How do I know if I'm overreacting?

I know I’m overreacting to a trigger when I feel like I’m losing control of the situation. If I feel the onset of anxiety I pause and evaluate what’s really going on to prevent overreactions but just being a human being means that occasionally this will happen despite my efforts to thwart the event. Additionally, if I’m thinking too much about a situation that is a good indicator for me that I’m overreacting. It is sometimes difficult to control our emotions when we feel triggered. Being triggered sets us off and we immediately become defensive. Being defensive is a defense mechanism to protect our emotional well being

Write it down. When we write, we tend to write down things that we wouldn't normally put a whole lot of thought into, but still deserve some attention. When there's a problem, our brains can only focus on so much of it at once and we can become blind to other factors. When you write it out, you can see all of the factors at play and get a better assessment of the issue at hand. It's easy to push down a thought that you don't want to consider, it's not as easy when it's written in ink. Write it out, take some time, think it over, and then consider it all again. If you're still upset then, you probably aren't overreacting.

I often do or say things in the heat of the moment when my emotions are high. Take a moment to look back on the situation and ask yourself if you would make the same decision again, when emotions are less high. If you would you are likely not overacting, just standing by your values. If no, then it might be worth to reconsider your reaction in the situation. Moving forward try to take a few moments to pause and breathe before deciding on a path forward, emotions can be blinding at least for me. By taking emotions out we often make clearer decisions and choices.

I would know if I am overreacting by responding to patient and not seeing what is presented. I may go off topic based on what I assume or what I experienced. I may also not think through well and say things that is inappropriate for the situation. I could overthink the situation and may bring out my feelings (such as sadness, anger, happiness, frustration) and end up making the other person uncomfortable. This person may never want to approach me next time, be upset, have close-minded, have ill-feeling toward me or many never bring up any concerns they have or talk to me.

There is one thing I usually do to know if what I'm going through deserves all the drama or not. First I talk to myself out loud and say what's bothering me, that usually help me clear up my thoughts and see what is worth the trouble and what is not. You can also write down your thoughts ,that also helps when you see your thoughts on a piece of paper is always better than in your head. Also try reacting to the situation from the other's person point of view and imagine what they would think, that could make you see a bigger picture.

I know I’m overreacting if I feel like the situation is a personal attack. If I get too caught up in my own head and forget to empathize with others I tend to overreact to a situation. I overreact when I’m already stressed out about something else, it feels like tunnel vision. I know I need to sit back, take a few deep breaths, get out of my own head space and think about how the other person is feeling and why they would act that way. My feelings when I over react are not always based on reality.

I know I'm overreacting when my emotions are heightened and I'm at a point where I can't express myself any further. I also come to understand that my overreaction isn't benefitting anyone and possibly is making the situation worse and exaggerated. I then come to the conclusion that I haven't taken a step back from the problem and further assess the situation by taking into consideration the feelings of all parties involved. Additionally, I realize that I am so consumed with how I'm feeling, that I am ignoring others' feelings. All the rage and emotions cloud my judgement and I see with newfound clarity in the inappropriate reaction I may have by overreacting.

When we say overreactiion, first of all what does that mean, it can mean we are giving into our emotional side, that can be good and also bad depending on the circumstances. It is infact good to share and be emotional at times and to open up to people , it is good to share your worries in which you would afterwards feel relieved. A bad way of overreacting would be a point where, you constantly feel hurt from others if they.. Let's say not exceed some expectations of ours, then we also tend to overreact. An overreaction would also be when we entirely get devoured by our emotional side to a point where we cannot rationalise anymore and we are just stuck in that hole where we are deeply hurt and we tend to victimise ourselfs, without beeing able to see the point of other people. In summary It is very important to be able to keep our balance and to not give into emotions so much to a point where we cannot rationalise. It is important to be aware and consciouss and to be able to understand why are we acting out the way we are. I gave only one to two examples here, ofcourse that is not all, there are still other roots and patterns into why we overreact.

General consensus of other peoples reactions can give you a relatively good measure of if you are overreacting to a certain situation or not. But obviously, you can't judge this based on one persons opinion! But if it is a situation that can be generalised somewhat, then getting the point of view (or response) from others should give you a good mid-point. Also, listen to your gut. Generally if you are having an emotion overreaction to a situation, you probably already know that in yourself. Similarly, you also have a gut feeling when you are NOT overreacting, but someone might accuse you of it. So listen to your inner voice and be honest with yourself as well.

There are lots of ways to judge, depending on circumstances. Here are few ideas: 1. You could ask a trusted friend to consider the situation, and listen to how you reacted, and judge from how they hear you what their feeling is. If you don't have such a person handy, come to 7 cups! 2. You can consider the context of what happened and how you reacted when you are feeling less upset (maybe 24 hours later) and see if you regret your response. 3. Sometimes making a list of pros and cons (or in this case, reacted properly vs overreacted) on paper and looking at it that way might give you enough perspective to reconsider. Hope this helps!