The Art of Shallow Thinking
Writing by Miha Palancha. Graphics by Miha Palancha.
We, as humans, have a tendency to overthink. A lot. We dissect every interaction, analyze every misstep and replay minor embarrassments like Oscar-worthy dramas. But sometimes, actually, most of the time, it’s really not that deep.
As my best friend often says, “It’s not that deep, bro.” Nobody’s hyper-analyzing your every move. No one’s replaying your awkward skid down the stairs like it’s the finale of a true crime documentary. That guy at the gym? He’s not watching your pull-up form—he’s too busy worrying about his own form. And that assignment you turned in two minutes before the deadline? In the grand scheme of life, it’s a blip on the radar.
Yet, we let these small moments consume us, drowning in unnecessary thoughts. Sure, chronic overthinking can spiral into anxiety and deeper struggles. For now, though, let’s focus on the little daily moments of self-inflicted stress. The things that, quite frankly, do not matter as much as we think they do.
A bad grade? A cringe-worthy text? A joke that didn’t land? None of these are life-altering catastrophes. And while “look at the big picture” is about as cliche as advice gets, it’s also painfully true. In a universe this vast, on a planet this chaotic, your one awkward encounter is a speck of dust in the grand timeline of existence.
Because at the end of the day, life is far too unpredictable to be spent obsessing over things that won’t even cross your mind a week from now. Let’s be real, half the stuff you’re stressing over right now? You probably won’t even remember them in a month. And if you do, it’ll likely be in a “Wow, I can’t believe I was that stressed over this” kind of way. Overthinking isn’t a badge of honor; it’s just mental gymnastics with no real reward. So give yourself the freedom to mess up, to move on and to stop treating every minor mishap like a plot twist in your life’s storyline. Most of the time, the best thing you can do is take things at face value, give yourself some grace and keep it moving.
So take a deep breath. Laugh it off. Think shallow. Not always, but when it counts—you’ll know.
Miha is a first-year Graphic Design student, minoring in Motion Media and UX Design. She loves writing, recording, and designing cool things for District. Otherwise, you’ll probably find her at a coffee shop, listening to Taylor Swift and designing or animating something cool 
