If you’re searching “what is overthinking,” chances are you’ve been told you’re “overthinking it” or you feel like you’re thinking too much. You might be wondering if you need to stop your thoughts or if something is wrong with you.
And when you look up “overthinking,” most definitions describe it as “repetitively dwell on the same thought or situation over and over.” You’ll be given the advice to reduce or stop your thoughts, usually by distracting yourself or meditating.
But those “fixes” don’t work and overthinking is more than it’s made out to be. So let’s stop the exhausting cycle. In this article, you’ll learn:
- What overthinking actually is
- Where overthinking comes from
- Why overthinking is bad for your mental health
- How to tell if your overthinking thoughts are true
- How to stop overthinking
The Word “Overthinking”
Since we hear it so often you might assume overthinking has always been “a thing,” but the term only gained popularity a few decades ago.
It is part of the toxic trend of labeling things on over/under scales. Like saying someone is “overreacting,” or “over” emotional. It’s a vague, unhelpful judgment that often causes more harm than good.
Labeling your thoughts as “overthinking” gets you stuck. It traps you into judging your thinking based on an imaginary “right amount” of thought. The word itself adds mental noise instead of solving the problem.
Instead of asking “Am I overthinking?” it’s more useful to ask, “Are my thoughts helping or working for me?”
What Overthinking Really Is: Unproductive Thinking
Most of what people call “overthinking” is unproductive thinking.
Unproductive thinking is when your thoughts spiral without direction. You loop over the same ideas without reaching conclusions or taking useful action. You feel trapped in your mind, often trying to escape your thoughts rather than using them.
By contrast, productive thinking moves you forward. Productive thoughts:
- Focus on your goals
- Open you up to new perspectives
- Help you take action
- Strengthen your mindset
If your thinking were productive, you wouldn’t need to “stop” it—you’d be using it to work for you.
For example:
- Unproductive thinking after a social event: Replaying conversations, analyzing what you said, obsessing over mistakes.
- Productive thinking:
- Recognizing everyone makes small social mistakes
- Reflecting on how to improve communication next time
- Noticing what went well
- Feeling proud for showing up and socializing
- Unproductive thinking at night: Replaying that embarrassing thing you did or mistake you made.
- Productive thinking:
- Recognizing that replaying the past when you are trying to sleeep is not helpful
- Reflecting on how you would ideally respond if there is a next time
- Focusing on getting sleep instead of the past
Productive thinking doesn’t mean lying to yourself, ignoring your feelings, or pretending everything is perfect. It means acknowledging reality while choosing thoughts that help you move forward. So if you go through a stressful event, you wouldn’t say “everything is perfect,” but you would work on accepting that things aren’t ideal right now and focus on what you can do to make them a little easier.
Where Overthinking Comes From
Overthinking doesn’t come from a character flaw. It comes from:
- Lack of mental health education
- Invalidating thinking habits taught by society
- Fear of making mistakes or being judged
- A misunderstanding of how the mind works (especially believing you need to “control” or “stop” thoughts)
- Low self-confidence
Once you understand where overthinking comes from, you can stop blaming yourself and start making real changes.
Why Excessive Thinking Is Bad
If you’re reading this article you likely already know why overthinking is bad news. Besides frustration, overthinking keeps you stuck in indecision, anxiety, and shame. It leads to:
- Decision paralysis
- Higher stress levels
- Worsened mental health
- Damaged relationships (because you’re second-guessing yourself and others)
- Feeling stuck
If left unchecked, chronic overthinking can even contribute to serious health issues. (Learn more: “Can Overthinking Kill You?”)
Are Overthinking Thoughts True?
While it may feel like all of your overthinking thoughts are true, most overthinking thoughts aren’t accurate. They are distorted, fear-based, and focused on the worst-case scenario.
When you overthink, you’re not evaluating facts—you’re replaying fears and doubts. Recognizing that not every thought is true is a crucial step in breaking the overthinking cycle.
(For a deeper dive, click here.)
How to Stop Overthinking
The key to stopping overthinking isn’t fighting your thoughts—it’s shifting them into productivity.
Here’s how to start:
- Stop labeling your thinking as over/under. There’s no perfect amount of thinking. Focus on whether your thoughts are useful. Are they helping or hurting you?
- Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. The mind doesn’t recognize “don’ts” well. If you think, “I don’t want to overthink,” you’ll likely keep overthinking. Instead, think, “I am going to make my thoughts work for me”
- Redirect unproductive loops. When you catch yourself spiraling, shift into action-based thinking:
- What can I do about this?
- What do I want to happen?
- What skills or mindset shifts could help here?
- Treat overthinking as a signal, not a flaw. Repetitive thoughts are a sign that you need better tools for managing your mind, not that you are broken.
Learn more about how to stop overthinking here.
How to Stop Overthinking Book
To stop overthinking for good, check out the book Overthink. It’s under 25k words and written in clear, simple language. You’ll learn how your thoughts work, which ones are keeping you stuck in loops, and how to reframe them so they work for you.
Buy Overthink
Read the introduction.
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