Overthinking vs Productive Thinking: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Stop the Loop

Overthinking vs Productive Thinking, and 3 Rules of Thumb to help stop Overthinking

All humans get caught in overthinking at time, often in times of stress and uncertainty. It can be hard to differentiate overthinking from productive thinking. Understanding what overthinking actually looks and feels like is an important part of cognitive flexibility, helping us to recognise and shift away from anxiety and looping thought patterns, which in turn, improves our mental fitness and quality of life. Leaving us free to enjoy peace with energy to spend on the things we love.

What is Overthinking?

Overthinking is our brain's attempt to try and help navigate feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Overthinking is our brain wanting to feel safe and control in the face of uncertainty. The discomfort of not knowing how things will turn out drives the urge to mentally prepare and predict. Overthinking can be a symptom of stress, a build up from living in unpredictable environments or come in times of change and transitions.

What Is The Difference Between Productive Thinking and Overthinking?

The difference between productive thinking and overthinking lies in purpose and outcome. Productive thinking is solution focused and leads to action, while overthinking is problem focused and results in unhelpful loops or patterns of thinking. If you are not sure if you are engaging in productive thinking or overthinking, you can ask yourself these questions:

1. Is my thinking leading towards a choice, plan or resolution?

2. Is my thinking focusing on variables not inside my control?

3. Is my thinking creating a sense of clarity or momentum? Or am I left feeling exhausted from analysis paralysis?

4. Is my thinking about something on which I intend on making a decision on? Or is my thinking stuck on a past event or worried about a future outcome?

Why is Overthinking Unhelpful?

Overthinking, in comparison with productive thinking, is usually unhelpful because it results in the opposite of what the brain is trying to achieve which is a sense of safety and control. Because overthinking often involves fixating on things outside of our control it drains our energy, often ruins sleep, decreases our mental clarity, and fuels physiological feelings of anxiety in our nervous system. The reliving of negative loops makes imagined fears feel like real events. This heightened and anxious state results in the opposite of what the overthinking is trying to help us achieve in the first place. Our brain is trying to help us feel safe, but by fuelling feelings of anxiety and confusion, we are no longer able to have the mental clarity to solve problems and make decisions.

How to Move From Overthinking Into Productive Thinking

There are psychological strategies we can use to help our brain shift from overthinking into productive thinking. Instead of letting repetitive looping thoughts paralyse us, we can structure our thinking time. Structuring our thinking time helps our brain move overthinking into problem solving. There are many ways to structure our thinking time including:

• setting time limits

• sticking to one particular problem in that set time limit

• writing down thoughts and ideas

• sourcing new information

• breaking problems down into mini problems

• scheduling thinking time to make a decision on a particular aspect

If overthinking has been a long ingrained pattern, awareness that our brain is engaging in overthinking can be hard. It may be easier to set aside Worry Free Time instead. Start with creating time that you are not allowed to think or worry. It might be after you leave work, or after dinner, or when you are doing a particular activity. Start with a small block of time and build up. This gives your brain a break from making any decisions or thinking or worrying.

3 Rules of Thumb for Overthinking

Overthinking can feel like 'just who I am' because it is a natural response to stress and pressure and it has been happening for a long time. All human brains overthink at times. Awareness that our brain is engaging in overthinking and not productive thinking is often the first thing that is needed. Noticing the overthinking pattern and catching your brain doing it is the first starting point. My 3 Rules of Thumb for Overthinking infographic is an easy and visual guide to help identify when your brain is overthinking instead of productive thinking. My 3 Rules of Thumb for Overthinking asks 3 questions:

1. Is this thinking leading to a plan or a decision? Is there an action or a decision to be taken today?

2. Is this thinking going on too long? E.g. more than 30 minutes

3. Is this an answerable question?

What Type of Therapy is Best For Overthinkers?

The most widely recommended and evidence based therapeutic intervention for overthinking and rumination is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT was developed in the 1960s and identifies unhelpful thinking habits like rumination, catastrophizing and all or nothing thinking. CBT also looks at how we challenge unhelpful thoughts and restructure those thoughts without the cognitive distortions.

Mindfulness Based CBT (MCBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are considered second and third wave behavioural therapies that transitioned out of CBT.

MCBT combines traditional talk therapy with mindfulness exercises to help ground and stay present. ACT focuses on changing our relationship with our thoughts, rather than challenging unhelpful beliefs. ACT is efffective because it targets psychological flexibility which is the ability to stay in the present moment and take action aligned with our values. Rather than eliminating thoughts and emotions, we create emotional distance alongside taking committed action.

Individual Therapeutic Approaches Offered by Kristen Fraser Counselling Newcastle

Kristen is a Private Practice Therapist located in Hamilton, a central suburb of Newcastle NSW. Kristen utilises a range of evidence based therapeutic interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and EMDR. You can read more about Kristen's individual talk therapy in Newcastle here.

You can book online for a face to face individual therapy appointment in Hamilton or select Telehealth for a video appointment from anywhere in Australia. Kristen is Medicare approved and accepts Mental Health Treatment Plans.