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Constant Worry and Self-Doubt
TheNightmare
Posts: 3,361 Boards Guru
Today, I played football and felt like I wasn’t playing well, which led me into overthinking something I’ve been struggling with for a while. I tend to worry a lot in general, especially since I’ve often imagined the worst-case scenarios in the past, and unfortunately, those things have happened. So now, I just find myself constantly overthinking everything. I worry about small things, like when someone leaves a message on read or doesn’t reply, even though it could just mean they don’t have anything to say. Today, I was also really anxious because I probably caused someone to get frustrated with me during the game, and I started to worry that I annoyed others too. I kept thinking I was playing terribly, like I was a waste of time out there. And it’s only 5-a-side football it should be easy, but I still felt like I was messing it up. It’s hard to shake those thoughts off because the fear of not being good enough or letting people down just keeps building up. And the more I think about it, the worse it gets. It's like it's not just the football today that wasn't good enough I've had many things that ive been poor at.
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Comments
i hear you, and i can really understand why this is weighing on you. when you’re already prone to overthinking, one thing, like feeling like you didn’t play well, can spiral into questioning so much more. it is frustrating because even when you logically know that not every worst case scenario will come true, your mind still goes there, especially when past experiences have reinforced those fears.
though i promise, one off game (or even several) doesn’t define your worth, and it definitely doesn’t mean you were a waste of time out there. everyone has days where they don’t feel like they’re at their best, and i can guarantee that no one on your team is thinking about your performance as much as you are. people might get frustrated in the moment, but that doesn’t mean they’re holding it against you or that they think less of you as a person. most of the time, people just move on from things way quicker than we imagine.
i know it’s hard to stop those thoughts from building up, especially when they start connecting to bigger fears of not being good enough or letting people down, but the fact that you care this much already shows that you’re not the burden you think you are. you are doing your best, and that’s all anyone can ask. maybe instead of focusing on what went wrong, try to remind yourself of the times you’ve done well, not just in football but in other parts of your life too. those moments matter just as much, even if your mind doesn’t give them the same attention.
you are not failing, and you’re not alone in this. if you ever need to talk things through, i’m always here for you, we all are
Wow @shannon_164 , I needed this. Seriously This means a lot. You’re right, I overthink way too much, and hearing this from you actually helps. I’ll try to remember it.
Appreciate you so so much ❤️