Overthinking Loops

Overthinking is your mind trying to find safety through control. If you can just figure it out, predict the outcome, or find the right words, then maybe you will be okay. But the loop never resolves because the real need is not cognitive -- it is emotional.

• 1Anxious attachment: replaying conversations for hidden meanings.
• 2Unrelenting standards: rehearsing to be perfect next time.
• 3Catastrophizing: running worst-case scenarios to "prepare" for them.

• 1Set a 5-minute timer. Overthink on purpose. When it rings, do something physical.
• 2Ask: "Will this matter in 6 months?" If not, choose one action and move on.
• 3Write the loop down. Seeing it on paper often breaks its grip.