14 Science-Backed Ways to Control and Stop Your Overthinking Leave a comment

Do you find yourself stuck in a cycle of ruminating on the same worries in your mind? Perhaps you lie in bed at night, replaying conversations in your head, or you are hesitant to make decisions because you are thinking of every possible outcome. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Overthinking is a common issue in our fast-paced, information-saturated world—and it can stealthily erode your happiness, productivity, and health.

Here’s the good news: you can train your brain to escape from the cycle of worry and rumination. Research has revealed straightforward strategies to help you get un-stuck. In this article, you will learn about 14 strategies, based in research, to stop overthinking. Additionally, simple action steps are listed to implement each strategy.

My Story: Taming the Overthinking Monster in My 20s

First, let me share a brief story. In my 20s, I wanted to start an online business. I had the skills, I had the ideas, and I had the motivation to do it, but I also had a brain that just wouldn’t shut off. Every time I sat down to plan, my thoughts would take off and spin in circles:

• What if I launch and nobody cares?
• What if I make a mistake and look stupid?
• What if I spend a lot of time and money, and it doesn’t work?

Instead of taking action, I would end up researching, re-planning, and imagining worst-case scenarios. I told myself I needed more information, more time to prepare, and more guarantees. In truth, I was stuck in a cycle of overthinking that prevented me from getting started.

Do you relate to this? If this sounds like you, you’re in the right spot! Below are science-based steps to help you overcome the paralysis of overthinking and take action.

1. Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation involves paying attention to the present moment and observing your thoughts and feelings non-judgmentally. Scientifically validated mindfulness exercises can change your brain and lower activity in the default mode network (the brain area associated with self-referential thinking and rumination). When you learn to observe your thoughts, you make progress in recognizing them as passing events, rather than allowing them to sweep you away in the current of overthinking.

Mindfulness requires no special tools, and you do not have to dedicate hours of your day. Even a couple of minutes each day can help settle a racing mind, reduce anxious feelings, and increase your focus on what is most important.

Action Steps:

• Schedule 5–10 minutes each day.
• Find a comfortable seated position, close your eyes, and focus your attention on your breath.
• If and when thoughts arise, note that you are thinking without engaging, and gently return to your awareness of breathing.
• You can also try guided meditations using free applications like Insight Timer or Headspace.

2. Use the “Worry Time” Strategy

If you try to suppress your worries, they almost always come back stronger. A worry time strategy is a cognitive behavioral approach involving scheduling time to worry every day. Research has shown that using worry time is helpful for most people to feel more in control of their anxiety (source). By restricting your worry to a given period each day, you free up cognitive resources for the rest of your day. This approach is useful because it recognizes your worries, and keeps them from occupying your mind for the rest of the day.

Action Plan:

• Set aside 15 minutes each day to use as worry time.
• When you notice you’re ruminating outside of this 15-min worry time, write the thought down, and tell yourself to worry about it later.
• During your actual worry time, read your list, allow yourself to worry for a few minutes and then move on.

3. Challenge Your Thoughts with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Resources

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most well-supported interventions to manage anxiety and overthinking. The basic premise of CBT is that our thinking is often incorrect, and that when we learn to challenge it we can eliminate the cycle of overthinking.

CBT examines our distorted thinking patterns—catastrophizing, all-or-nothing, and so on—and assists you in replacing these with more balanced, realistic thoughts. More balanced thoughts can help you evaluate situations more accurately and make better decisions.

Action Plan:

• When you catch yourself having an anxious or ruminating thought, ask yourself:
  • Is this thought fact or assumption?
  • What evidence supports it? What evidence doesn’t?
  • What would I tell a friend that had this worry?
• Write out more balanced, realistic thoughts.
• Use online resources, such as MoodGYM or CBT Thought Record Worksheets.

4. Move Your Body

Exercise is great for your body, but it is also a powerful tool for your mind. Exercise releases endorphins and dampens stress hormones, which makes it an excellent option to break the “thinking” cycle. Movement can also allow your brain to find something to direct itself to outside of its mental loop. It can often also promote a “reset.”

If you need a bit more boost, it’s always good to know that it does not take a lot of activity to be effective. You don’t need to join a gym or have fancy equipment—just move!

Action Plan:

• Go for a brisk 10-minute walk when you start to catch yourself spiral.
• Try yoga, or stretching, or dancing to your favorite music!
• Build a moving everyday habit even if it is in small chunks!

5. Make Limits on Information Overload

In a world of endless information, it is especially easy to feel stuck in what psychologists call “analysis paralysis.” Research has shown that the more options, information, or choices we have ahead of us, the more complicated the act of simply deciding what to do becomes, which leads to overthinking. Did your 10 hours of research and scrolling help ‘prepare’ you for something—or just add to your sense of overwhelm?

Setting limits around how much information you allow yourself to consume, and when, is one way to start to feel more confident making decisions, more quickly, and with less stress.

Action Plan:

• Set a timer for how long you will research (i.e., a set amount of time to do your research, e.g., 20 minutes), and then decide.
• Unsubscribe from any list serves, newsletters, or social feeds you don’t need.
• Use a service like Pocket to collect articles to read later; only read the articles you really want to read when it is on your schedule—not because you feel obligated to read them now.

6. Get Things On Paper

Writing is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to get thoughts out of your head and onto paper. There is a ton of research about emotional processing, organizing thinking, and decreasing anxiety when expressive writing is being used. When you get things on paper, you are also distancing yourself, or finding perspective, on what you have been mentally chewing on, and ultimately you may just find you see solutions easier, simply because you recorded what was going through your head. You don’t need to do a formal journal. Simply putting down your thoughts, for a few minutes, can break the cycle of overthinking.

Action Plan:

• Keep a notebook, or journal app, nearby to keep track of your thoughts.
• When you find that you are “stuck” in a loop, journal for a few minutes about what you were feeling and thinking.
• Set a timer for 5 minutes, and just journal for 5 minutes without editing or censoring whatever is on your mind.

7. Use the “5-5-5” Rule for Decision Making

Overthinking can sometimes surface from a fear of making a bad decision. The “5-5-5” rule is a cognitive strategy, that can help us step back and gain perspective on what the true long term consequence is of our decision. The chances are that whatever we are stressing about in this moment is not really going to matter in the future.

Action Plan:

• When you find yourself needing to make a decision, use the approach of asking yourself:
  • Will this matter in 5 minutes?
  • 5 days?
  • 5 years?
• Use this perspective to guide your next action. Most of the time you will find the stakes are not as high as our minds will lead us to believe.

Related: Learn about the Opportunity Cost of Bad Decisions

8. Be Self-Compassionate

How does self-compassion show up in your life? It means treating yourself as you would treat a good friend. Studies have shown that when we are self-compassionate, we exhibit less self-criticism, experience lower anxiety, and ruminate less, all of which contribute to overthinking.

Instead of tearing yourself down for making a bad choice or not meeting your own expectations, try responding to yourself with acknowledgment, acceptance, and encouragement to lower the resistance to take action.

Action Plan:

• Notice when you are being hard on yourself.
• When you find yourself being hard on yourself, speak to yourself as you would to a good friend.
• Based on your feelings, give affirmations like “It’s okay that I made a mistake, I’m learning and growing.”
• Try self-compassion exercises from Dr. Kristin Neff’s website.

9. Limit “What-If” Thought Patterns

“What-if” thinking means your mind jumps immediately to worst-case scenarios by considering hypothetical problems and fears. The reality is that a small amount of forethought and considering alternatives is a healthy thing; being overly catastrophizing can create anxiety and indecision. Most of the time, these situations never happen.

When you notice you are in a “what-if” spiral and can shift out of the unhelpful thoughts, you can more easily focus on the actions you can actually take control of and feel at ease.

Action Plan:

• When you notice you are asking yourself continuously “What if…..?” take a deep breath.
• Then ask yourself, “Is this worry useful or utility-based, or is this hypothetical?”
• Bring your attention back to the present moment or an action you can take right in front of you.

10. Set Boundaries with Technology

Technology is designed to capture our attention—scroll, scroll, scroll. Studies have shown that too much technology and notifications are linked to anxiety, and rumination. The more distracted and reactive our brain is, the harder it is to settle into a clearly defined decision-making mode and beyond.

Setting boundaries surrounding technology can create a larger attention span and mental clarity, allowing for more effective action.

Action Plan:

• Disable notifications that don’t need to be on.
• Schedule phone-free times in your day (at least meals and before bed).
• Use digital wellbeing apps like Forest or Freedom to block scrolling.

11. Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is more than a nice-to-do to feel a little happier—it is a recommended way to shift your focus from concerns to what is working in your life. Research demonstrates gratitude practice reduces anxiety, increases mood, and helps you focus on the positive.

Practicing gratitude means you are not denying problems, but rather training your brain to notice what is going well in your life to counteract your negativity bias.

Action Plan:

• Each night, write down three things you are grateful for.
• The next time you identify yourself overthinking, pause, and find one thing that is going well today.
• Try a gratitude journal or a gratitude app, like Grateful.

12. Connect with Others

Social support is the most effective protective factor against stress and overthinking. Disclosing things to someone can help you gain perspective on your thoughts and feelings, feel less alone, and interrupt the rumination.

You do not need to do anything alone. Discussing your thoughts with someone can help alleviate your cognitive load.

Action Plan:

• Identify a place where you can find confident support—be it a friend, mentor, or support group.
• Disclose what you are struggling with—sometimes just speaking your thoughts aloud can help.
• If you need supportive help to get through, seeking a therapist/counselor can help you navigate.

13. Get Good Sleep

When you are sleep deprived, you lose valuable mental resources that help regulate your emotions and intrusive thoughts. Sleep deficiency overtly increases anxiety and makes it harder to concentrate, which can feed the cycle of overthinking. Establishing good sleep habits can significantly improve your mental clarity and resilience.

Action Plan:

• Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends.
• Limit screens before bed and create a relaxing wind-down routine to signal bedtime to your brain.
• If you can’t sleep because of your thoughts, try a calming audio, guided sleep meditation, or keep a notepad by your bed to jot down your worries.

14. Take Small, Imperfect Action

The antidote to overthinking is action. Research shows that taking even small, imperfect steps forward reduces anxiety and builds confidence. Waiting for the “perfect” plan or the “right” time often keeps us stuck. Action doesn’t have to be big or flawless—progress comes from doing, learning, and adjusting along the way.

Action Plan:

• Break big tasks into the smallest next steps.
• Permit yourself to do it imperfectly.
• Celebrate progress, not perfection. Every step forward is a win.

Learn more about the power of small actions.

Final Thoughts: You Do Not Need To Get Stuck In Overthinking

Overthinking is common, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Whether you are overanalyzing a business idea (as I did in my 20s), replaying interactions, or fretting over the future, you can train your brain to focus, take action, and move forward.

Choose two or three of these empirical methods to try this week—notice what works for you and build on it. Over time, you’ll find yourself spending less time stuck in worry and more time focusing on what matters most.

You are not alone—you are not stuck. With practice and the right tools, you can quiet your mind and gain back your peace, clarity, and confidence.