Overthinking refers to dwelling on certain thoughts or constantly anticipating a situation or its possible outcome. Grounding exercises, stepping into action, and finding support from a mental health professional can help you to stop overthinking.
You finally have a few quiet moments to yourself, only to immediately start wondering if you forgot to send that thank-you email or whether you’ve overestimated your chances of getting the promotion.
Sound familiar? Worrying and overthinking are part of the human experience, but when left unchecked, they can take a toll on your well-being. Dwelling on the same thoughts may even increase your risk of certain mental health conditions.
So, what’s an overthinking person to do? These tips can help you move in the right direction.
Step back and look at how you’re responding
The way you respond to your thoughts can sometimes keep you in a cycle of rumination, or repetitive thinking. Rumination can often cause negative consequencesTrusted Source to a person’s mental health.
The next time you find yourself continuously running things over in your mind, take note of how it affects your mood. Do you feel irritated, nervous, or guilty? What’s the primary emotion behind your thoughts?
Having self-awareness is key to changing your mindset.
Find a distraction
You can decrease overthinking by engaging in activities you enjoy. This may look different for everyone, but some ideas include:
- learning some new kitchen skills by tackling a new recipe
- going to your favorite workout class
- taking up a new hobby, such as painting
- volunteering with a local organization
It may be hard to start something new when you’re overwhelmed by your thoughts. If finding a distraction feels daunting, try setting aside a small chunk of time — say, 30 minutes — every other day. Use this time to explore potential distractions or dabble in existing ones.
Take a deep breath
The next time you find yourself tossing and turning over your thoughts, try closing your eyes and breathing deeply. Respiration has a direct effect on your body and mind, and may help distract you and reduce the physical effects of overthinking.
Meditate
Developing a regular meditation practice is an evidence-backed way to turn your attention inward and clear your mind of nervous chatter.
All you need is 5 minutes every day and a quiet spot. More than one meditation technique exists. You can try a few ones until you find one that helps you quiet your mind.
Read more about meditation techniques.
Look at the bigger picture
Trying to gain perspective may help you reduce overthinking about non-urgent matters. How will all the problems floating around in your mind affect you 5 or 10 years from now? Will anyone really care that you bought a fruit plate for the potluck instead of baking a pie from scratch?
Prioritizing the more serious challenges and letting go of everyday hurdles may help you feel less overwhelmed.
Do something nice for someone else
Helping others may bring you out of your own thoughts. Consider thinking of ways you can be of service to someone going through a difficult time. Does your friend who’s going through a divorce need a few hours of child care? Can you pick up groceries for your neighbor who’s been sick?
Realizing you have the power to make someone’s day better can keep negative thoughts from taking over. It also gives you something different to focus on instead of your stream of thoughts.
Recognize automatic negative thoughts (ANTs)
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) refer to knee-jerk negative thoughts, usually involving fear or anger.
Tackling ANTs
You can identify and work through your ANTs by keeping a record of your thoughts and actively working to change them:
- Use a notebook to track the situation causing you distress and record the first thought that comes to your mind.
- As you dig into details, evaluate why the situation is causing these negative thoughts.
- Break down the emotions you’re experiencing and try to identify what you’re telling yourself about the situation.
- Find an alternative to your original thought. For example, instead of jumping straight to, “This is going to be an epic failure,” try something like, “I’m genuinely trying my best.”
Acknowledge your successes
When you’re in the midst of overthinking, try jotting down five things that have experienced in the past week and your role in them.
These don’t need to be huge accomplishments. Maybe you stuck to your coffee budget this week or cleaned out your car. When you look at it on paper or on-screen, you might be surprised at how these little things add up.
If it feels helpful, refer back to this list when you find your thoughts spiraling.
Stay present
Not ready to commit to a meditation routine? There are plenty of other ways to ground yourself in the present moment.
Be here now
Here are a few ideas:
- Unplug: Shut off your computer or phone for a designated amount of time each day and spend that time on a single activity.
- Eat mindfully: Treat yourself to one of your favorite meals. Try to find the joy in each bite, and really focus on how the food tastes, smells, and feels in your mouth.
- Get outside: Take a walk outside, even if it’s just a quick lap around the block. Take inventory of what you see along the way, noting any smells that waft by or sounds you hear.
Consider other viewpoints
Sometimes, quieting your thoughts requires stepping outside of your usual perspective. How you see the world is shaped by your life experiences, values, and assumptions. Imagining things from a different point of view can help you work through some of the noise.
Try to jot down some of the thoughts swirling around in your head and investigate how valid each one is.
For example, maybe you’re distressed about an upcoming trip because you feel you won’t have time to arrange everything. But, is that really what’s going to happen? What kind of proof do you have to back that up? What happens if some things don’t get done in time? Is there someone else who can help you with non-urgent stuff?
Take action
Sometimes, you might go over the same thoughts repeatedly because you have not taken any concrete actions yet.
Try to ground your thoughts into things you can manage and do. Having an action plan can help you find relief.
Practice self-compassion
Dwelling on past mistakes keeps you from letting go. If you’re concerned over something you did last week, try refocusing on self-compassionTrusted Source.
Here are some ways to get you started:
- Take note of a stressful thought.
- Pay attention to the emotions and bodily responses that arise.
- Acknowledge that your feelings are true for you in the moment.
- Adopt a phrase that speaks to you, such as “May I accept myself as I am” or “I am enough.”
Embrace your fears
Some things will always be out of your control. Learning to accept this can go a long way toward curbing overthinking. A study from 2018Trusted Source shows that accepting negative thoughts and fears can help improve psychological health.
Of course, this is easier said than done, and it won’t happen overnight. But try looking for small opportunities where you can confront the situations you frequently worry about.
Ask for help
You’re not alone, and support is available if you find yourself overwhelmed. Seeking support from a trusted friend or family relative, or a qualified therapist can help you develop new tools for working through your thoughts and even changing your mindset.
Read about how to find a therapist that is right for you.
The takeaway
Overthinking things may often cause distress. You can reduce overthinking and rumination by breathing deeply, doing grounding exercises, practicing meditation, jotting down thoughts and breaking them into actionable steps, and focusing on your successes.
If you feel persistently overwhelmed by your thoughts or can’t stop overthinking, consider talking with a mental health professional who can help you develop coping skills.
What causes overthinking?
Overthinking can stem from various sources, including fear of making mistakes, stress, perfectionism, or a history of emotional trauma. Sometimes, it might be associated with mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.
Here are some ways to stop overthinking:
- Practice mindfulness: Pay attention to the present moment without judgment.
- Distract yourself: Listen to music, a podcast, or a meditation app, or watch a reality TV show.
- Take deep breaths: Close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly.
- Question your thoughts: Identify if your overthinking is based on feelings or facts.
- Put things in perspective: Try to overthink good things in your life rather than bad ones.
- Reschedule overthinking: Consciously postpone overthinking until later.
- Seek support: Talk with a mental health professional who can help you develop coping skills.
How do I stop being an overthinker?
Overthinking things may often cause distress. You can reduce overthinking and rumination by breathing deeply, doing grounding exercises, practicing meditation, jotting down thoughts and breaking them into actionable steps, and focusing on your successes.
How do you treat overthinking?
If you want to bring your overthinking under control, there are some effective strategies to help you:
- Get out of your head. This is the number-one antidote to overthinking. …
- Come to your senses. …
- Be mindful. …
- Ring-fence your thinking time. …
- Write down your thoughts. …
- Trust your gut. …
- Speak to a therapist.
How to train your brain to stop worrying?
8 ways to overcome chronic worrying
- Schedule your worry time. …
- Practice mindfulness. …
- Try a body scan to release tension. …
- Practice gratitude to counterbalance worry. …
- Limit your exposure to stressors. …
- Share your worries with someone you trust. …
- Set realistic expectations for yourself. …
- Accept what you can’t control.
Sometimes you walk away from a conversation with no idea how it went.
You aren’t sure if you were friendly enough or if you said the right thing. It’s enough to send your insecurities into overdrive. For the rest of the day, you may find your thoughts fixated on what you said — and what you could have said instead.
Replaying a conversation in your head is a classic example of overthinking, and everyone’s guilty of it.
It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to stop worrying entirely. But when you overthink everything and feel anxious and insecure about your decisions, it’s time to make some changes.
Kick off your self-improvement journey by learning how to stop overthinking.
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What’s overthinking?
Overthinking is a thought process where you ruminate on past events, worst-case scenarios, or future outcomes. That can mean replaying conversations or considering all the possible answers you didn’t share in a job interview. Or, overthinking can involve second-guessing decisions and imagining worst-case scenarios.
This habit, of thinking about past “If only”s and future “What if”s, is often fuelled by anxiety and worry. You’re anxious about whether you made a mistake or said something offensive, for example, or are worried about whether something bad might happen in the future.
You might think if you consider these scenarios enough, you’ll comfort yourself or find solutions to potential problems. Most often, though, this overthinking just stresses you out and keeps you from living in the present.
Is overthinking the same thing as worrying?
Mulling over a decision is perfectly normal and usually helpful. You’ll process these thoughts to determine the best choice in the situation.
Worrying — which is also very common — isn’t usually action-oriented or helpful. You might sit with a situation for too long pondering the worst outcomes that could arise without making a decision about how to deal with it. But this process doesn’t prevent you from living your life.
Overthinking stops you in your tracks. It’s impossible to decide or move forward because you’re so overwhelmed by your thoughts.
What’s automatic negative thinking?
When you overthink, your mind usually goes in a pessimistic direction.
Automatic negative thinking (ANT) refers to involuntarily thinking negative thoughts. Consider it like a reflex, like a knee-jerk or head turn. These responses to everyday situations are often irrational and self-sabotaging.
Destructive thought patterns are more likely to linger inside your mind than positive ones. They make you feel overwhelmed and socially anxious because you’re afraid to screw up.
What seems like overthinking is sometimes beneficial. When it’s forward-focused and explores variables rather than trying to control them, you can consider multiple scenarios and explore possible outcomes to prepare for events or high-stakes conversations.
Having thought through possibilities, you might feel more confident choosing a problem-solving strategy. That can actually be good for your mental health. But chronic overthinkers who focus on what they can’t control might suffer adverse health conditions from the stress.
Types of destructive thought patterns
The anxiety brought on by overthinking can make it hard to analyze a situation calmly and rationally. Some common negative thought processes include:
Overgeneralizing
There’s always a comedown when you experience a setback or disappointment. Based on this failure, you may decide that you’ll never succeed at anything you try. In this case, you’re falling prey to a type of negative thinking known as overgeneralizing. You’ve had one bad experience and now generalize that every experience will be the same.
Catastrophizing
When you’re stuck worrying about an event or problem, it’s easy to fixate on the worst-case scenario. You start to expect it, feeling like it’s inevitable when that’s not true.
All-or-nothing thinking
All-or-nothing thinking regards feeling like no matter what you attempt, you’ll either be the best or a complete and utter failure. There’s no in-between. You can’t accept living your life in the grey area between these extremes. This makes it difficult to find what you’re good at because you expect immediate perfection, which doesn’t allow you to develop your abilities over time.
5 signs you’re overthinking
You might not know when you’ve crossed the line from thoughtful consideration to damaging overthinking, especially if you have an analytical bent. But you’re likely becoming dangerously preoccupied when you:
1. Can’t think about anything else
If you begin and end your day with worries top of mind, you’re likely overthinking. These intrusive thoughts might consume your mind to the point that they interfere with work and relationships.
2. Focusing on things you can’t control
Sometimes the success or failure of your decisions can hinge on factors outside your control. When overthinking, you might tend to focus on these elements and won’t finalize choices until you find a way to dictate the outcome — an impossible task.
3. Second-guess your decisions
You know you’re overthinking if, when you manage to make a decision, you’re overwhelmed with doubts about whether you made the right one and the consequences if you didn’t.
4. Feel mentally exhausted
Overthinking creates a negative feedback loop that saps your mental energy. You might feel you’re cycling through potential choices and their outcomes, unable to decide.
5. Can’t relax
If you’re overthinking, you’ll feel like you’re under significant stress, experiencing tension throughout your body. You might notice your jaw clenching and shoulders tightening. You may even experience an eyelid twitch or back spasms. All these symptoms could affect your sleep.
The short-term effects of overthinking can lead to significant long-term consequences affecting your physical health and overall well-being.
What triggers overthinking?
People tend to overthink because:
- They get into the habit from an early age
- Overthinking gives them a false sense of control
- They require a sense of certainty before making a decision
- They need to know that everything was or will be absolutely perfect
- They want to avoid conflict
What are the consequences of overthinking?
If left unaddressed, overthinking can lead to some significant negative impacts affecting your:
Physical health
Physical manifestations are similar to those for anxiety and include:
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Weight gain or loss
These difficulties further add to the emotional load caused by overthinking, making life seem much more difficult.
Mental health
Overthinking increases stress levels and amplifies your risk of depression and anxiety, which can be challenging to overcome.
Self-esteem
It’s hard to feel good about yourself when your mistakes and shortcomings play on repeat in your head. That type of internal dialogue can wear away at your confidence levels and self-worth over time, leaving your self-esteem in tatters.
Cognitive function
Continually researching or searching for second opinions is a form of indecision known as analysis paralysis — or decision fatigue. You overwhelm yourself with information and options, you can no longer make a decision. This makes it impossible to draw conclusions anywhere in your personal .
How to stop overthinking: 8 strategies
As challenging as the consequences may seem, you can apply the following strategies to help stop overthinking:
1. Take deep breaths
Close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly. Deep breaths deliver more oxygen to the brain, activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for helping you “rest and digest.”
It’s the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system, which triggers your “fight or flight” response. In other words, it calms you down, diminishing fearful and anxious thoughts and clearing your mind.
2. Find a distraction
Distractions help you forget what’s troubling you. A temporary distraction is often precisely what you need to recharge. Easy distractions include:
- Watching a movie
- Baking
- Exercising
- Reading a book
- Learning to knit or crochet
It can be hard to start at first but give yourself a time limit, like reading for half an hour. Within minutes, you may find yourself immersed in another world.
3. Look at the big picture
When you’re in the moment, it’s hard to see how far you’ve come. That’s when it can be helpful to take a step back and examine the big picture. Remember: no one will remember how you did in a presentation or whether you told a bad joke.
Recognizing ANTs is also helpful. Try to recognize when you start to spiral or jump to negative conclusions and the feelings these thoughts trigger. Being self-aware is crucial to better understand yourself and making positive thought-pattern changes.
4. Acknowledge your successes
You deserve a pat on the back for your successes, no matter how small or big. And don’t forget about self-compassion regarding your failures. Every mistake is a learning experience.
5. Embrace your fears
There’s no changing the past. But you can adjust how you respond to memories from past life experiences. Nurturing positive thoughts while accepting that errors aren’t the end of the world is a great way to prepare for future setbacks and encourage resilience. Being a little afraid is healthy if you can push past it to continue toward your goals.
6. Start journaling
Writing daily in a journal is a fantastic way to reflect on your attitudes and progress. It’s also been found to reduce anxiety symptoms you might experience when overthinking. And it forces you to carve some time for rest in your busy schedule.
7. Live in the moment
Take control of your thoughts to live in the present. You don’t do this by fighting them but by accepting them and letting them go. The more you actively train your brain to shift from past and future thinking to the present, the more automatic it’ll be.
Learning to think and talk about yourself positively can also prevent you from dwelling on the past since you won’t feel the need to judge everything you’ve said and done.
8. Ask for help
Everyone overthinks occasionally. But if it’s getting out of hand, consider contacting a mental health professional. Professional helpers like a coach or therapist can guide you through dark times and teach you to reframe your thoughts.
You’re not alone
Learning how to stop overthinking is an important step — having the courage to reach out for help is another one.
This doesn’t necessitate speaking with a therapist — overthinking is so common, you likely have friends and family that can relate and would work with you to check in on progress and act as your accountability partner.
Just remember that it’s possible to stop overthinking. You’ll always be afraid of certain situations, but that doesn’t have to hold you back from living a vibrant life.
