Maya sat on the edge of her bed, her phone in her hand, staring at the message she had just received. It was from Tom, a friend she'd met at a conference a few months ago. "Hey, are we still on for dinner tomorrow?" it read.
Her mind immediately began to race. Was it just a casual invitation? Did he want to catch up, or was there something more to it? Maybe it was just friendly, but why did he add that smiley face at the end? She hadn't noticed it before, but was it a hint? She'd been thinking about him a lot lately—too much, in fact. The thoughts swirled around her head like a storm, each one more complicated than the last.
What if he was testing the waters? Should she be more direct, or should she play it cool? But what if she was reading too much into it? What if he was just being polite? Maybe she was overthinking it. She scrolled through their past messages, searching for clues, trying to decipher his tone, looking for signs she might have missed.
The more she searched, the more unsure she became. Did he always text like that, or was it different this time? She hadn’t heard from him in weeks. Maybe she wasn’t as important as she thought. Was she even the type of person who overanalyzed every little interaction? Her heart raced as she imagined all the possible scenarios. What if he was disappointed in her? What if she said something wrong last time they spoke?
Hours passed, and the room felt smaller with every thought. She had been staring at the same screen, reading the same words, when her phone buzzed again. A new message from Tom.
"Actually, I just realized I have a work thing tomorrow. Sorry, we’ll have to reschedule."
Maya felt a strange mixture of relief and embarrassment. She laughed quietly at herself.
She had built an entire world of worry from a single, simple question.
Her mind immediately began to race. Was it just a casual invitation? Did he want to catch up, or was there something more to it? Maybe it was just friendly, but why did he add that smiley face at the end? She hadn't noticed it before, but was it a hint? She'd been thinking about him a lot lately—too much, in fact. The thoughts swirled around her head like a storm, each one more complicated than the last.
What if he was testing the waters? Should she be more direct, or should she play it cool? But what if she was reading too much into it? What if he was just being polite? Maybe she was overthinking it. She scrolled through their past messages, searching for clues, trying to decipher his tone, looking for signs she might have missed.
The more she searched, the more unsure she became. Did he always text like that, or was it different this time? She hadn’t heard from him in weeks. Maybe she wasn’t as important as she thought. Was she even the type of person who overanalyzed every little interaction? Her heart raced as she imagined all the possible scenarios. What if he was disappointed in her? What if she said something wrong last time they spoke?
Hours passed, and the room felt smaller with every thought. She had been staring at the same screen, reading the same words, when her phone buzzed again. A new message from Tom.
"Actually, I just realized I have a work thing tomorrow. Sorry, we’ll have to reschedule."
Maya felt a strange mixture of relief and embarrassment. She laughed quietly at herself.
She had built an entire world of worry from a single, simple question.
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That's where overthinking helps !