Action Stops Overthinking

My anxious overthinking clients often feel stuck, and so I wanted to share some reframing I’ve found helpful when thinking about that. In the book Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton, he shares this insight, “Sometimes when we’re overcome with stressful overthinking, it’s because we’re afraid to act, or feel like we can’t act, or are failing to acknowledge that we can or even should act. Action has a clarifying and sobering effect and can bring you out of mental conjecture and stressful rumination.” So in essence, get out of your head by doing something. Therapists often suggest physical activities or distractions to engage in to help, but when that doesn’t work, I’d be more direct: do something about the thing on your mind. Even small bits of action feel better than just sitting on it in your head feeling powerless.

“Sometimes when we’re overcome with stressful overthinking, it’s because we’re afraid to act, or feel like we can’t act, or are failing to acknowledge that we can or even should act. Action has a clarifying and sobering effect and can bring you out of mental conjecture and stressful rumination.”

~ Stop Overthinking, by Nick Trenton