Megan (not her actual name) walked into my office visibly upset and frustrated. As soon as she sat down, she said tearfully, “I cannot get a break! I just keep thinking and thinking until I cannot think anymore and I end up sleeping to avoid overthinking. But immediately I wake up, the thinking picks up. What do I do? Please help me! I’m tired!”
After holding space for Megan to express herself, I helped her regulate. Afterward, we began exploring the overthinking in detail to identify causal and maintaining factors. We established that Megan’s overthinking was her way of avoiding mistakes and ensuring that she does everything perfectly. Megan had set an unattainable standard for herself that was practically impossible to accomplish despite her efforts.
With this realization, Megan knew what she needed to do to minimize her overthinking. But this was not sufficient on its own. I needed to equip her with the skills to reduce the overthinking as she worked towards resolving the root cause. The first step was for Megan to label the overthinking immediately it starts.
Every time Megan started overthinking, she would say, “I am overthinking.” Then she would shift her attention from her thoughts to the here and now. For this part, we used a grounding technique of her choice: she chose to take a very cold bottle of water and hold it for some time. This activity helped interrupt the overthinking.
Lastly, Megan assessed whether her thinking (in that present moment) was helpful. Were her thoughts helping or making things worse? In this case, she established that they were making things worse, so she made a conscious effort to stop overthinking. And just like any other type of change, it took consistency and intentional effort for Megan to reduce her overthinking.
If you relate to Megan’s experience and find yourself caught in cycles of overthinking, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Therapy can help you understand what may be contributing to your overthinking and develop strategies that are tailored to your unique situation. If you would like support, you are welcome to book a session and we can explore your experiences together.
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