How to stop overthinking: give the loop somewhere to go
Overthinking feels like solving the problem. Usually it isn't: it's the same conversation replayed, the same what-if rehearsed, at 2 a.m. Telling yourself to stop rarely works.
These are the practices Thriving uses instead, and the studies each one is built on.
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The free account has a starter version of each of these: a minute or two, and a place to keep track.
Find Your Level
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and observe yourself impartially and compassionately.
Mindful Eating
Zero extra time required — you're already eating.
One Breath
Close your eyes and bring your focus to your breath.
Meaningful Action
Plan one activity for today that, if completed, will provide you with a sense of purpose or meaning, and commit to a time frame to complete it.
The practices, and the research behind each one
Inside the app these are part of a twelve-week Program, 90 Days to Stop Overthinking, with All-Access. Here they are with their sources.
Park the Worry
For the loop that won't stop — the same thought, on repeat, usually at the worst possible time.
McGowan & Behar (2013). A preliminary investigation of stimulus control training for worry. Behavior Modification.
Thoughts Are Not Facts
Cognitive defusion: learning to notice thoughts as mental events rather than truths about reality.
Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, Lillis (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
Larsson, Hooper, Osborne, Bennett, McHugh (2016). A systematic review of cognitive defusion techniques on negative thinking. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.
Beck (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. Foundational text.
Cognitive Distortions
Learn the common cognitive distortions: all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, mind-reading, personalization, etc.
Rnic, Dozois, Martin (2016). Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression. Europe's Journal of Psychology.
Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, Fang (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research.
Beck, Rush, Shaw, Emery (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. Foundational text.
Open Monitoring — Mindfulness Without an Anchor
Open monitoring is mindfulness without a specific point of focus — instead, awareness rests on whatever arises.
Capurso, Fabbro, Crescentini (2014). Mindful creativity: the influence of mindfulness meditation on creative thinking. Frontiers in Psychology.
Greenberg, Reiner, Meiran (2012). 'Mind the trap': mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity. PLoS ONE.
Ostafin & Kassman (2012). Stepping out of history: mindfulness improves insight problem solving. Consciousness and Cognition.
What Kind of Problem Is This?
Different problems need different responses.
Folkman & Lazarus (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Folkman & Moskowitz (2004). Coping: pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology.
Hayes et al. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
Solution Builder
Most emotional pain has a solvable component.
Cuijpers, van Straten, Warmerdam (2007). Problem solving therapies for depression: A meta-analysis. European Psychiatry.
Bell & D'Zurilla (2009). Problem-solving therapy for depression: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review.
Zhang, Park, Sullivan, Jing (2018). The efficacy of problem-solving therapy: A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders.
Make Room for the Feeling
Acceptance practice from ACT — making room for difficult emotions rather than fighting or fleeing them.
A-Tjak, Davis, Morina, Powers, Smits, Emmelkamp (2015). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinically relevant mental and physical health problems. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, Lillis (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
Campbell-Sills, Barlow, Brown, Hofmann (2006). Effects of suppression and acceptance on emotional responses of individuals with anxiety and mood disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
A study finding a benefit in the people it tested is not a promise of that result for you. Follow the links and judge for yourself. All the sources.
It's rarely just one thing
A busy mind is rarely only a mind problem. Sleep, movement, the people around you and whether your days are going anywhere all feed it. Thriving covers four spheres — physical, mental, emotional and purpose — and one or two practices from each is enough.
Everyone tells you what matters. Thriving gives you the exact exercises, somewhere to organize them into a routine that's yours, and the tools to keep going once the novelty wears off.
If this is affecting your ability to work, sleep or look after the people around you, talk to a doctor or a therapist. Many people do both.
Also on Thriving: Anxiety & stress · Sleep · Anger · Procrastination · Habits · Stress eating · Yelling at the kids