Do you ever feel trapped in a perpetual cycle of thinking? You may notice that you restaged conversations in your head, dissect every detail, or entertain hypothetical thoughts about issues outside your control. It may show up as worrying excessively, thinking about the same event over and over again, or fretting about a situation you fabricated in your mind.
Even though a degree of thinking about something is vital for problem-solving and decision-making, thinking too much can be quite damaging, leading to stress, anxiety, and depression. If you are someone who becomes overwhelmed in a whirl of thoughts, constantly present-focused and thinking about the present, and feel that this thinking is cognitively draining, it is time to stop spiraling. In this blog, we overview the causes of overthinking, and its effects on our mental health, and also share practical tactics to manage it.
Why Do We Think Too Much?
Overthinking occurs when we obsess about thoughts, issues, or decisions, often resulting in uncomfortable feelings of anxiety and stress. It is typically a consequence of being afraid that we will fail, overly perfectionistic, or from our past experiences where we have erred out of cautiousness. The brain is already actively trying to resolve the questions, but when we overthink the situation we can increase the level of confusion, rather than clarity. It can be damaging to listen to negative self-talk, especially if listening to your over-intellectualizing or uncertainty.
Even small selections can feel like daunting decisions. People who experience over-thinking can get “caught” in “what if” scenarios, which appear to always be worst-case scenarios. It can take up mental energy, affecting one’s productivity and overall emotional state. Mindfulness, living in the present, and accepting that the future is unknown can help interrupt the triggering point of overthinking, and possible assistance in constructive decision-making, and attaining overall calmness.
Is Overthinking Classified as a Mental Health Condition?
Although overthinking is not a form of mental health disorder, it may be an expression of one or more mental health disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Overthinking or excessive thinking can become chronic and can lead to excessive worry, rumination, and distress; these mental experiences can be symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or another mental health concern. Both overthinking and excessive thinking can be “normal,” but the chronic state of constant, unregulated thoughts can cause low-level distress and take a toll on mental health and wellness causing stress, chronic stress, fatigue, indecision, or inability to make decisions.
Overthinking becomes an issue when thinking is engaged to a level that disrupts everyday life. Professional help can assist if excessive or chronic overthinking is negatively impacting your overall well being. Receiving help through a professional; mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy practices, or stress management approaches may be helpful in addressing overthinking and teaching practices that can enhance thought processes and relationship to thought to create mental clarity.
The Drawbacks of Over Analyzing
Overthinking can have negative consequences on mental health, emotional health, and physical health. Constantly overanalyzing things adds stress and anxiety and can perpetuate chronic worry. It can also interfere with decision making, making even the simplest choices hard to swallow. Overthinking is also disruptive to sleep, leading to insomnia or low sleep quality. Mentally, many people will feel fatigued and have less energy or focus because it siphons the brain of energy. Similarly, prolonged stress from cyclical thinking can lead to physical ailments like headaches, high blood pressure, and other health issues that exacerbates the cycle.
Effective Strategies to Manage Overthinking
1. Develop Self-Awareness
The first step in managing overthinking, is realizing that you are doing it. Being mindful of your thoughts and becoming aware of the triggers and situations that lead to worrying can be helpful. Writing your thoughts in a journal can allow you to be more insightful about when you are going overboard in analysis and rumination.
2. Challenge Negative Thoughts
People with a tendency to “overthink” often find themselves dealing with cognitive distortions, or irrational thoughts that enhance anxiety. Some cognitive distortions that people may experience include catastrophizing, believing the worst will happen or black-and-white thinking, believing there is either good or bad with nothing in between. Mind-reading is also common, where someone believes that another person is thinking negatively about them, often without any real evidence. If you find yourself thinking in a distorted manner, it is often useful to challenge the cognitive distortion by examining the basis for your thinking. For example, you might ask yourself: What evidence do I have to support this thought? Is there a more balanced way to look at this? What would I tell a friend who had the same thought?
Through the reframing of these negative patterns, an individual can establish a healthier perspective and lessen objectionable cognitive processes. Working with an anxiety therapist in NYC can assist in analyzing and reframing these thought processes, which develops rational and positive thinking for improved mental health.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness means being present, without judging any of your experiences, and can help lessen qualities of overthinking. Methods such as the 5-4-3-2-1 method by noticing different sensory experiences can be grounding for you in the moment. Additionally, mindful breathing, such as breathing, holding , and breathing out, can promote relaxation. Many of the anxiety counselors in NYC incorporate mindfulness into their work with clients, as a way to help clients become more calm, more focused, and better prepare for their next moments for better mental health.
4. Engage in Physical Activity
Exercising helps to clear your mind and lower levels of the stress hormone in your body. Activities such as walking, yoga, running, or dancing can help shift your attention away from overthinking.
5. Seek Professional Help
If excessive thinking is interfering with your daily life, seeking a trained professional will help you deal with it and live your daily life. Anxiety therapists in NYC can help you manage your feelings through evidence-based treatments, even provide some free, easily attainable treatments. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) will help you to reframe your negative thoughts, Exposure Therapy to help reduce avoidance behaviors and fears, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to relax. Therapy can lead to working with specialists, who witness individuals grapple with what it means to cope with by dealing with anxiety.
Daily Routines to Avoid Overanalyzing
You can start your morning with a positive affirmation or you can meditate, whatever suits you best, to put your mind in a calmer space for a few minutes. Journaling is also a great way to transfer thoughts onto paper to get through anxieties and fears and also serve as a good way to think about what the solution may be for issues you are experiencing currently. Recognizing how often you scroll through Facebook and Twitter can help minimize and create distance to little bit the excess information that can create overthinking. All those thoughts, and worries, non-changeable thoughts are no longer demanding your attention if the mind is creating time efficiency because they are not coming up all the time, and it alleviates all those postponed stresses.
Also, getting rest is an important piece to the overthinking model of reframing thoughts and enables time management. Prioritizing a sleep schedule gives your mind a chance to replay activity a little differently, making it easier to avoid overthinking.
Conclusion
Overthinking can feel overwhelming, but it is manageable with the right techniques. When you become aware of your thinking, develop the ability to be aware and mindful of your thinking, get moving, and seek help, you are able to have greater clarity in your mind. If you struggle to manage chronic anxiety and overthink your life, attending anxiety treatment in NYC can be a strong step in managing your mental health and wellbeing. Treatment with an anxiety therapist in NYC will provide you with the measure, insight, and tools that will help you step away from excessive hypotheticals and worrying too much.
References
- “Overthinking Disorder: Is It a Mental Illness?” Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, 17 May 2022, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-overthinking-a-mental-illness
- Heille, Siri, and Siri Kabrick. “Coping with an anxiety disorder tips.” Mayo Clinic Health System, 4 October 2024, https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/11-tips-for-coping-with-an-anxiety-disorder
- “Caring for Your Mental Health – National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).” National Institute of Mental Health, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health
- “Managing Stress | Mental Health.” CDC, 16 August 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/living-with/index.html
