Are you an overthinker like me? With so many things happening in the world recently, like the war, rising prices of gas, I find myself worrying since there's also instability at work, my career path, and my life in general. I feel lost and confused. 😔

I’ve had nights wherein I spiral, and yeah, I feel embarrassed to say that I cling to chatbots like ChatGPT for late-night conversations. As an overthinker, these chatbots end up supporting my tendency to ruminate within my thoughts as they serve as my sounding boards. After each conversation, I always end up even more emotionally exhausted... without really solving anything. 😅

Realizing this pattern, my brain came up with this idea that I now call the "timeline loop" mindset. I am sure this is not an original, but I will try my best to explain this concept that my mind has built as a coping mechanism.

Imagine yourself already on your deathbed, and then you made a wish to God (or whatever you call the higher being you believe in) and asked that you want to relive that one day again in your life? And then actually, your wish was granted, and now you wake up to this day in the current timeline. 

There’s a feeling that comes with this that’s hard for me to explain. But just having that sense, that I’ve been given another chance to live this day, makes me treasure it more. When I think like this and look at this day, I realize, oh this is the day that I'm still with my parents. My cats are still alive! And I'm younger and more energetic. I know, this might sound weird (HAHAHA yes I know, I'm a weirdo), but having this mindset makes me live in the moment, feeling gratitude that I get to experience this moment in my life again.

With this mindset, it lessens my worries about the future, because I have been on my deathbed already, so what's worse than that? 😂 I also get to have this sense that the problems that I have today don't matter that much, in the future.

After constructing this mindset, it made me talk to my parents more and appreciate their presence at home (which sometimes I take for granted because I'm living in my own world, with my mind buried in the stress of work). I hug my cats a little tighter. I reach out to my friends in a more enthusiastic way. I see this as a coping mechanism that doesn’t harm anyone. 😉

If you think about it, maybe I did travel back in time to relive this day. Maybe I didn't. This is something that I cannot prove to be true or not. And I guess that's another beauty of it. But one thing's for sure. The effect is real: I feel more grateful, and I treasure each moment more. 

There are many things happening, and the future is uncertain. But at least I can put those worries in a box. I can focus on the present... the moment I’ve been given to live again. This is a mindset I want to return to whenever I start overthinking and spiraling into negativity. As long as it helps me cope and improves my mental state, I will embrace it. And maybe, by sharing this, someone out there might find it helpful too. Life is hard as it is, and anything that helps is worth holding onto with both hands.

~o~