Stop overthinking
When your mind will not leave you alone.
Overthinking can feel like trying to keep yourself safe by thinking of everything. But the more you chase certainty, the harder it can be to settle.
Why this can feel so hard
You send a message, then read it back three times wondering how it sounded. You leave a meeting and replay one sentence you wish you had said differently. You lie down at the end of the day and your mind picks the day back up again.
Most of the time this is not a flaw in your character. Thinking has worked for you before. It has helped you catch problems early, prepare for hard conversations and avoid being caught out. So when something feels uncertain, your mind reaches for the tool it trusts most and does more of it.
The difficulty is that some situations cannot be solved by thinking, only decided. When there is no answer to find, the thinking keeps going and there is nowhere for it to land. That is usually the moment it starts to feel exhausting rather than useful.
Choosing can feel just as hard, because every option carries a risk you can already imagine in detail. So you keep the options open, keep checking, and keep waiting to feel sure.
Words you can use
- Mental loop
- When your mind keeps returning to the same thought.
- What-if thinking
- When your mind tries to prepare for every possible outcome.
- Trying to get certainty
- When you keep thinking because you want to feel completely sure before you act.
Try this now
One minute, three lines, pen and paper or the notes app on your phone. This is free to use whenever you need it, and there is nothing to sign up for.
- 1What is the thought I keep coming back to?
- 2What part of this needs my attention today?
- 3What can wait until later?
Most thoughts are a mix of something real and something you cannot act on yet. Separating the two is often enough to bring the volume down.
Get the 5-minute Out of the Loop reset.
A simple exercise to help you stop replaying the same thought and decide what needs your attention now. You will also receive one thoughtful email each week about overthinking, pressure and clearer thinking.
Prefer to work through this in your own time? Explore The 90 Day Overthinking Reset Journal.
Read about The 90 Day Overthinking Reset Journal