How to Stop Overthinking: Your Path to Mental Peace

Welcome to Restored Minds, where we dive into topics to help you on your journey to mental wellness. In today's post, we'll explore how to stop overthinking, and why overthinking is often a compulsion, especially in the context of OCD and anxiety. You might be overthinking because you're trying to resolve feelings you don't like, but understanding this process can help you start your journey to peace.

Why Do We Overthink?

Overthinking is a common term that encompasses ruminating and analyzing. Essentially, it’s our mind's way of attempting to resolve an issue, often either external or internal. But why do we do it? As explained by Matt, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Restored Minds, we overthink because we believe resolving the issue will change our emotional state.

For example, imagine you text someone you care about, and they don’t respond promptly. You might start to worry, and your mind begins exploring all the terrible things that could have happened. This fear and worry come from disliking the feeling of uncertainty and projecting that into worst-case scenarios.

The Root Cause of Overthinking

Fear is the primary emotion driving overthinking. Fear exists in the body as an energy, often felt in the chest and stomach. We project this energy onto external concerns, hoping that resolving these external factors will diminish the internal fear. However, this projection is essentially an attempt to escape our emotional states by disassociating from them.

People who constantly live in their heads often find themselves disconnected from their bodily experiences. Being caught in the loop of overthinking prevents engagement with one's actual physical and emotional states.

How to Stop Overthinking: Face Your Emotions

Matt emphasizes that stopping overthinking involves going to the core of what you are trying to escape—your emotions. Confronting fear is not about addressing external issues but about engaging with the bodily experience of fear itself.

Being conscious of what and where you’re feeling fear in your body, and dropping the resistance to this experience, is key. Many people mistakenly think they’re confronting fear by ruminating on the projection of their fears. In reality, they're avoiding the true source of their discomfort: their immediate emotional state.

Practical Steps to Confront Fear

1. Acknowledge Your Fear: Recognize that fear exists in your body. Pinpoint where you feel it and what sensation it brings.

2. Stop Projecting: Understand that overthinking is a defense mechanism and an escape from dealing with the emotional state.

3. Stay Present: Fear exists in the present moment. Your role is to be fully present with the fear in your body, without projecting it onto past or future events.

4. Drop Resistance: Instead of battling the emotion, allow yourself to feel it. Dropping resistance can lead to the release of these emotions.

Conclusion

Overthinking isn't the primary issue—it's a symptom of resisting and escaping your emotional state. By directly confronting your feared emotions, you reduce the need for overthinking. This awareness can dramatically change how you manage anxiety and OCD, moving you toward a more peaceful mental state.

Remember, healing starts with understanding and acknowledging your emotions rather than escaping them. Here’s to your mental peace!