Planning ahead seems like good sense—preparation should improve outcomes. Unfortunately for those of us with moderate to severe mental illness like depression and anxiety, preparation has a way of sliding from forethought to thought consumption.

If overthinking has taken over your life, making every decision feel like a potential disaster waiting to happen, you’re stuck in a mental loop that’s draining your energy. The urge to plan for every possible outcome feels like a survival strategy, but in reality, it’s just an illusion of control. Your mind is tricking you into believing that relentless preparation is the only thing keeping chaos at bay.

But that never-ending mental chess game isn’t protecting you—it’s exhausting you. And more often than not, it’s completely unnecessary.

Overthinking Feels Productive, But It’s Not

Overthinking is sneaky. It makes you believe that if you just analyze a situation enough, you’ll find the perfect way to handle it. It convinces you that preparing for every possible outcome is the only reason things haven’t gone wrong yet.

But the reality is, most of the things you stress about won’t even happen. Studies suggest that about 90% of what we worry about never comes to pass. That means most of the mental energy you spend on overthinking is wasted on things that don’t actually need your attention.

The Mechanic Metaphor: Paying Too Much for Peace of Mind

Imagine every time your car made a weird noise, you handed your mechanic $10,000 just to make sure it got fixed. Sure, your car would always be in working order, but you’d be draining your resources way beyond what’s necessary. Overthinking works the same way. You’re paying with your time, your energy, and your mental well-being, just to cover every possible contingency—most of which don’t even need that level of planning.

Breaking Free from Overthinking

The good news? You can break the cycle. It takes practice, but there are real, actionable ways to step out of overthinking and reclaim your time and peace of mind.

Skillful Distractions

You can’t just tell your brain to stop thinking about something. That’s not how it works. But you can redirect your thoughts by giving them something else to focus on. Watching funny videos, playing a game, or even engaging in a hobby forces your brain to shift gears. It doesn’t erase the worries, but it squeezes them into a smaller space, making them less overwhelming.

Mindfulness: Bringing Yourself Back to the Present

Overthinking thrives on hypothetical disasters. Mindfulness pulls you back into reality. When you feel yourself spiraling, ask: What is actually happening right now? Most of the time, the answer is: nothing bad. You’re just sitting at your desk. You’re driving home. You’re making dinner. The real moment you’re in is usually fine, and recognizing that can take the power away from future-based fears.

Set a Time Limit for Worrying

If overthinking is going to happen anyway, put boundaries on it. Give yourself 15 minutes to let your mind run wild. Set a timer. Panic, stress, plan—go all in. But when that timer goes off, you stop. You move on to something else. This strategy retrains your brain to realize that you don’t need hours of ruminating to be prepared.

You’re Capable of Handling What Comes Next

Overthinking is like being your own overprotective helicopter parent. It makes you believe you’re not capable of handling life as it comes. But you are. You’ve handled hard things before, and you’ll handle them again. You don’t need to pre-solve every problem to survive. And when you let go, even just a little, you’ll find there’s more room for the good moments, the real moments, the ones worth living for.

In the video below, I'll show you three quick, practical techniques to break free from overthinking patterns. These methods will help you reclaim your mental space and find more joy in the present moment.

-Scott

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How To Stop Overthinking: 3 Quick Ways