Overcoming overthinking in individuals
Overthinking is a state in which an individual has reoccurring negative thoughts which ultimately has a serious toll on the mental and physical health of an individual. The link between psychological problems and overthinking is reciprocal. Since overthinking goes on subconsciously, it is difficult
2025-06-28 16:28:44 - Adil Khan
Overcoming overthinking in individuals
Project Area of Specialization Wearables and ImplantableProject Summary| Overthinking is a state in which an individual has reoccurring negative thoughts which ultimately has a serious toll on the mental and physical health of an individual. The link between psychological problems and overthinking is reciprocal. Since overthinking goes on subconsciously, it is difficult to recognize the problem while being caught in it which ultimately leads to a vicious downward spiral. The social stigma attached to mental illness makes it difficult for people to talk openly about their mental health, let alone seek help. Hence, there are limited solutions that make it possible for an individual to personally deal with the situation if they feel stuck. Therefore, there is a need for a user-centric design approach that promotes the mental well-being of individuals. Designing for this cause will give them a sense of belonging and improve their quality of life. The solution will not only provide emotional support while being alone but also instantly unwind an individual’s thoughts while being in a social gathering. By the combination of light, vibrator, touch, and pulse sensors, a mind game will be created that distracts the user. Through the pulse sensor, the user's heartbeat will be recorded; in case of a rapid heartbeat the game will be initiated and the user will be tempted to follow through. |
Overthinking is a state in which an individual has reoccurring negative thoughts which ultimately has a serious toll on the mental and physical health of an individual. The link between psychological problems and overthinking is reciprocal. Since overthinking goes on subconsciously, it is difficult to recognize the problem while being caught in it which ultimately leads to a vicious downward spiral. The social stigma attached to mental illness makes it difficult for people to talk openly about their mental health, let alone seek help.
Hence, there are limited solutions that make it possible for an individual to personally deal with the situation if they feel stuck. Therefore, there is a need for a user-centric design approach that promotes the mental well-being of individuals. Designing for this cause will give them a sense of belonging and improve their quality of life. The solution will not only provide emotional support while being alone but also instantly unwind an individual’s thoughts while being in a social gathering. By the combination of light, vibrator, touch, and pulse sensors, a mind game will be created that distracts the user. Through the pulse sensor, the user's heartbeat will be recorded; in case of a rapid heartbeat the game will be initiated and the user will be tempted to follow through.
Project Objectives- To overcome overthinking in youth through the use of tangible objects
- To come up with an alternate solution to medical or specialized therapeutic treatments
- To make the user feel in control by using the product themselves at the time of need
- To design in such a way that the product blends in instead of attracting unwanted attention
- To promote mental health and wellbeing
- To provide a sensory experience to the affected individuals
- To evoke a positive user experience through emotional design
- To address psychological triggers through behavioral design
After identifying the problem some research questions were formulated to start off the project. Based off the research questions, research objectives were derived. These were classified into primary and secondary objectives. These objectives were drawn to have an insight about the issue and help me conduct my research in a streamlined way by overviewing all the aspects.
Primary research was conducted to gather basic and in-depth information on the causes and effects of the crisis. This included survey along with one-on-one interviews with the individuals suffering from overthinking, psychologists, and medical experts.
Secondary research was gathered to understand how mental health is perceived due to different socio-cultural factors, a deep insight of the problem and to find out the already exiting solutions and possibilities of what can be effective. This was conducted by review of literature of related research papers and articles. Thus, this dictated the direction for the next phase of the project i.e., design phase.
Based on the research conducted, youth is the most affected due to various challenges extending from peer pressure to academic expectations. Consequently, design objectives were derived which streamlined the whole process. Two personas were created based off these findings, followed by a mood board. This lead to basic doodles, ideation and hence design development leading to a final concept design.
The next stage of the project is prototyping. This will be carried out by using 3d printer to print the outer form of the product and then programming ardiunos and embedding them inside the form.
Benefits of the ProjectSince mental health has been more acknowledged nowadays due to the pandemic, there is a lot of potential to come up with a solution that would be recognized. The concept solution is not only for overthinking user's alone but it can also be used by individuals with other mental health issues or entirely for entertainment purposes.
The proposed solution aims to effectively distract the user from overthinking by indulging their mind in an activity that not only benefits them for a short period of time but enhances their motor skills. Unlike other therapeutic treatments, this solution will prove to be a game-changer as more people are accepting of opting for personal ways of dealing with mental health. Furthermore, the product is designed in a very contemporary way, embedded with modern technology to attract users.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableFunctionality
All the proposed ideas in the development phase of the project were streamlined and a final concept is proposed. The proposed design solution aims to prevent overthinking before it degenerates into mental health issues. Although hearing is the most powerful human sense, the product negates its use because the solutions is aimed to be used in isolation as well as around a general public so the use of sound would generally deem attention seeking properties. Hence, the next two strong senses, vision and touch are integrated. After recording a high pulse the game will be initiated. Each immersive zone has a light and vibrator that follows around a mind game and gives tactile emotional feedback. The game calls for learning a pattern based on lights and vibrators. A positive feedback will be generated in case of successful pattern recognition by lighting up all immersive zones, while a negative feedback will be generated with red blinking lights. For this purpose, arduino's will be programmed to act accordingly.
Form
The wrap-around wrist band is easy to wear and the shape of the wearable is inspired from nature, so it takes an organic form – comfortably resting on the hand. For its form, a 3d printer will be used that will be embedded with circuits.
Proposed material
For the wristband, silicone is used as the proposed material due to its numerous properties. Silicone has a very comfortable feel to it which makes it perfect to be used around the skin. It is available in diverse colors and is non-toxic. Due to its elasticity, it does deform and rests comfortably on the hand. Overall, it is fashionable and do not wear out easily.
Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry OthersOther IndustriesCore Technology Internet of Things (IoT)Other Technologies 3D/4D PrintingSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for PeopleRequired Resources| Elapsed time in (days or weeks or month or quarter) since start of the project | Milestone | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Problem Identification through primary and secondary research | Deep insight of the issue |
| Month 2 | Deriving design objectives | Ideation leading to design development |
| Month 3 | Finalising the technicalities of design | A final concept design |
| Month 4 | Figuring out the prototyping methods | Initial testing/ prototyping |
| Month 5 | Refining design through trial and error | Final prototype |
| Month 6 | User testing | Presenting the design |