Hey there, everyone! If you’ve found yourself stuck in the cycle of overthinking, you’re not alone. It’s a common challenge that many of us face, especially when dealing with anxiety or have a history of past traumas. As a mental health therapist, I’m here to dive into some reasons why overthinking happens and share some practical tips to help you break free from its grasp.
Understanding Overthinking
Have you ever found yourself replaying a conversation in your mind over and over again? Or maybe you catch yourself worrying excessively about what might happen tomorrow? That’s overthinking. It’s when your mind gets caught up in a loop of thoughts, often revolving around trying to anticipate every possible outcome or reliving past events.
Overthinking is closely tied to anxiety and trauma. When we experience something stressful or traumatic, our minds can go into overdrive as a way to protect us. If we don’t process these emotions we can get stuck in this thinking pattern as our go to reaction to stress. It’s a defense mechanism, sometimes referred to as analysis paralysis or rumination. Instead of processing difficult emotions directly, we get caught up in endless analysis. Overthinking can become an unconscious avoidance strategy.
Why Do We Overthink?
One of the reasons we overthink is because it gives us a sense of control over the future. By planning and analyzing every detail, we hope to prevent bad outcomes or protect ourselves from potential harm. However, this approach is based on a misconception – the future is unpredictable, and trying to control it through overthinking is futile.
Another underlying cause of overthinking is avoiding uncomfortable feelings. When we overthink, we’re often trying to distract ourselves from emotions like fear, sadness, or anger. It’s a way of keeping those feelings at bay, but it ultimately prevents us from fully processing and healing from them. I like the catchy phrase, “overthinking is underfeeling” as a way to remember and summarize this process and why a person may frequently default to this form of thinking.
Recognizing Overthinking
The first step in overcoming overthinking is recognizing when it’s happening. Pay attention to your thought patterns – are you constantly worrying about what might happen? Are you replaying past events in your mind? When you catch yourself in these loops, practice pausing and naming it, acknowledge that it’s an unproductive pattern of anxious thinking.
Tools to Combat Overthinking
Now, let’s talk about practical strategies to break free from overthinking and regain control of your thoughts:
Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques: Mindfulness is about staying present in the moment. When you find yourself overthinking, bring your focus back to the here and now. Engage your senses – notice and name the sights, sounds, and sensations around you. This helps to ground you and interrupts the cycle of overthinking.
Challenge Negative Thoughts: Overthinking often involves catastrophizing or assuming the worst-case scenario. Challenge these negative thoughts by asking yourself: Is this thought based on facts or assumptions? Is this productive worry that will change a future event or simply wasted energy? What evidence do I have to support or refute it? This can help bring a more balanced perspective.
Set Aside “Worry Time”: Designate specific times in your day to allow yourself to worry or think about problems. This is a go-to strategy for when you realize worrying may be somewhat productive in a situation. This might sound counterintuitive, but it can actually help contain overthinking. When worries arise outside of designated times, remind yourself that you’ll address them during your scheduled “worry time.”
Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Overthinking is a habit, and breaking habits takes time and effort. Instead of criticizing yourself for overthinking, acknowledge that it’s a natural response to stress or trauma. Treat yourself with the same compassion you would offer a friend in a similar situation.
Seek Out Somatic Therapy for Support: Don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health therapist for professional support. Therapy, particularly somatic therapy which focuses on the here and now mind-body connection, can be incredibly beneficial in addressing underlying anxieties and traumas that are stuck in the body and contribute to avoidance of pain points through overthinking. A catchy phrase I like to describe this is, “get out of your head and into your life.” Somatic Therapy can help with this!
Final Thoughts
Remember, overcoming overthinking is a process. It takes practice and patience. By becoming aware of your thought patterns, challenging negative thoughts, and using grounding techniques, you can gradually reduce overthinking’s grip on your life.
If you’re struggling with persistent overthinking that interferes with your daily life, consider reaching out for support. You deserve to feel calm, grounded, and in control of your thoughts. Together, we can break free from the cycle of overthinking and embrace a more peaceful state of mind.
Take care, and remember to be gentle with yourself.
Warm regards,
Lauren Blackwood, LICSW
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