From Overthinking to Calm Thinking: How to Rewire Your Brain for Peace

Overthinking is referred to as rumination. It’s when you dwell on the same thought or situation repeatedly to the point that it disrupts life. There are two possibilities in overthinking: rumination about past experiences or worrying about future events.

Overthinking often arises as anticipation for future events, based on analyzing past experiences. For some people, it develops as a protective blueprint to avoid future problems. It involves repetitive and obsessive thoughts, which seem like a loop.

Basic human thoughts are driven by biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sex. This need sends signals to the brain; the brain executes actions that originate from instincts. When the human brain evolves to address safety needs, it begins to identify threats and predict future outcomes to avoid danger. Over time, the brain continues to apply protective thinking to prevent danger. If this loops, it involves worry, rumination, perfectionism, and fear. 

Overthinking can affect how you experience and engage with the world around you, preventing you from making important decisions, enjoying the present moment, and draining the energy needed to handle daily stressors. — Dr. Fowler. 

“Studies show that ruminating on stressful events can, over time, lead to anxiety and depression,” warns Dr. Fowler. “From a mental health standpoint, anxiety can affect your ability to cope with everyday stressors, and depression results in sadness, loneliness, and feelings of emptiness.” Overthinking can be caused by various factors, such as anxiety, stress, fear of failure, lack of control, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic disorder, and information overload.

There are four types of overthinking, which involve:

• All-or-nothing thinking: This occurs when an extreme situation happens—something can only be entirely success or failure.

• Catastrophizing: This occurs when one believes that the worst thing will happen again, creating an unrealistic perception of the world.

• Generalizing: For example, if you fail a broad exam, you might generalize that you will fail all future exams, despite having passed most exams in your lifetime.

• Perfectionism: Setting high expectations of oneself can be destructive, leading to obsession over perceived mistakes or flaws. This can make you more self-critical, causing over-analysis of past experiences or outcomes.

Overthinkers often feel paralysis, struggling to act or execute due to low energy and fatigue. When overthinking becomes persistent, it disrupts sleep patterns, causes hormonal imbalances, leads to work procrastination, low self-esteem, and produces high cortisol levels, which create distress and somatic stress. Prolonged overthinking requires professional help.

Overthinking is highly comorbid with anxiety, depression, rumination, and stress-related conditions, forming a complex pattern as a dysfunctional coping mechanism for uncertainty. While worry focuses on future challenges, rumination involves a repetitive cycle of thoughts about past experiences or present problems. It mainly centers on negative thoughts, which worsen mood.

Most of us think that overthinking can help us prepare for bad events. Yes, to some extent (acting as a prediction), but most of the time, it causes emotional distress. To break this loop, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used, which helps reframe unhelpful thought patterns into helpful ones. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on reducing overthinking by accepting thoughts instead of distancing from them and changing the relationship with them (reframing).

Deep breathing can help attain full breaths, calm the nervous system, reduce blood pressure, and lower stress. Grounding techniques that engage the senses, by shifting distressed thoughts away and focusing on the present or physical movement can interrupt the cycle of rumination and worry.

Mindfulness and meditation reduce overthinking by training the brain to observe racing thoughts and allowing them to pass without judgment. Over time, this creates space between the thinker and the thoughts. Limiting reflection time by setting a specific time (10 to 15 minutes) can help manage overthinking. This conscious awareness helps redirect thoughts and essentially prevents rumination.

Overthinking is considered a habit or learned behavior, not an innate trait, often stemming from childhood experiences stored in the unconscious mind. These thoughts can be changed through therapy and techniques. When overthinking becomes chronic and affects daily activities, it is advisable to seek help from mental health professionals.