If you’re an overthinker, you’ll know just how debilitating a thought spiral can be, and how difficult it is to stop ruminating once you’ve started. Typical overthinking may involve going over past experiences in your head, such as beating yourself up for a mistake you made, replaying a conversation in your head, worrying about what people may think of you, or imagining a different outcome to that which occurred. On the other hand, it may involve future-focused rumination, such as catastrophising about what may happen (e.g. making a fool of yourself during a presentation), over-analysing a decision you need to make, or overthinking your life situation, such as how lonely you’re going to be when you’re older, or how your career won’t be as successful as your peers’. Whatever form your overthinking takes, there’s no doubting the fact that it’s exhausting and can have a significant impact on your mental health, causing chronic anxiety, depression and insomnia.

I’ve often had clients telling me they’ve tried numerous tactics to reduce overthinking with no success, such as the classic ‘Delay the worry’ technique. These kinds of techniques can be useful in cases where someone is simply stuck in their head, but not when someone is feeling excessively anxious and caught in a severe thought spiral. If someone had the power to delay the worry, they’d probably be capable of stopping the overthinking completely. 

It’s important to mention that certain people are more prone to overthinking than others. The typical overthinker may look like:

• Deep thinkers – Some people are naturally more curious and thoughtful, prone to analysing information and situations, with the need to understand and make sense of things. 
• Highly sensitive persons – Someone who is more sensitive will pick up on cues which less sensitive people will not, and then overthink their significance (e.g. a tone of voice, feeling in the room). Such persons may also be more sensitive to potential outcomes or experiences, which may then lead to overthinking.
• Someone experiencing stress – if you’re already very stressed, you may be more vulnerable to the risks of overthinking.
• People who have experienced challenging life circumstances or trauma – such people have experienced a lack of safety and are more prone to expecting threat or danger. Overthinking then becomes a maladaptive way to keep oneself safe.

So, let’s take a realistic look at what you can do to reduce the chances of overthinking in the first place, and how you can stop overthinking once caught in a loop.  The most effective way to combat overthinking is through a combination of emotion-focused and problem-focused strategies. Emotion-focused strategies involve understanding what we’re feeling and addressing these feelings directly. Problem-focused strategies involve identifying the problem, brainstorming, and then coming up with potential solutions.  Below you’ll find a combination of the two strategies, aimed at helping you reduce the chances of overthinking in the first place and moving out of a debilitating thought spiral once you’re caught up in one:

Challenge negative thoughts and reframe – When you’re anxious about something and experiencing negative thoughts, challenge them. For instance, if you’re scared you’ll mess up a work presentation, ask yourself – ‘How likely am I to completely mess it up? If I did mess it up, what’s the worst outcome?’ This helps you take a more balanced, rational approach to whatever you’re overthinking, as you realise that your worst case scenario is not so likely to happen and, if it does, it may not be as catastrophic as you thought.

Find a healthy distraction – If you’re stuck in a thought spiral, engage in an activity you enjoy. This may be going for a walk, watching your favourite series, meeting a friend or playing a game. This may take the edge off the overthinking and calm you down enough to see things more clearly after you’ve completed the activity.

Practice meditation – Meditation can be used as a tool to prevent anxiety and overthinking in the first place, as it calms the nervous system and enhances our ability to feel relaxed and less stressed.

Reach out for support – When anxious and overthinking, reach out to someone you trust for support. They may reassure you or help you see the situation differently.

Practice self-compassion – When your overthinking involves going over a mistake you made, or judging something you said, a good dose of self-compassion is needed. You may need to remind yourself that you’re human, that we all make mistakes, or that you’re good enough just the way you are.

Seek therapy – Therapy can increase self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-acceptance, which are all useful in preventing overthinking in the first place.

Know your triggers – Start to notice what situations you overthink and use this as useful information to help prevent it in the first place. For instance, if you know posting something very personal on social media makes you anxious, don’t do it. Prevention is better than cure, as the wise saying goes.

Practice Self-care – A stressed and tired brain is more likely to overthink, so you really want to be taking care of yourself and ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised. This would look like ensuring you get enough sleep, eating nourishing food, exercising regularly, not overworking, and so on.

For anyone who struggles with overthinking, it’s important to remember that reducing your tendency to overthink takes work, time and patience. Being kind and understanding with yourself during the process will help you achieve change in the long-term.