What Causes Many Autistic Individuals to Overthink (And What to do About It)
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Has this ever happened to you: You decide to watch a movie but can’t seem to pick one. Every time you come close to picking what you’ll watch, you reconsider and go for a different option. It takes so long to decide on a movie that you do not watch anything at all.
What I just described is someone overthinking a situation. They took a simple concept, watching a movie, and blew it out of proportion. Situations like these are ones autistic individuals may experience challenges with. They may spend too much time questioning what someone said or if their project got a good grade.
If many autistic individuals overthink, then it’s easy to question why that’s the case. That question is what I will answer today. In this blog post, I will give a quick explanation for overthinking, explain why many autistic individuals overthink, how overthinking impacts their lives, and offer tips for supporting an overthinking mind.
A Quick Explanation of Overthinking
Overthinking happens when someone spends a lot of time pondering a subject. The subject could be anything. For example, you can overthink what meals you’ll cook for the week by double questioning what interests you. Overthinking comes in different forms, including the following:
- Mind reading: Mind reading occurs when someone tries to guess how someone is reacting.
- Rumination: Rumination happens when someone worries about their future or can’t stop thinking about a past event.
- Overanalysis: An overanalysis triggers when someone becomes obsessed with the details behind a decision, object, or situation.
- Catastrophizing: A person catastrophizes when they take an event and imagine a worst case scenario.
Although reflection can be helpful, overthinking can become a challenge when it interferes with one’s decision making or well being. You usually overthink because you can’t seem to make a decision or are imagining a worst case scenario. If you find yourself overthinking, then the best course of action is to try and remedy those thoughts.
Why Many Autistic Individuals Overthink
Now that we know what overthinking is, we can explore why many autistic individuals find themselves performing the action. Research suggests that factors like difficulty shifting attention, anxiety, and an intolerance to uncertainty can contribute to repetitive thinking.
Difficulty Shifting Attention
An autistic individual may overthink because their attention hones in on a single goal or thought. This state is called Hyperfocus, which has upsides and downsides. For example, it can allow someone with autism to focus on their work at the cost of them potentially losing track of time. Another downside is an autistic individual having trouble shifting attention.
In an overthinking context, an autistic individual could hyperfocus on something they are thinking, like how they did on a test or if someone was upset by a comment they made. This hyperfixation can result in overthinking as all of their attention is drawn towards a thought they can’t get out of their head.
Anxiety
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Many autistic individuals are susceptible to anxiety. The idea of someone reacting to a comment differently than expected or that your audition went poorly could be enough of a catalyst for an autistic individual to begin overthinking. It’s a stressful situation that’s caused by one’s anxious thoughts.
Intolerance of Uncertainty
A lot of the overthinking types have to do with uncertainty. For example, mind reading is about wondering what someone thinks because you don’t know. This ambiguity can be the spark that causes an autistic individual to overthink. Many autistic individuals like certainty in their lives (such as their preference for routines) so when they don’t know what’s happening, then they experience distress.
How Overthinking Impacts Autistic Individuals
Overthinking can have many negative effects on autistic individuals. Here are some examples:
Self-Doubt
If you’re questioning how you did on a task, then you’re doubting yourself. This self-doubt can be what keeps you in the spiral of negativity as you are imagining your skills are capable of creating worst case scenarios.
An Inability To Focus
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Focusing on a task can be difficult when your mind drifts elsewhere. For example, if you are overthinking someone’s reaction to a joke, then those thoughts can occupy your mind when its focus is needed elsewhere.
Procrastination
Overthinking comes at the cost of progress. For example, if you take too long to decide what you’ll write about for an essay, then you’re not working on the essay. This procrastination can result in stressful bouts of overthinking as you could focus on how your indecision is causing your progress to stall.
What to do When You’re Overthinking
The good news about overthinking is that there are ways to escape it. All you need are the right strategies to shift your focus back to where it needs to be.
Challenge Your Negative Thoughts
One of the biggest counters to negative thoughts is examining them and then thinking about the opposing thought. Challenging negative thoughts grant us reminders that we’re capable of overcoming challenges or convince us that we’re overreacting to something minor. This reassurance matters because it shifts our mindset towards a more positive direction.
Journal Your Thoughts
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Sometimes, you have so many thoughts crowding your head that you need to write them somewhere. Writing your thoughts places them in a tangible space, whether it’s on a piece of notebook paper or in a computer document. With your thoughts recorded, you’re getting them out of your system so you can place your brain power somewhere more relevant.
Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness exercises can be a means to become more aware of your thoughts. This awareness can help those thoughts pass through instead of becoming the center of your attention. Some examples of mindfulness techniques include paying attention to your surroundings and focusing on your breathing.
Conclusion
Speaking from experience, overthinking can be stressful. You spend so much time dwelling on a test result or social situation that your attention can be taken away from where it’s needed.
That said, repetitive thoughts don’t have to dominate your mind. You can escape the spiral of negativity through methods like examining your thoughts and mindfulness exercises.
So yes, you may find yourself in situations where you focus too much on an issue or are uncertain about an outcome. Those situations could then cause you to overthink. However, you have the means to make sure your day isn’t spent dwelling on the same issue. You can bring your attention back to the present and resume your task or activity.
So, what are your experiences with overthinking? Are these tips helpful? Feel free to voice your thoughts on this post in the comments below.
References
- 3 Types of Overthinking – and How to Overcome Them (2024) Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2024/02/3-types-of-overthinking-and-how-to-overcome-them
- Autism and Catastrophizing (2024) National Autistic Society Accessed from https://www.autism.org.uk/learn/knowledge-hub/professional-practice/autism-catastrophising
- Mindfulness Exercises (2026) Mayo Clinic Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
