We’ve all been a prisoner to a situation when our minds just won’t let go. One moment, you're going about your day, and the next, you're trapped in a whirlwind of negative thoughts. Suddenly, you devote the entire day to questioning every decision made and every word spoken. 

Overthinking is the silent saboteur of your mental and physical well-being, making you second-guess, stress, and lose sleep over things that often don’t matter. But you're not alone — and in this article, we'll explore how overthinking affects your health and how to break free. ✨💪

What is Overthinking?

Overthinking is when you analyze a situation, thought, or decision far beyond what is necessary or helpful, to the point that it causes stress and hinders your ability to solve problems. 

In other words, the process of overthinking includes repetitive unproductive thought patterns that amplify your worries, fears, and doubts but, obviously, don’t lead to the resolution of those uncomfortable emotions.

You might believe that an overthinker worries only about the worst case scenarios in their head. You’d be wrong — a true overthinker knows that it's not just the future to worry about — there's always the past and the present as well. In the end, it feels like they’re stuck in the endless process of excessive worrying. 

And we all know that when you worry excessively and fall victim to the worst case scenarios in your head, it leads to heightened anxiety and increased stress levels, which, in turn, negatively impact your mental health (and, to be honest, the physical health as well). 

So, here is a short list of the overthinking ‘symptoms’:

• Repetitive thoughts. You ruminate about everything, even the most simple choices or actions. For instance, after a challenging exam, negative thoughts like ‘I’m a total failure’ or ‘Only bad things happen to me’ might pop up in your head and refuse to leave it for days 😟
• Excessive self-doubt". You might be constantly replaying conversations or events in your head thinking what you could have said or done differently.
• Difficulty making decisions. Meet the notorious analysis paralysis — when you overthink to the point where you’re unable to make a decision, even if it’s a simple daily decision like choosing between a cappuccino or latte in a coffee shop.
• Imagining all the worst case scenarios in your head. You picture every possible negative outcome, even when there’s no real evidence that such a thing might happen. Let’s say you’ve found your dream job. Instead of enjoying it, you suddenly get that impostor syndrome and start excessively worrying that you might get fired, though in reality, there is no evidence for that AT ALL.
• Dwelling on past mistakes. Can you really let go of the last time you failed an exam or a job interview?
• Excessive worrying. No wonder overthinking is often a symptom of generalized anxiety disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 🤔 You might tend to overthink the smallest of the details. For instance, you might obsess about whether you locked the door or double-check your email for typos multiple times. 

Here is how overthinking differs from healthy reflection

You might think that everyone worries, and you’d be right to think so. But not everyone worries in a way that ruins their mental or physical well being. What differentiates those who healthily reflect and those who overthink? 

Well, it all starts with perception. The sad fact is that overthinkers are often stuck in all or nothing thinking, a cognitive distortion when you view situations, events, or people in extremes. Also, overthinking sometimes pairs up with catastrophizing or excessive generalization. For an overthinker, there is often no middle ground or nuances. 

Imagine you had a pretty unpleasant conversation with your colleague or friend. A healthy ‘reflectionist’ would take some time to think about the exchange and analyze what went wrong (and why) and what can be improved. Their inner dialogue is focused on which steps they can take to find the best solution and handle similar situations in the future. 

Meanwhile, an overthinker would replay the conversation over and over in their head, focusing on every word they said and didn’t say. Perhaps, they’d even blame themselves too much. In the end, an overthinker is deep down in stress and anxiety, unable to make peace with the situation — very unproductive, right?

For those who think that overthinking isn’t a big deal, just check out the overthinking impact on well-being 👇

Mental Health Effects of Overthinking

Overthinking is NOT the root cause of mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. And it also isn't a separate mental illness. However, it definitely fuels the cycle. When you dwell on that scary worst-case scenario and can’t keep those persistent negative thoughts on a leash, your feelings of fear, stress, and worry skyrocket. As a result, your anxiety intensifies.

What about the link between overthinking and depression? Well, all those destructive thought patterns can amplify the feeling of hopelessness, unworthiness, and isolation that are traditionally ranked as depression symptoms 😞 All in all, overthinking sabotages your self-beliefs and a problem solving ability. 

A few more things that you can experience because of the overthinking habit is cognitive overload and decision fatigue. Let us explain.

Cognitive overload happens when your brain gets bombarded with too many thoughts or worries at once. This state is linked to the working memory overload. Your habit of overthinking (we don’t blame you for that, please don’t get us wrong) feeds your mind with endless concerns, doubts, and scenarios that need resolving. And because there are toooo many things on your plate, your brain can’t fully process them all. 

In the end, you feel mentally exhausted. Ironically, the more you try to get into the problem solving mode and anticipate the worst case scenario, the harder it becomes to think clearly or stay focused.

Here is a quick math: too much cognitive overload equals decision fatigue — when you worry a lot each time you have to make a decision. Even deciding on what to eat or which route to take might feel like too much as you’re scared to make the wrong choice. 

This fatigue leads to procrastination, indecision, or making poor choices just to escape the mental strain. 

Now let’s find out other consequences that overthinking leads to. 

Physical Health Impacts of Overthinking

The link between overthinking and health, whether mental or physical, is undeniable. Yes, we said physical because when you’re worrying too much, your body pays the price. 

Chronic worrying and overthinking puts your body into hypervigilance, a state when you're constantly on high alert for threats, even when there's no real danger. 

When you’re constantly worrying and second guessing, your body remains in a prolonged state of physiological stress. You might not realize it in the moment, but the long-term effects are pretty tangible: 

• Headaches
• Muscle tension
• Sleep problems
• Heart problems
• High blood pressure
• Digestive issues
• Fatigue
• Weakened immune system

❗ If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s not just in your head — they are very real physical reactions to stress.

Stress and Overthinking: Hormonal Imbalances

If you look closely, you’ll find those physical effects of overthinking everywhere in your body, particularly, your hormones. 

Why? Because prolonged worry and anxiety activate the body's stress responce, leading to increased production of hormones such as cortisol.

Cortisol can actually be a good thing because short bursts of cortisol, paired with adrenaline, help you react to immediate threats. This mechanism is a part of 'fight-or-flight' response. But, too much of a good thing is harmful. In the long term, if left unmanaged, high cortisol levels lead to:

• Compromised immune system
• Disruption of other hormones, such as thyroid hormones and insulin
• Weight gain
• Sleep disturbances
• Mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression
• Muscle weakness
• Higher risk of a heart attack

Unfortunately, overthinkers often find themselves in a loop — the more an overthinker worries, the more their body produces cortisol. But the good news is that one can stop overthinking and excessive worrying with a few coping strategies, including therapy. 

Strategies to Overcome Overthinking

❗ Research suggests that 91.4% of your worries will never materialize. There was a study where participants were asked to track their worries and revisit them a month later: 91.4% of their worries never came true. And the remaining 8.6%? Well, they did materialize, but with way better outcomes than the participants had expected. 

Anyway, here are a few coping strategies we suggest you try. 

Mindfulness Techniques

#1: Meditation

When negative thoughts consume your mind, especially those related to your past, mindfulness practices, such as meditation, can help you stay grounded in the present moment. 

On a biological level, meditation (and generally mindfulness practices) lowers cortisol levels, slows your heart rate, and promotes muscle relaxation. 

Here is a short guide to a very simple meditation:

• Find a distraction-free environment and sit or lie down comfortably
• Close your eyes
• Breathe deeply through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth — the key is to focus on your breath without letting your mind wander
• Aim for 2-5 minutes and gradually increase the duration 

#2: Deep breathing exercises

Deep (diaphragmatic) breathing exercises help your body relax and can even increase oxygen in your blood flow in case you had them lower than normal. 

And here is a simple 4-4-6 breathing exercise that you can add to your meditation session that we’ve offered you above.

• Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
• Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four, allowing your belly to rise.
• Hold your breath for a count of four.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of six.

If the exercise feels like a challenge, simply focus on your breath and work on slowing it down.

#3: Body scans

A body scan is a mindfulness exercise that encourages you to focus on the physical sensations in your body. 

By the way, you can add body scans to meditation as well.

Similar to meditation, you’ll have to lie down or sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, and bring your attention to each part of your body, one at a time. Start at the top of your head and gradually work your way down to your toes, moving from one muscle group to another and noticing any tension along the way.

🧘‍♂️ Pro Tip: If you’re a beginner, apps like Insight Timer are a great way to start and look for guided meditations, deep breathing exercises, and body scans so you don’t feel too overwhelmed as a newbie.

Cognitive-Behavioral Exercises

You’ve probably heard of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a practical, evidence-based approach used to treat anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and other mental illness types. 

A mental health professional who specializes in CBT can help you identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors to improve your mental health and build coping skills that you can use in daily life. A professional CBT specialist teaches their clients to work with evidence, estimate alternative interpretations, and form a more adaptive way of thinking.

Here are a few examples of CBT-inspired exercises.

1. Thought records (journaling)

Remember that study we talked about? You can try the same approach! Write down your worries in a journal and revisit them in a month — which ones actually came true? 

When writing them down, describe the situation that triggered overthinking, the thoughts that followed, and the evidence for and against these thoughts. 

You’d be surprised to find that only a tiny fraction of your fears came true — if any at all.

2. Problem solving exercise

When you overthink, you disconnect from reality, catastrophize, and struggle to take action or make decisions.

• Define the problem clearly.
• List all possible solutions (even unrealistic ones).
• Weigh the pros and cons of each option.
• Choose one solution to try and take action.

This will help you stay in the present moment rather than fall into the trap of catastrophizing future outcomes.

3. Cognitive reframing

Here is another way to challenge those racing thoughts. When triggered, write down the first thought that pops into your head and change it with a healthier and more balanced one. 

For instance, instead of thinking, “They ignored my message because they don’t like me,” try considering, “They might be busy or haven’t seen it yet.”

✨ Anyway, that was a quick glimpse into CBT. You can learn more about these exercises, but we really do advise you to ask for professional help if overthinking feels like an elephant in the room you can’t ignore in your daily life.

Final thoughts

Overthinking may feel like an unstoppable storm in your mind, but it doesn’t have to control your life. 

With mindfulness practices, structured exercises, and perhaps professional guidance, you can stop overthinking (or, better to say, identify the patterns of overthinking and timely manage it).

Remember, most of all the things you fear are unlikely to happen, and those that do are often far less daunting than imagined. You’ve got this 😉

References

Flaherty, A., et al. (2022). Treatment of overthinking: A multidisciplinary approach to rumination and obsession spectrum. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Retrieved fromhttps://legacy.psychiatrist.com/jcp/treatment-of-overthinking-a-multidisciplinary-approach/

LaFreniere LS, Newman MG. Exposing Worry's Deceit: Percentage of Untrue Worries in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Treatment. Behav Ther. 2020 May;51(3):413-423. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2019.07.003. Epub 2019 Jul 17. PMID: 32402257; PMCID: PMC7233480.

Lee, J., Waldeck, D., Holliman, A. J., Banerjee, M., & Tyndall, I. (2022). Feeling socially anxious at university: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Qualitative Report, 27(4), 897–919. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5270

Rahman, D. (2023). Powerful tactics to stop overthinking and increase self-assurance. BDJ In Practice, 36(3), 24–25.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-023-2050-6

Tang, P., Pavlopoulou, G., Kostyrka-Allchorne, K. et al. Links between mental health problems and future thinking from the perspective of adolescents with experience of depression and anxiety: a qualitative study. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health17, 143 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-023-00679-8