Overthinking. We all do it, and most of the time it’s relatively harmless. We hang over what we should have said or over-plan what we should do, and then we move on.
It’s annoying, but most of the time it’s no more stressful than a nagging discussion you wish you could redo.
But for some people in certain situations, the thinking doesn’t stop and creates even more stress.
This tendency to overthink has a name in the world of mental health. Rumination.
While many problems are resolved by giving them careful thought and deliberation, Rumination is repetitive thinking. Going over and over the same thought or problem without any resolution.
A problem does not get solved, it intensifies by ruminating on it. It is simply repeating usually negative thoughts without mentally moving to a new perspective.
It does not lead to new insights or understanding, it just spins us around like we’re trapped in an emotionally distressing hamster wheel.
You can reclaim order by making a blanket rule to interrupt your unneeded thoughts whenever they come up. Plan ahead for a positive thought to switch to.
If you need to interrupt and replace hundreds of times a day, it will stop fast, probably within a day.
Even if the switch is simply to return attention to the task at hand, it should be a decision to change ruminative thoughts.