Research recently published in Forbes found that a staggering 73% of 25-35 year olds and 52% of 45-55 year olds are chronic over thinkers. Overthinking can be defined as “putting too much time into thinking about or analysing (something) in a way that is more harmful than helpful.” Overthinking has been proven to increase your chances of depression, disrupt your sleep and cause fatigue; so it’s easy to see how this trait can be detrimental to our quality of life.
As a Transformational Mindset Coach, I frequently see that overthinking is a major concern for clients navigating life transitions and periods of uncertainty. Today, we have more options available to us than ever and these are often presented before us in all their glory across social media. Unlike previous generations, we now compare ourselves not only to those in our close circle, but also to thousands of strangers worldwide. This creates the illusion of countless possible lives ahead, making each decision feel like a loss of all the others.
The neuroscience of overthinking: a survival mechanism gone awry
It’s helpful to understand the neuroscience behind overthinking. The brain’s ultimate goal is to keep us alive. And so, overthinking is a by-product of the brain trying to come up with as many different outcomes as possible to ensure that we are emotionally and physically prepared for any eventuality. However, our brains are essentially tricking us into believing that the more we think about a problem, the closer we’ll get to an answer. But this is in fact a fallacy as the more we think about a problem, the more we generate unrealistic hypotheticals. This often leads us towards a place of ‘analysis paralysis’ where we are unable to make a decision as we are caught up in the worst case scenario.
The connection between overthinking and our need for control
When faced with life decisions such as switching careers, moving cities or ending a relationship, the brain works overtime to become certain about a situation. Seeking certainty is essentially seeking control over your future, so your brain can anticipate and protect against potential threats to your survival. However, as none of us have the ability to see into the future, the brain will never be able to find that certainty.
The closest way you can have full control or certainty in life is by doing nothing and staying in the same situation, but then you’ll go nowhere. It is why so often, people stay stuck in their ‘familiar hell’ to avoid the uncertainty of an ‘unfamiliar heaven’. However, operating within the space of uncertainty is essentially where the magic in life exists. It’s where we are living outside the comfort zone and it’s where growth happens.
Breaking the cycle of overthinking: practical strategies to rewire your brain
Although you might currently identify as an over thinker, know that there is something you can do about it. Due to neuroplasticity, the brain’s inherent ability to change through growth and reorganisation, we are able to rewire our neural pathways. The brain is like a muscle that needs to be exercised; so the more you fight your overthinking instincts, the easier it will be to prevent this tendency.
Here are some of the key ways you can create a circuit-breaker in the brain next time you notice your mind start to overthinking:
- Movement
- Get out of your mind and into your body through exercise, going for a walk (bonus points for getting out into nature) or do some light stretching and connect to the physical sensations of the body. This should help shift some energy and help you to feel more grounded in the present.
- Write it down
- Brain dump everything that’s going round in your head. Sometimes, seeing the source of your overthinking in black and white reduces its impact and stops rumination. Also, writing slows down the brain as we can think a lot faster than we can write, so this allows us to feel more in control of our thoughts.
- Rank your potential outcomes
- If you find yourself overanalysing potential outcomes, you can rank them in terms of which are most likely to happen. Often you’ll find that the scariest hypotheticals are the least likely to happen. You can also reflect on the last time you overthought a situation and whether the worst scenario actually happened. In the vast majority of cases it doesn’t, and this then teaches and reinforces for the brain that the worst case scenario is rarely the outcome we experience.
- Rationally sit with the fear
- If you can capture the root cause of your fears, it allows you to understand the different parts of that fear and rationally address them. For example: if you want to move cities but you have the fear “what if I hate it and regret my decision to move” – the worst case scenario is that you could hate it but it’s not a one way decision, so you can always move back. You have options. Alternatively, you could love it and it could be the best idea you’ve ever had. But you’ll never know unless you try.
- Set time to ‘overthink’
- Sounds counterintuitive, but if you can guarantee yourself the time e.g. 1 hour to overthink, this minimises the time and space you give to rumination. It creates a container for your overthinking so you can prevent it taking over your every waking thought. You can even set an alarm to keep yourself accountable. If you notice your mind start to connect to your overthinking topic outside of that time, you can put the brakes on and remind yourself to park for later.
- Distraction
- Call a friend, put on your favourite uplifting song or if you find yourself spiralling you actually ask your brain ‘what’s my next thought’ – you’ll find that your mind will go blank and this will bring you back to the present moment.
Mind over matter: shifting from reflection to action
Understanding that overthinking is a very normal, by-product of our brain trying to ensure our survival enables us to be more compassionate towards ourselves. It also gives us the ability to do something about it. We can train our brains like a muscle with a variety of tools which act as a circuit breaker. The first step is awareness, so if you’re reading this article you’re already on your way to taking back some control over your thought processes. Navigating uncertainty is a fact of life which we’ll all experience – it’s essentially living life outside of the comfort zone. The more you can reframe uncertainty as an opportunity for growth, the more empowered you will be in taking steps towards a life that feels more aligned to you.
My final parting advice is to take action. The opposite of overthinking is action. So choose a direction and start moving towards it. Often you’ll find that it becomes a lot easier when you’re doing something about the problem rather than just thinking about it constantly. If you need support taking action, please reach out by booking a free discovery call, and we can discuss how I can help.