Overthinking: The Battle That Starts in Your Mind

“Overthinking is the art of creating problems out of the ones that didn’t exist in the first place.”

Whew… if that ain’t the truth.

For years, my life felt like hell on earth—not because of what was happening around me, but because of the war going on inside my own head. I didn’t need enemies on the outside… my thoughts were doing a good job beating me up all on their own.

I didn’t realize at the time that most of my overthinking had nothing to do with the present moment. I was replaying the past like a broken record—what I should’ve done, what I could’ve said, what I wish I had seen coming. I stayed so tangled in yesterday that I couldn’t breathe today. I didn’t trust myself. I believed I was fragile. I doubted every move. And I avoided decisions like they were going to come with alarms and flashing lights.

Overthinking kept me stuck… and tired… and scared.

But eventually, I had to face the truth:

Thinking harder wasn’t going to save me.

Thinking differently would.

Let me tell you what helped me climb out of the mental trap I had lived in for years.

I Had to Get Honest About My Thought Patterns

The first step was admitting it—I was an overthinker. A professional one. An Olympic-level overthinker.

I could turn a small concern into a full-blown crisis just by giving it enough reruns in my mind.

But I started stopping myself in the middle of the spiral and asking:

“Is this even true?”

“Did somebody actually say this, or did I create it?”

“Am I thinking deeply… or worrying deeply?”

Thinking deeply leads to solutions.

Worrying deeply leads to exhaustion.

The difference matters.

When I began separating facts from feelings, reality from fear, and truth from imagination, my mind started to quiet down.

I Had to Let Go of the Past (For Real This Time)

Let me be honest: letting go wasn’t a one-day thing. It wasn’t pretty or poetic. It was messy. Sometimes painful. Sometimes freeing.

But the truth is this—every mistake, every bad decision, every hard season shaped who I am right now. And I wouldn’t be me without the things I survived.

I had to learn to stop punishing myself for chapters that were already closed.

I had to give myself permission to feel what I felt, learn what I needed to learn, and then release it. Not ignore it. Not pretend it didn’t hurt. Just… release it.

Because being harsh on myself never healed me.

But being gentle with myself did.

I Learned to Live in the Moment

And let me tell you—this one is still a work in progress.

We can’t go back and fix the past.

We can’t jump ahead and predict the future.

All we have is right now.

Overthinking stole too many “right nows” from me. So I started asking:

“Is this worth my time?”

“Is this worth my energy?”

Half the stuff I used to stress over didn’t even deserve space in my brain.

Learning to focus on one thing at a time brought me peace I didn’t even know I needed.

I Stopped Entertaining Every Thought

One thing about overthinking: it will give you 10,000 thoughts and convince you that all of them are urgent.

But they’re not.

I learned to sort through my thoughts like mail:

Accept it or deny it. Adjust to it or release it.

But don’t let it pile up.

If it’s true, cool—deal with it.

If it’s not, let it go.

Every thought doesn’t deserve a whole mental monologue.

I Started Journaling Everything—Good, Bad, Ugly

Writing saved me.

Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m feeling until I put a pen on paper and see the truth spilling out. When I journal, I let the thoughts come out raw. Unfiltered. Messy. Real.

And you know what?

A lot of the things I worried about didn’t even make sense once I saw them in writing.

Journaling gave me clarity.

It also showed me that my anxiety was talking louder than my reality.

When I feel myself spiraling now, I pause.

I breathe.

I write.

I talk to someone.

I shift my focus.

I remind myself: this is fear speaking, not me.

A Gentle Reminder

If overthinking has taken hold of your life in a way that feels heavy, constant, or connected to anxiety or depression—please don’t carry that alone.

You can dial 211 for local resources or 988 for immediate, confidential support.

You are not a burden.

You are not broken.

You are not alone.

Your mind may be loud… but peace is still possible.

Here’s a few Reflection Questions for you:

1. When I find myself overthinking, what specific thoughts or fears keep repeating in my mind?

2. What past experiences am I still holding onto that may be influencing how I think today?

3. How can I practice separating what is true from what I’m assuming or imagining?

4. What is one small step I can take today to stay present instead of getting stuck in “what-ifs”?

5. Who or what helps ground me when my thoughts begin to spiral, and how can I lean into that support more intentionally?

Here’s my prayer for you:

Lord,

Thank You for being a God of peace in a world filled with noise. I lift up every person reading this, especially those who feel trapped in cycles of overthinking and fear. Remind them that their mind does not have to be their battlefield. Show them how to release what no longer serves them and trust the truth of who You say they are. Calm their thoughts, quiet their worries, and guide them back into the present moment with clarity and strength. Surround them with grace as they learn to think differently and live freely.

In Jesus Name,

Amen