Overthinking is often a symptom of anxiety, but it’s something anyone can experience. It comes in many forms: It could look like rumination, excessive planning or seeking reassurance. It may be rooted in self-consciousness, people pleasing or perfectionism. Most of the time, overthinking takes you out of the present moment to ruminate about the past or worry about the future. There are mindfulness practices and self-care strategies that can help you proactively reduce overthinking, such as meditation and positive affirmations. There are also coping skills you can use to stop overthinking in its tracks, such as grounding techniques and thought labeling.

It takes practice to proactively improve self-confidence, recognize when you’re overthinking and cope with stressors. In this article, we’ll share eight tools you can use to start reducing overthinking today. 

8 thought-management tools that can reduce overthinking

Trying to suppress or stop your thoughts may not be helpful — and shaming yourself is likely to make you feel worse. Thought management techniques are about understanding your thoughts and looking at them objectively. Some of the techniques in this list are taken from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In this treatment modality, a therapist helps you reflect on your own thoughts, learn to recognize patterns and build up skills for managing them yourself. 

Try using the following thought-management tools to combat overthinking:

• Thought labeling 

Thought labeling is identifying and categorizing different types of thoughts. Recognizing and naming your thoughts as the voice of anxiety speaking, overthinking or cognitive distortions can help take some of their power away. Cognitive distortions are common biased thought patterns we use as a form of self-protection — that ultimately aren’t very helpful. For example, black-and-white thinking and catastrophizing are cognitive distortions. 

• The five-minute rule and worry scheduling

Setting time limits for processing concerns can help you keep them from dominating your thoughts. When you notice yourself starting to overthink or ruminate about a problem, set a timer for five minutes and allow yourself to fully engage with those thoughts during that time. You can worry, analyze, problem-solve or think through the issue as much as you want, but only for those five minutes. That doesn’t mean you can never come back to it. It just means you won’t let it derail your day. Alternatively, you can contain your worries by scheduling 10 or 15 minutes during the day to pay attention to them. 

• Cognitive defusion techniques 

Cognitive defusion techniques are strategies taken from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) that allow you to gain some distance from your thoughts. You might sing your thoughts in a silly voice or choose a word to repeat over and over again until it loses its meaning. Or you might picture your thoughts as leaves floating down a stream, literally moving away from you.

• Grounding exercises 

Grounding exercises are a way to bring your attention back to the present moment and move from your head into your body. Some grounding exercises can be done sitting still, such as holding an object and focusing on how it feels in your hands. You can also use movement to get grounded. For instance, you can pair breathing and movement to reconnect with your body: Raise your arms up as you take a deep breath in, and then float them down on the exhale.

• Journaling 

Writing down and examining your thought patterns or keeping a record of them can help you manage overthinking in a few different ways. For one thing, it gets the thoughts out of your head and into physical form. Making a to-do list or a note to self can act as a placeholder so you don’t forget to take care of something. Looking back on your records later on can help you see where you were overthinking and compare your thoughts to the actual results.

• Distraction techniques 

When your worries are out of control, distraction techniques can help you focus your mind on something else. Try doing a crossword puzzle, playing a game of Tetris or seeing how many words you can come up with that start with the letter A. 

• Progressive problem-solving 

If you’re worrying about something that you have some control over, try breaking it down into smaller parts. Determine what actionable steps you can take to relieve your anxious thoughts.

• Mindful observation 

Another way to detach yourself from your thoughts is observing them without judgment or engagement. Find a quiet spot and see what happens when you just let your thoughts be without getting emotionally entangled or trying to find a solution.

When to get help for overthinking

If your overthinking is causing you distress or getting in the way of life activities, you may benefit from mental health treatment. Overthinking is something virtually everyone experiences from time to time. It can also be a symptom of treatable conditions like social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). You don’t have to have one of these conditions to seek treatment, however. Outpatient therapy can be helpful for overthinking related to stressful life events or transitions.

Working with a licensed clinician can help you address underlying causes of overthinking and learn to manage anxious thoughts independently. Thought management isn’t about stopping thoughts completely, but learning to engage with them in ways that support rather than undermine your well-being.

At Lightfully, our licensed clinicians provide personalized mental health treatment for the whole person. We help our clients build up skills, resources and positives in their lives to become more resilient to problems like overthinking. Our clinicians use a framework called Precision Care Model (PCM) to help each person find ways to manage their thoughts, emotions, behaviors and relationships. 

Are you looking for help managing overactive thoughts? We can help. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team.