IDK actually. Overreacting can be a result of an overall feel bad thing. When I felt quite bad I almost started to cry because my tea bag string broke. Of course that is overreacting but at the same time it's a sign things are not OK.

Then, even when I'm OK, I do react different to others, some things really stress me out, and if I'm not allowed to have a personality and my own stressors, screw them. I don't moan when someone is stressed out over something which is "normal" to be stressed out over, because it doesn't stress me one bit. I understand we are different and I don't minimize their feelings.

I only react according to my personality and patterns. If people can't deal with that, they shouldn't expect people to deal with their stuff.

I think the example with a broken pencil is a little simplified. Real situations aren't that black and white. I've been sad about broken objects because I get emotionally attached to them. So what? That is how I am.

However I learned to be a little more relaxed and think of what really happened when something went wrong and when I realize the effects aren't as bad as I thought, I chill quite fast. But I think that sort of comes with life experience. Some situations make a lot of people react, like say you bought something and too late you realized they charged you a dollar too much. Unless you don't have much money, you could easily live with that, but I've seen "normals" steaming over that, like it was 100 dollars. Because they don't stop to think.