How to stop overthinking in practical steps

Introduction

Have you ever replayed the conversations in your head, thinking “I shouldn’t have said this”? Have you also been someone who worries too much about future? Have you been the person who never lives in the moment, either ruminating on the past or worrying excessively about what comes next? This is an obvious pattern of overthinking, which happens when mind gets caught in a loop of worries, second guessing decisions, or imagining every possible outcome. Overthinking can be defined as the act of dwelling excessively on a subject or a decision. It cannot be equalized to reflection as it is relentless replaying of scenarios and possibilities in one’s mind without resolution. While some people believe that overthinking is helpful because it helps to analyse a problem or situation from every point of view but the opposite is true. Research suggests that overthinking is associated with anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), perfectionism, autism, and high stress. The good news is that overthinking is not permanent, we can train our mind to break this cycle using practical strategies.

Why do people overthink?

• Negative metacognitive beliefs: People often think that worrying is useful as it keeps them prepared for any situation, they also think that worrying is out of their control, therefore they do not even try to help themselves but overthink. While positive metacognitive beliefs try to justify usefulness of worrying, on the other hand negative metacognitive beliefs focus on its uncontrollability and harmfulness, both types drive an excessive thinking that becomes self-sustaining and hard to break.  

• Attentional biases: We always tend to pay more attention to negativity even if it is small. Our brain is wired to scan for threats. Hence our brain automatically focuses on negative stimuli.

• Stressful life events like loss of a loved one, suffering from chronic illnesses, job loss, academic pressure make people vulnerable to overthinking.

• Certain personality traits like type A personality, or people with anxiety disorders, depression, or other mental health conditions are more prone to overthinking.

• Cognitive patterns that fuel overthinking are: Catastrophising (expecting the worst possible outcome in every situation, leading to heightened sense of fear and dread), All-or-nothing thinking (viewing situations in extremes ignoring the middle ground), and Overgeneralization (taking a single event or experience and applying it too broadly, assuming it reflects a universal truth, for example,” I always fail at public speaking.”)

• Fear of making wrong decisions and need for control or certainty.

• Social media impact can lead to information overload and comparative mindset.

• Cultural expectations and perfectionism significantly contribute to overthinking.

Signs you’re overthinking

• Excessive worry about future events.

• Being unable to relax.

• Constantly feeling worried or anxious.

• Feeling mentally exhausted.

• Fixating on things outside of your control.

• Second guessing your decisions.

• Ruminating about past decision, or mistakes.

• Indecisiveness.

• Trouble concentrating.

• Sleep disturbance due to racing thoughts.

The impact of overthinking 

Though overthinking is not recognised as a mental illness by DSM-5, it can play an important role in several mental health conditions. Some disorders associated with overthinking include the following:

• Depression.

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

• Obsessive- compulsive disorder.

• Panic disorder.

• Post traumatic stress disorder.

• Social anxiety disorder.

Overthinking can lead to strained relationships significantly impacting mental and physical well-being. Physical health consequences that can stem from overthinking are; fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Overthinkers due to their over analysing habit struggle to make even simple decisions, which can delay action, prevent opportunities, and reduce overall efficiency. Overthinkers may misinterpret others’ words or actions, withdraw from social situations which can foster loneliness.

Practical steps to stop overthinking

1. Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioural therapy (RFCBT): It is specific form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which is designed to specifically manage rumination. It helps individuals understand the context and function of rumination and changing the process of thinking by shifting their thinking patterns from unhelpful to more constructive. 

2. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive therapy (MBCT): It is a therapeutic approach that integrates mindfulness practices with cognitive therapy.  It helps individuals to recognize and detach from negative thought patterns, which can lead to ruminative thinking and contribute to depressive episodes. 

3. Metacognitive therapy: It is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on how you think rather than what you think. It focuses on the processes and patterns of thinking rather than content of your thoughts. It helps identify thinking patterns, and challenging metacognitive beliefs thereby reducing overthinking. 

4. Physical exercise: Physical activity plays a huge role in improving mental well-being. A recent study by Wang et al indicated that physical activity reduces rumination and decrease in rumination further enhances mindfulness which contributes to higher subjective wellbeing. Physical exercise helps one to focus attention on body and the present moment, leaving little space for rumination.

5.  Nature exposure and Forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku): Studies suggest that a brief walk of 90-min in natural settings decreases rumination whereas 90-min walk in urban settings has no such effects on rumination.

A Japanese technique of forest bathing called as Shinrin-Yoku has been shown to decrease cortisol levels, a stress hormone, and improve overall mood and mental well-being.

1. Nature-Based Mindfulness Meditation: Studies have shown that brief nature-based meditation of just 13 minutes significantly reduced rumination in both adolescents and adults.

2. Expressive writing: It refers to the procedure of writing about emotionally upsetting experiences without paying attention to the grammar or spelling. A study by Glass et al found that modified framework for expressive writing significantly reduced rumination for adults who had trauma, or a significant emotional/ physical upheaval, within the past year. 

3. Scheduled “worry time”: This concept comes from CBT, specifically a technique called as “worry postponement” or “stimulus control for worry” introduced by Borkovec and colleagues in 1983. Writing down your worries (Worry journal) reduces their emotional intensity by activating the prefrontal cortex, which dampens the amygdala’s fear response, a process neuroscientists call “affect labelling”. 

Conclusion

Overthinking often stems from a desire to stay in control, avoid mistakes, or prepare for the future. However, instead of solving the problems it traps us in vicious cycle of doubt and mental confusion. By practicing small, consistent strategies such as mindfulness and structured thinking, it is possible to regain clarity and mental peace. 

References:

• American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Interventions for rumination: Breaking the cycle of negative thinking. https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/interventions-for-rumination-breaking-the-cycle
• Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112
• Capobianco, L., Faija, C., Husain, Z., & Wells, A. (2020). Metacognitive beliefs and their relationship with anxiety and depression in physical illnesses: A systematic review. PLOS ONE, 15(9), e0238457. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238457
• Chen, D. W. (2026, March 10). The worry journal method: A CBT-backed system to stop anxious spirals. Life Note Blog. https://blog.mylifenote.ai/worry-journal/
• Davis, T. (2024, January 4). Are you an overthinker? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202302/are-you-an-overthinker
• de Bruin, E. I., van der Zwan, J. E., & Bögels, S. M. (2016). A randomized controlled trial comparing daily mindfulness meditations, biofeedback exercises, and daily physical exercise on attention control, executive functioning, mindful awareness, self-compassion, and worrying in stressed young adults. Mindfulness, 7, 1182–1192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0561-5
• Ehring, T. (2021). Thinking too much: Rumination and psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 20(3), 441–442. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20910
• Flaherty, A., Katz, D., Chosak, A., Henry, M. E., Trinh, N.-H., Waldinger, R. J., & Cohen, J. N. (2022). Treatment of overthinking: A multidisciplinary approach to rumination and obsession spectrum. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 83(4), 21ct14543. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.21ct14543
• Glass, O., Dreusicke, M., Evans, J., Bechard, E., & Wolever, R. Q. (2019). Expressive writing to improve resilience to trauma: A clinical feasibility trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 34, 240–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.12.005
• Hasani, M., Zenoozian, S., Ahmadi, R., Khakpoor, S., Saberi, S., Pirzeh, R., & Saed, O. (2025). Evaluating the efficacy of rumination-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy in alleviating depression, negative affect, and rumination among patients with recurrent major depressive disorder: A randomized, multicenter clinical trial. BMC Psychiatry, 25(1), 626. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07065-y
• Jones, H. (2025, November 2). Exercises that help you stop overthinking. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-stop-overthinking-757036
• Li, Q. (2022). Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention—The establishment of “forest medicine”. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 27, 43. https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.22-00160
• Malik, P. (n.d.). Understanding overthinking: Causes, effects, and solutions. The Well Reads. https://thewellreads.com/articles/understanding-overthinking-causes-effects-solutions/
• McLeod, S., & Guy-Evans, O. (2025). What is overthinking a sign of? Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/what-is-overthinking-a-sign-of.html
• Morin, A. (2020, September 9). How to know when you’re overthinking. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-know-when-youre-overthinking-5077069
• Owens, M., & Bunce, H. L. I. (2022). Nature-based meditation, rumination and mental wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9118. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159118
• Wang, S., Lu, B., & Zhang, X. (2025). The impact of physical activity on subjective wellbeing in college students: The chain-mediating role of rumination and mindfulness. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1575612. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1575612
• Wyre Counselling & Psychotherapy. (n.d.). Breaking free from overthinking. https://www.wyecounsellingandpsychotherapy.co.uk/blog/breaking-free-from-overthinking