How to Stop Overthinking Before It Spirals

Anyone who identifies as an overthinker knows the weight of seemingly trivial thoughts. Whether it’s replaying an awkward comment from weeks ago or anxiously envisioning every detail of an upcoming meeting, overthinking can consume your thoughts and affect daily life. This habit isn’t just occasional worry it’s a cycle of repetitive, often negative, thinking that can drain mental energy and prevent you from living in the present.

Why We Tend to Overthink

Overthinking is a common habit, but some people are more prone to it than others. According to Carrie Howard, L.C.S.W., founder of Thrive Anxiety Solutions, several personality traits can make someone more susceptible:

• Anxiety: Those with anxiety are more likely to overthink, as their thoughts spiral into worst-case scenarios.

• Perfectionism: High standards can lead to constant replaying of scenarios where they believe they didn’t measure up.

• Desire for Control: People who dislike feeling unprepared tend to over-plan and overthink every possibility.

• Negative Thinking: A pessimistic outlook can fuel obsessive worry and rumination.

This cycle of rumination doesn’t just cause frustration it impacts your physical health too. Overthinking increases cortisol levels, which may disrupt serotonin, the neurotransmitter that supports mood regulation, explains licensed psychologist Carolyn Rubenstein, Ph.D. This imbalance can affect emotions, memory, and even appetite.

How to Manage Overthinking

When you feel yourself beginning to spiral, these evidence-based techniques can help interrupt the cycle and bring your thoughts back to the present.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness exercises like meditation and grounding techniques can help calm an overactive mind. According to research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, meditation reduces activity in the brain's default mode network (DMN), a region linked with self-reflective thinking and rumination.

Try the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique Identify five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This sensory awareness helps to shift focus away from anxious thoughts and back to your immediate environment.

Distract Yourself

Sometimes the best way to stop overthinking is simply to focus on something else. Take a walk, pick up a book, play a game, or call a friend. As Rubenstein suggests, even a simple activity like observing nature can help redirect your mind away from spiraling thoughts.

If overthinking feels unavoidable, try “scheduling” a daily 15-minute “worry time.” During this period, allow yourself to explore whatever is on your mind. Outside of this time, use a distraction to help prevent overthinking. When you catch yourself worrying outside your designated time, jot down a quick keyword to remember the thought and come back to it later.

Challenge Negative Thoughts

Negative thoughts often spark overthinking, so challenge them before they take root. Howard suggests these questions to identify and reframe negative thinking:

• “What evidence supports or contradicts this thought?”

• “Is this based on fact or assumption?”

• “Are there other perspectives I could consider?”

• “Would I say this to a friend in a similar situation?”

By reframing negative thoughts in a balanced way, you can lessen their power over your emotions and prevent them from leading to overthinking.

Let Go of the Past

Many overthinkers replay past events, analyzing what they could have done differently. But holding onto past mistakes only fuels the cycle of self-blame and worry. Accepting that the past can’t be changed and that only you can give meaning to it may help you move forward. Rubenstein recommends practicing mindfulness or self-compassion when thoughts about the past arise.

Takeaway

Overthinking is something we all experience from time to time, and it may not be a habit you can eliminate entirely. But with practice, you can learn to manage it. Strategies like mindfulness, distraction, and challenging negative thoughts can be effective ways to break free from spiraling thoughts.

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