11 Everyday Struggles That Only Deep Thinkers Experience
It can be difficult for deep thinkers to stay out of their own way.
Luis Molinero | Shutterstock Everyone experiences difficulties in their daily lives that keep them from being their best selves. Whether it's trying to eat healthy or get enough sleep, these issues can easily snowball into bigger problems. And that's especially true for intellectuals, who face their own set of problems.
The everyday struggles that only deep thinkers experience — from being indecisive to ruminating on their past mistakes — truly make them think the universe is against them, affecting their mental health as they try to focus on the positives. But despite all that, identifying these specific troubles can create healthier ways to cope.
Here are the 11 everyday struggles that only deep thinkers experience
1. Overanalyzing everything
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One of the everyday struggles that only deep thinkers experience is the tendency to overanalyze everything to the point of being indecisive. Wanting to be considerate to those around them, deep thinkers mull over how to best meet everybody's needs, often at the expense of their own. And because it affects their ability to make choices, they scramble to decide at the last minute.
While one study published in Journal of Research in Personality found that indecisiveness often stems from people's intolerance of uncertainty, deep thinkers continue to struggle even if they know the root of the issue.
To avoid this, clinical psychologist Levi Riven PhD suggested that the key to getting rid of indecisiveness is to remove fortune-telling from decisions. Instead, make a list of facts, convert questions into tasks, make a list of pros and cons based only on facts, and choose one step or action.
For deep thinkers, these methods may not completely fix their indecisiveness, but it's a step in the right direction.
2. Struggling to connect with others
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Connection is an important aspect of human behavior. Unfortunately, the everyday struggles that only deep thinkers experience is the difficulty connecting with others. They strongly dislike and avoid surface-level relationships, and as a result of their commitment to digging deeper, they refuse to form connections with people who don't want to grow and mature.
This often leaves them lonely and feeling like they don't belong. And this can deeply affect their well-being as, according to the National Institute of Aging, loneliness is associated with serious health risks such as depression or risk of heart disease.
While deep thinkers shouldn't simply abandon all relationships and continue to be distant, they can seek professional help and figure out how to connect with others despite their reservations.
3. Feeling misunderstood
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In a world that's becoming increasingly more reserved, it's easy to feel alone. Luckily, many people still have that one friend or family member to lean on when times get tough. But deep thinkers often feel misunderstood by the people around them.
Despite being considerate and sensitive to others, deep thinkers are rarely given that same treatment. As a result, it's not uncommon for them to have to re-explain themselves or simply stay silent when other people can't understand where they're coming from.
A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that people who felt misunderstood were increasingly likely to experience stress, and lower life satisfaction, and motivation, which can become an unfortunate reality for deep thinkers.
4. Constantly doubting themselves
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Everyone doubts themselves from time to time. Whether it's not trusting how smart or capable they are, or being unsure of their abilities, these thoughts are unavoidable. After all, we're only human. That said, there's a difference between doubting yourself every now and then and constantly doubting yourself.
While experiencing negative thoughts can be normal for deep thinkers, allowing these negative thoughts to run wild is a recipe for disaster.
The University of Kansas Medical Center says that negative thinking not only distracts people but leads to self-debasing thinking, especially in the context of preparing for exams. But the more people practice negative thinking, the more automatic it becomes, leading to self-doubt.
Despite this, many deep thinkers don't know how to balance optimism with doubt. As a result, they may fall into a hole of despair where they don't feel good enough.
5. Feeling emotionally drained
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One huge drawback to being a deep thinker is being increasingly likely to experience an emotional drain. Often expected to carry other people's emotions as a result of their considerate ways, deep thinkers can quickly become burned out without proper boundaries.
A study published in Frontiers in Psychology looked at poor work-life boundaries and found that blurred boundaries often lead to complete burnout. For deep thinkers, it's sometimes unavoidable to experience an emotional drain, as they tend to be people-pleasers who don't always feel comfortable setting proper boundaries.
But going through life without those boundaries doesn't do any good. To determine what boundaries they need to set, deep thinkers should ask themselves what's most important to them. What causes them to feel emotionally drained and what can they do to stop it? Then, all that's left to do is implement the most essential boundaries and go from there.
6. Struggling with perfectionism
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The need to be perfect is one of the unfortunate everyday struggles that only deep thinkers experience. Because they overthink and want to please others, they become perfectionists with a strong desire to cater to other people's needs.
As such, they're the type of people to work overtime for fear of making their co-workers or boss upset, or stress themselves out trying to make their homes absurdly clean for their family.
But this behavior can leave them feeling exhausted or suffering from burnout. As psychologist Cara Gardenswartz PhD pointed out, "The relentless pursuit of perfection can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion, reducing one's overall well-being and productivity."
Despite this, it can be difficult for deep thinkers to let go of their perfectionist tendencies. But they can remedy this by finding ways to ground themselves, whether that's through meditation, journaling, exercising, or some other technique or method.
7. Finding it difficult to turn off their thoughts
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Because deep thinkers are so in their own minds, they constantly have a stream of thoughts swarming around. Unable to turn those thoughts off, they end up driving themselves nuts trying to calm down and return to reality.
Being unable to shut your brain off happens sometimes, especially for people going through a rough patch who may constantly think about the situation at hand. That may mean sleep disturbance, veering from their usual routine, or thinking about all the things out of their control.
But negative rumination has been linked to anxiety and anger, which can greatly affect a deep thinker's well-being. It's best for them to ground themselves and practice mindfulness.
8. Having trouble living in the moment
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One of the greatest things about life is the beautiful moments we make along the way. Birthday celebrations, a walk on a beautiful day, falling in love, genuinely laughing and feeling joy — these are all things we look back on fondly.
But deep thinkers have such a hard time staying in the present moment that it becomes an everyday struggle. Because they are so caught up in their thoughts, they neglect the people and experiences around them. This makes them likely to miss out on important moments, unable to form memories and connections with one another.
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, love and belonging are necessary to survive, and require "an emotional need for interpersonal relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group." This can come in the form of trust in a relationship, acceptance from peers, and forming close bonds and friendships.
9. Struggling to get their work done on time
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Many people tend to procrastinate or put off their responsibilities. Whether it's a group project, assignment at work, or chores at home, it happens to the best of us. But for deep thinkers, they tend to have trouble getting their work done in a timely manner on a consistent basis.
They become so caught up in their thoughts that they zone out and forget everything on their plate. And according to a study published from JAMA Network, procrastination is associated with stress, depression, anxiety, and even loneliness, which further exacerbates their problems with timeliness.
To avoid this, deep thinking people should stick to a rigid routine and set reminders for themselves. Additionally, rewarding themselves for getting their work done and finding ways to ground their thoughts can keep procrastination from ruining their life.
10. Overthinking past mistakes
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Everyone has regrets, even if they don't want to admit it. Whether it's lying to their partner, saying something they didn't mean, or feeling guilty for an action, an everyday struggle that only deep thinkers experience is their tendency to harp on their past mistakes.
Though it's completely normal to think about past mistakes, thinking about them often can have a negative impact on well-being.
According to mental health educator Tanya J. Peterson, "Repeatedly returning to the same negative thoughts and sticking with them has far-reaching effects," adding that rumination can impact well-being by impairing the ability to focus, changing sleep patterns, and developing physiological challenges.
For deep thinkers, they may find it difficult to control their thoughts and, as a result, the thoughts end up controlling them. To overcome their sense of guilt and regret, they should seek out professional health. Simply knowing they have someone who can listen and understand them can make all the difference.
11. Feeling trapped
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Feeling trapped is one of the everyday struggles that only deep thinkers experience, as they often fall victim to their own thought process. It can be difficult to end a cycle of negative thinking, feeling like they can't control their lives and end up feeling stuck.
While it's normal to feel stuck in life at times, experiencing an endless cycle of it is not only detrimental to well-being, but can hold people back from growing and maturing. Thinking negatively all the time can cause even the strongest person to isolate themselves, and it's a lose-lose for everyone involved.
Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's degree in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, family, and astrology topics.