“Am I Overreacting?” Thoughts From A Houston Therapist
You tell yourself not to get so frustrated, not to take things “so personally”, but somehow, your reaction still feels like “too much”. You judge yourself for it and worry others will too.
Are you getting into your feels? Alejandra Machado, LPC, online counseling in Houston.
Many people, especially those with anxiety or a history of invalidation, worry that they’re overreacting. But what if your reaction makes sense?
What Does It Mean to Overreact?
When I look it up in the dictionary- the definition states: to respond more emotionally or forcibly than is justified. Hmm…. Justified to who? This is often where our self-judgment or self-criticism comes in. “I didn’t handle it perfectly”. “I wasn’t calm, cool, and collected compared to so and so.” If we think this enough, we can fall into a spiral of self-defeating thoughts.
Learning to Reframe Our Reactions
“Overreaction” usually means someone is feeling more than others expect, but it doesn’t have to mean that their feelings are always wrong.
Why You Might Feel So Strongly
There can be many different reasons why we react strongly. First, we are all different and we all have different ways of expressing ourselves. It would probably be pretty boring if everyone walked around expressing themselves in the same way.
Other reasons could be related to your past experiences. People who have often dealt with anxiety or have a history of trauma can be more sensitive to picking up on possible conflicts around them, or your body could also be reacting to past pain, not just the current situation. If you were not allowed to show emotions or your feelings were somehow dismissed in the past, you may now also doubt your feelings.
Our Inner Critic Can Get The Best Of Us
This self-judgment and criticism of reacting too strongly can fuel more negativity or even a fear of failure, which can cycle into a feeling of shame and emotional overwhelm.
What Can Help?
As the saying goes, “you gotta name it to tame it.” When we acknowledge and name our emotions it, can help us make more sense of things instead of immediately jumping to assumptions that we are wrong.
Therapy Can Help You Feel Safe In Your Emotions
Instead of judging and criticizing yourself, which can heighten your anxiety and make you jump to worst-case scenarios, therapy can help you understand your emotional patterns, develop coping tools to manage your emotions, and hopefully interrupt the cycle of feeling like you are always “too much.”
Reach Out
If you’re tired of wondering and worrying whether you are “too much” or get frustrated by your responses, know that you are not alone. Feel free to contact me, Alejandra Machado, LPC. I offer individual counseling for adults in Texas, and online in Houston. You can also call or text at 281-858-3325.
