In life, we are constantly presented with having to make choices in everything that we do.
From something as simple as choosing what we are going to wear to work, to something more complicated such as choosing our identity.
We are in a constant state of always having to make decisions.
For the overthinker, choices can sometimes serve as a means of stress and anxiety.
The overthinker analyzes many potential outcomes given the circumstances and will often contemplate the best possible outcome.
This type of individual is more prone to anxiety given the many possible outcomes of their choices.
Anxiety stems from having multiple options and not knowing which way to go.
Dr. Jordan Peterson describes anxiety using the example of dropping someone in the middle of the desert: if you were to be dropped in the middle of the desert and had to make it back to safety, feelings of anxiety and aimlessness become more prominent because of the unlimited options in terms of which direction you could pursue back to safety.
The kinds of choices we make play a large part in the formation of our character.
If the choices we make are directed towards serving short term wants and desires, our actions towards the pursuit of short term gratification become deeply embedded in our character and who we become as people - we become more consumed in pursuing what we want in the moment and disregard the consequences of our choices and actions in the long term.
There are an unlimited amount of choices we could make in just about any situation, and the choices we make become a reflection of our character.
Lile anything in life, our choices need to reflect a sense of balance.
We need to be able to make choices that will suit our goals and ambitions in the long term, but we also need to make choices that can allow us to live in the moment so that we can get a full taste of the human experience.
If we become too consumed in making choices for our future, we open the door to become anxious of the unknown.
Nothing in life is promised and the more we focus too much on things that have not happened yet, the less present we become in the moment.
On the other hand, we need to be able to make choices that refrain from having long term negative consequences.
Hedonism and pursuit of short term gratification can be a sure path of never finding true fulfillment in life.
In short, we become a reflection of our choices, and while making the right choices may seem overbearing at times, figuring out our truest selves and our purpose in life will allow us to make better choices to better serve us and those around us.