but also will demotivate you.
If you can recognize the symptoms, you can solve the problem.
Does something from the above ring a bell? Then take a step back, relax and start the ‘healing’ process. This is a good time to quote Baz Luhrmann in ‘Everybody’s free to wear sunscreen’ -a song that many of you may not have heard and if you haven’t, google it now to realize its awesomeness. “Your choices are a half chance, so are everybody else’s.” You made a choice, under certain circumstances and due to other factors, that played a crucial role in your decision making. Always remember- what is done is already done and making yourself worried about it will not change anything. Laid back and enjoy the ride.
If you are still going through the overthinking process, there are few things that you can do to calm your mind:
1) Ask yourself – is there any impact of my worries that are going to change the situation?
2) Always keep in mind – what is yours will be yours- so if you did not get what you wanted, it merely means that life has got another plan for you.
3) If the decision was bad- look at the bright side – you got a lesson and the experience.