How to stop overthinking
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but anxiety is NORMAL. Despite maybe wanting to eliminate experiencing this, anxiety is a universal emotion that serves a helpful purpose… to alert us to threats. It serves a function to motivate us to act, to prepare, to achieve safety etc.… However, when anxiety and worry become all-consuming and difficult to control, it is worth exploring deeper. Intense worry, anxiety, and rumination can be components of a mental health diagnosis, although not always the case. In this blog post we will review these in more detail, along with strategies to help break the cycle of overthinking.
What causes overthinking?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Common symptoms of GAD include: excessive worry that occurs across multiple life areas including social, occupational functioning etc…, this worry occurs more days than not and the individual finds it challenging to control their worry.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessions are categorized as repeated, persistent and unwanted thoughts, urges or images that are often intrusive in nature and cause distress or anxiety. An individual finds it difficult to disengage from these thoughts, and can sometimes engage in compulsions, or behaviors to decrease intensity of thoughts/urges.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
One of the identifiers of PTSD includes negative alterations in cognitions, such as strong negative thoughts about oneself or the world. Additionally, fears and anxiety about safety may be present and lead to ongoing worry.
Common Thought Processes
Overthinking involves thinking about a topic, event, situation excessively for a long period of time. This could be about something from the past, or in anticipation of the future. Below we describe some common thought processes, that are not always rooted in fact and tend to amplify feelings of worry/anxiety.
All-or-nothing: Viewing things as one thing or the other, in the form of extremes. Examples: you are either a good person or bad person, successful or a failure, competent or incompetent etc…
Catastrophizing: Only considering the worst possible outcome of a situation
Overgeneralizing: Assuming that something will be a certain way based on one (or limited) occurrences of something.
Jumping to conclusions: Assuming the outcome of something without evidence to support the thought.
Mind reading: Making assumptions about what someone else is thinking or feeling, without actual evidence.
Tips for Managing Overthinking
It can be hard to disconnect from these thoughts when it feels we’re being pulled into the overthinking spiral. However, some strategies can be effective in getting distance from these thoughts.
Challenging/reframing
One cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategy involves examining the accuracy of the thought and reframing the thought to something more balanced. Let’s take an example related to jumping to conclusions/mind reading.
Original worry thought--- “I’m so anxious for the party, no one will talk to me and they’ll all think I’m awkward and a loner”
Actual evidence to support this thought--- none, I just feel like it COULD happen
Evidence to dispute this thought--- I know people at the party, I can initiate talking to people, I can’t know for certain what people think about me (they may not think I’m a loner)
Balanced thoughts--- I’m anxious for the party, I will do my best to socialize with others. There is nothing to suggest people will ignore me and view me in this way.
Setting worry time
One strategy involves setting aside specific worry time. Instead of trying to ignore and fight worry altogether, this intervention aims to time-block it, so it does not become excessive. This involves setting aside a short block of time, let’s say 15 minutes, to write down all your worries and possible solutions. If you find yourself engaging in worry and overthinking outside of this set time, remind yourself “I’ll worry about this when it’s time”.
*You may even find as you look back on previous notes that the things you were worried about didn’t wind up happening or weren’t as bad as predicted!
Mindfulness
There are countless research studies confirming the positive impact of mindfulness and in reducing stress. This can involve activities such as body scan (noticing sensations in your body, where you are feeling tension or tightness), breathing (refocusing the breath to achieve paced, steady breathing), or meditation. These are all designed to bring your attention to the present moment and achieve a more relaxed body state. If you find these are difficult to initiate yourself, check out guided exercises or apps to assist you. Remember, mindfulness is a practice, and it takes ongoing efforts to build your mindfulness muscle!
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This is a great strategy to use particularly at nighttime, when many people find they engage in overthinking. This involves targeting various muscle groups and tensing and releasing. The act of counting while you are tensing/releasing, and tense/release action, can promote a relaxed body state and distract the mind. You may then find it a bit easier to initiate sleep and put your worry thoughts to the side.
Seeking Support
If you feel overthinking and worry are causing significant disruptions to your daily living, consulting a mental health professional can be a helpful step. Several evidence-based therapy options are available.