What would you give to stop overthinking?

Overthinking, underthinking… What happened to just “thinking”?

Through my experience, market research, and conversations with friends, I’ve come to believe that overthinking is an epidemic.

I know I should use the word “epidemic” lightly, but honestly, overthinking feels like a widespread disease these days, one that can affect our health.

“Disease” is defined as “a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that has a known cause and a distinctive group of symptoms, signs, or anatomical changes” or “a particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people.” If you’ve been plagued by analyzing something until becoming paralyzed by it, I’m sure you’re overthinking how these definitions define what happens when you overthink.

But what is the “healthy” structure or function of our thinking minds? This answer is different for everyone, and I urge you to consider what it means to you. For me, it reflects being present, grateful, clear, empathetic, and open… leading to a healthy pattern of thinking: Focused on what I’m doing at that moment, actively listening when someone is talking, and aware of any thoughts, feelings, or sensations that may be moving through my mind trying to catch my attention.

We can do a range of things (daily at best) to help prevent and stop overthinking — meditation, walking, working out, journaling, calling a friend, stepping outside of our comfort zones, etc. But here are a couple of methods that may not be on your radar:

Turn on music

Especially the songs with lyrics you want to pay attention to. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a Lainey Wilson song stuck in my head than a loopy thought pattern.

Consider this…

Imagine how a dog may throw up and then later visit his own barf to have a taste. I know this is disgusting, but I heard it somewhere once in relation to returning over and over again to the same thought. Next time you notice yourself ruminating, regard those thoughts you want to let go of as the vomit and yourself as the dog.

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Apologies for leaving you with this image, but I hope it helps you put some thoughts to rest amid overthinking. And if not, maybe it will at least bring you some giggles.

More thoughts on thinking from Healthline.