Therapy for Overthinking
Overthinking can be frustrating, exhausting, and even scary as you can begin to ask, “How do I know what’s really real?” Whether you’re thinking in circles or flip-flopping as you wonder what to choose, wear, text, order at the restaurant… underneath it is often a sense of doubt and high stakes. Choosing wrong could mean being laughed at, critiqued, rejected, or judged. It can feel like you’re fighting against yourself, and if you lose, it confirms what you’ve feared all along – you’re “stupid”; you’re “incapable”; you’re “not good enough”.
Overthinking isn’t just a symptom of having too many choices. It’s often the result of the long-term sense that you’re just one wrong decision away from being humiliated, criticized, or abandoned by those who you care about most.
Thinking has probably helped you get ahead in a high-pressure environment, when you’ve had to stay on your toes and anticipate how others would react. But thinking too much has a cost, and now you’re ready to use your intuition, start acting, and heck, maybe even be wrong now and then – but in a way that feels way better than staying paralyzed by thought.
Here’s how we’ll approach this process together:
Grounding
Change is easier in a calm, non-judgemental environment. As you begin to share about the thoughts you’re experiencing, you’ll establish a sense that although this experience is difficult, it does not make you defective, broken, or unworthy. As you become more curious about your thoughts, you’ll begin to notice patterns - patterns that make sense. Patterns you can change, if you like.
Planning
The more you identify how you currently think, the more it becomes clear how you want to think (or think less) in the future. We’ll visualize what a more constructive or enjoyable relationship to your thoughts might look like. We’ll consider obstacles standing in the way and consider how you can get over them - or around them.
Exploring
It’s one thing to visualize the path ahead; it’s another to walk it. It’s common to discover unexpected feelings hidden behind a big wall of thoughts. We’ll work together to make sure you have support and tools to meet these feelings with kindness and curiosity. You might find you have a stronger intuition and set of opinions than you originally thought!
Integrating
Now we look back at the progress you’ve made. Previous difficulties have become easier, and new challenges or goals have become relevant. This offers chance to go deeper, as you discover an underlying struggle or need. Or, it’s a chance to expand outwards into new territory that wasn’t accessible when tied up by so many thoughts. What will you do with that open space?
If this sounds helpful, let’s connect.