by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
New book offers help for women to stop negative thinking and lead happier more productive lives
University of Michigan psychology professor, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema has studied the mental health of women for more than 20 years. Her findings show 57 percent of women are overthinkers. In her new book, “Women Who Think Too Much,” she looks at what causes so many women to be overthinkers and provides concrete strategies that can be used to escape negative thoughts and lead happier, more productive lives. Read an excerpt below.
OVER THE LAST four decades, women have experienced unprecedented growth in independence and opportunity. We are freer to choose what kinds of relationships to have, whether and when to have children, what careers to pursue, and what lifestyles to lead.
But too often, many of us are flooded with worries, thoughts, and emotions that swirl out of control. We are suffering from an epidemic of overthinking — getting caught in torrents of negative thoughts and emotions that overwhelm us and interfere with our functioning and well-being. Our concerns are about fundamental issues: Who am I? What am I doing with my life? Answers do not come easily to such questions and so we search and ponder and worry even more.
TYPES OF OVERTHINKING:
Rant-and-Rave
This is the most familiar type of overthinking which usually centers on some wrong we believe has been done to us. Women prone to this kind of overthinking tend to take on an air of wounded self-righteousness and focus on designing retribution that will severely sting our victimizers.
Life-of-Their-Own
This type of overthinking begins innocently as we notice we’re feeling upset or when we ponder a recent event. Then we begin to entertain possible causes for our feelings about the events. Overthinking causes us to exaggerate problems and make bad decisions.
Chaotic
This type of overthinking occurs when we don’t move in a straight line from one problem to another. Instead, it is as if all kinds of concerns, many of them unrelated, flood our minds at the same time.
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(A Review by a Reader from Cambridge, Massachusetts USA)
