October 6, 2025
How to gently stop overthinking everything daily
There’s a particular kind of noise that fills your 20s.
It’s not just the pressure of student deadlines, job interviews, or life choices.
It’s the inner noise — the constant second-guessing, the mental spirals, the What ifs and Should I have said that? Overthinking in college or early work life often feels like a mental browser with 37 tabs open — and none of them are loading right.
But here’s a softer truth:
Your mind isn’t broken. It’s just trying to protect you.
The mind as a caretaker
When you overthink, your mind is trying to do its job — to analyse, prepare, predict.
But in your 20s, when everything feels like it could be life-altering — a course choice, a text left unread, a comment in a meeting — the pressure to get it right can turn helpful thinking into harmful spiralling.
That’s when overthinking quietly transforms into anxiety.
You try to predict people’s reactions.
You replay conversations.
You stress about your timeline:
“Am I doing enough?”
“Is everyone ahead of me?”
“What if I’m falling behind?”
These thoughts don’t make you weak.
They just mean you care — deeply.
But caring too loudly can drown out your own instincts.
Gentle strategies for spiralling minds
There’s no instant switch to stop overthinking.
But there is a quieter path. One built on small, doable actions.
Here are a few to begin with:
1. Label the loop
When your thoughts start spiralling, name it.
Say: “This is overthinking. This is me predicting a hundred outcomes.”
It’s not about stopping it — it’s about noticing it.
Why it works: Giving your experience a name separates you from the thought.
You are the “witness” of it.
2. Decide once
Tiny decisions occupy a significant amount of mental space.
Decide what you’ll wear the night before.
Create a non-negotiable morning ritual.
It’s okay not to optimise everything.
Good enough is still good.
3. Write to the noise
Keep a spiral journal.
No rules. No aesthetics. Just let the mess come out on paper.
Give your thoughts somewhere to live that’s not your head.
Try this prompt:
“Today I’m thinking too much about…”
Let the rest follow.
4. Anchor to the now
The next time your brain says “what if,” respond with:
“And right now, I am safe.”
Breathe. Touch something solid. Sip water.
Overthinking pulls you into imagined futures.
Anchoring brings you back to what’s true.
5. Create listening time
The next time your brain says “what if,” respond with:
Not to fix. Not to plan.
Just to listen — kindly, without urgency.
Overthinking pulls you into imagined futures.
Anchoring brings you back to what’s true.
You don’t have to do it all alone.
Being in your 20s Is supposed to feel this way
You’re not behind.
Not to fix. Not to plan.
Just to listen — kindly, without urgency.
So if you find yourself spiralling today, pause and ask:
“What’s actually true right now?”
Not what might happen. Not what they might think. Just what is true now.
It might be something as small and sacred as this:
“I’m trying.”
And that is more than enough.
