5 Things You’ll Find Yourself Doing If You’re an Over-Thinker and Exactly How to Stop

Ruminating, worrying, stewing: There are a number of ways to describe overthinking. If your brain continually goes round and round in a circle, chances are you’re dealing with a case of overthinking. While it’s an extremely common trait, it can be pretty tiring — especially when it seems neverending.

According to mental strength trainer, author and speaker, Amy Morin, there are two types of overthinking — one involves ruminating on the past, while the other focuses on worrying about the future. “Overthinking involves dwelling on how bad you feel and thinking about all the things you have no control over. It won’t help you develop new insight,” Morin wrote for Thrive Global.

And, unlike self-reflection, which is undoubtedly healthy, overthinking doesn’t enhance your life. There are a number of ways to tell if you’re overthinking certain situations (or just life in general) and these include:

• You relive embarrassing moments in your head
• You regularly experience repetitive thoughts
• You spend a lot of time thinking about the hidden meaning in things that have happened
• You rehash conversations with people over in your mind
• You worry a lot about things that are out of your control

While it’s not an exhaustive list, it is some of the most common qualities experienced by those who regularly overthink. If any of these sounds like you, it might prove helpful to engage in some behaviours that work to relieve this ruminating, which is both fruitless and frustrating.

Schedule time to worry

It might sound odd but it could prove useful for some to set aside worry time. You’re never going to be able to fully banish worry from your mind (you’re only human, after all), so scheduling specific time to do so allows you to focus on your concerns, think about them and then let them go.

Write it out

Freewriting or journalling is an extremely useful tool for getting your thoughts and concerns out on paper. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck in an overthinking spiral, grab out your journal or some paper and jot it all down. It doesn’t even have to make sense, but just letting it move from your mind to the paper can help create some distance from the thoughts.

Give meditation a go

While it might feel that meditation is often lauded as a fix for a number of woes, it can really help when it comes to overthinking. Meditation and mindfulness helps to calm your thoughts, and when performed at the same time each day, can train your brain to chill at that time. For example, meditating before bed can help quiet your thoughts before sleep.

According to Healthline, meditation can help quiet intrusive thoughts and offers a small amount of time where your mind can rest so it’s worth giving it a go. If you have trouble meditating on your own, try an app like Headspace or follow a guided meditation video on YouTube.