2 Ways To Stop Yourself From Overthinking

Caught in an endless loop of rumination? Here's two ways to get it under control.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | October 11, 2024

Overthinking is the habit of excessively analyzing, dwelling on or worrying about situations, decisions or events, often leading to feelings of stress and anxiety. You might find yourself replaying past conversations, thinking about how you could have said something differently, or imagining future scenarios that may never happen.

It's easy to create situations in your mind that feel much bigger than they actually are, turning minor concerns into endless loops of ruminative thinking. Sometimes, your thoughts can cause more harm than the actual events you're stressing about.

Overanalyzing everything and dwelling on "what-ifs" can lead to unnecessary anxiety, leaving you stuck in a loop of negative thinking. It's a mental trap that can feel exhausting, making even simple situations seem overwhelming.

Here are two simple strategies you can practice to break free from the habit of overthinking.

1. Caught An Intrusive Thought? Pause, Don't Panic

Intrusive thoughts can catch you off guard, mainly when you're focused on something important, like preparing for a presentation or an upcoming meeting. Out of nowhere, a thought may arise: "I'm going to get fired. I haven't heard anything about my performance in a while." This can quickly spiral into, "Am I really doing alright? What if they fire me tomorrow? Do I have enough saved?"

These irrational thoughts with no logical evidence can consume your time, fabricating worst-case scenarios and forcing you to battle imaginary demons. This can impact your work, productivity and, in severe cases, your ability to function on a day-to-day basis.

A simple yet effective strategy is to set aside 5-10 minutes each morning, or whenever intrusive thoughts arise, to write down anything that might cause worry or overthinking. This allows you to release those thoughts and analyze them later with a clearer mind.

When a negative or anxious thought enters your mind, the key is to first recognize it without reacting. These could range from irrational fears like, "My wife will surely divorce me at this rate," to everyday concerns, such as how a conversation went or whether a meeting will go smoothly.

Rather than letting these thoughts spiral into rumination, pause, take a deep breath and write them down. You can create a "worry diary" where you record any troubling thoughts that come up throughout the day. This simple practice helps get those worries off your chest for later reflection, preventing them from taking over your mind in the moment.

2. Analyzing And Challenging Your Thoughts

The next step is to label and challenge your thoughts when you have free time or before bed, allowing you to thoroughly understand your overthinking patterns.

This approach is rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), where individuals are taught to recognize and challenge distorted thinking patterns. The goal is to identify unhelpful thoughts—such as anxious, catastrophic or overgeneralized thinking—label them and then challenge them by examining evidence and considering more rational alternatives.

The labeling process involves identifying and categorizing your thoughts to gain some emotional distance and clarity. For example,

• Catastrophic thinking or assuming the worst outcome—"If I don't nail this presentation, my entire career is over."
• Fear of rejection or assuming that all relationships are doomed to fail —"My friend didn't reply to my message, they must be upset with me."
• Overgeneralization or making a broad assumption based on one instance—"I made a mistake today, so I must be terrible at my job."

When negative or anxious thoughts arise, challenge them. Ask yourself if the scenarios you're imagining are realistic or if you're blowing things out of proportion. Reframing your thoughts can help you see situations more clearly and prevent unnecessary worry.

Challenging your thoughts involves critically examining the negative or anxious thoughts that arise in your mind. It's about questioning the accuracy and validity of these thoughts rather than accepting them as facts. Often, we tend to catastrophize or jump to conclusions, which can lead to stress.

When your thoughts are ridden with anxiety or doubts, challenge them by asking yourself questions like:

• Is there evidence to support this thought, or am I assuming the worst?
• Am I interpreting this situation logically, or am I letting my emotions cloud my judgment?
• What are the chances of this worst-case scenario actually happening?
• Is this thought based on facts or fears?

Let's say after the conversation with your boss, you start thinking, "God! Why did I say that? That was so weird! He praised me, but was it genuine? What if he was being sarcastic or buttering me up to give me bad news later? Is my performance slipping? It must be. He wouldn't talk to me like that otherwise."

Here's how you could challenge these thoughts:

• Identify the thought. "My boss praised me, but maybe he was being sarcastic or preparing me for bad news."
• Examine the evidence. Ask yourself, "Is there any concrete evidence that my boss was being sarcastic? Did anything in his tone or words suggest that? Has there been any sign that my performance is suffering?"
• Consider alternative explanations. "Maybe my boss was genuinely praising me for my hard work. There's no reason to believe he was being sarcastic, especially since he hasn't given me any negative feedback recently."
• Ask yourself how likely it is. "How likely is it that my boss would deliver bad news through hidden sarcasm? If there were an issue with my performance, wouldn't he be more direct or bring it up in a formal meeting?"
• Reframe the thought: "It's more likely that the praise was genuine. My boss hasn't indicated anything wrong with my work, so I'm probably reading too much into it because I was feeling nervous."

By doing this, you can reframe your thoughts, reduce overthinking and approach situations with a more balanced, realistic perspective.

Recognizing and challenging distorted thoughts is a skill that takes time to develop. With practice, you can shift from being consumed by constant worry and catastrophic thinking to approaching situations with a more rational and grounded perspective.

Are repetitive thoughts taking over your day and spiraling out of control? Take this science-backed test to find out more: Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.