Behind every joke is a mind turned upside down

Managed to avoid coffee today, cleared all my deadlines, and even got my mom’s cooking — which is rare these days. The whole day unfolded smoothly. Then, as life refuses to keep anything simple, I stumbled upon a joke in an Instagram reel by Tarang Hardikar, like it was scheduled.

First, it caught me off guard — I laughed harder than usual; I’ve always had a soft spot for his jokes — but somehow I ended up deep in thought.

Something in the way he phrased it lingered — like a loose strand of hair in my eyesight that I just couldn’t brush away. I replayed the reel, but now with this strange awareness that he wasn’t just being funny. He was breaking down something I’ve lived for years without ever knowing how to say.

He jokes, “People give me simple solutions. Don’t overthink, they said. The problem is, this feedback always comes after you’ve already overthought it. Nobody tells you when you’re reaching the limit of thinking… when you should stop before it spirals into overthinking.”

My mind clicked instantly — the same way a mechanical watch clicks when you replace its long-dead battery. How can someone explain something I’ve felt all these years but never put into words?

It reminded me of Chaplin’s idea — life is a tragedy in close-up but a comedy in a long shot. Maybe that’s why Tarang’s joke hit me like a long shot of my own mind.

He didn’t just notice his mental loops; he understood them deeply enough to verbalize them into jokes. And somehow, he picked the exact words that turned it into a punchline. I was impressed, but also a little annoyed that he figured out my brain before I did.

I’ll admit it — when it comes to work, I do overthink. Not because I enjoy it, but because planning means anticipating every possible scenario, especially when risk is involved. And even though that’s literally part of the job, I still get hit with the same feedback: “Don’t overthink it.” Always after it's already happened. They want a switch I don’t have. My mind works exactly the way he describes… I just never had the vocabulary for it.

People smirk at overthinking. But honestly? It’s either saved me from trouble or just left me tired. No real loss there because tiring me out just helps me sleep easier anyway. As long as it doesn’t slide into paranoia, I’d say the trade-off is fair.

Maybe that’s what struck me the most — the fact that someone could describe a process I’ve been living with for years. You spend so long managing the noise in your own head, and suddenly someone summarizes it in a joke, and everything feels clearer. There’s a strange comfort in that.

Tarang’s whole bit is about poking fun at the dilemma of trying to avoid overthinking. Yet here I was — overthinking his joke about overthinking. Human minds are ridiculous in the most hilarious way. Or is it just mine?

Well, in this case, the joke’s on me.