Many people struggle with chronic overthinking, replaying conversations, anticipating outcomes, or mentally “fixing” situations that haven’t even happened. This pattern, known as rumination, can feel mentally exhausting and difficult to turn off.
It’s important to understand that rumination is not a sign of weakness or a flaw in thinking. Instead, it is the mind’s attempt to avoid mistakes, discomfort, or emotional threats, even if it often leads to more distress rather than relief.
Overthinking becomes problematic when it interrupts sleep, fuels anxiety, slows decision-making, or pulls attention away from daily life.
Why the Brain Overthinks
Rumination usually develops from a combination of emotional and cognitive factors, including perfectionism, fear of failure, intolerance of uncertainty, or the belief that “if I think enough, I can prevent something bad from happening.”
Research on performance anxiety shows that overthinking often appears in high-pressure settings where individuals feel watched, evaluated, or responsible for an outcome.
In other words, the brain is not malfunctioning; it is over-protecting.
Why Trying to “Stop” Thoughts Doesn’t Work
Most people respond to overthinking by:
- Trying to argue with the thought.
- Distracting themselves.
- Attempting to replace “negative” thoughts with “positive” ones.
- Forcing themselves to “just stop thinking about it.”
However, psychological research shows that the more we try to suppress or control thoughts, the more persistent they tend to become.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approaches this differently: rather than eliminating thoughts, it teaches people to change their relationship to those thoughts
How ACT Helps Break the Overthinking Cycle
ACT focuses on building psychological flexibility, the ability to notice thoughts without being controlled by them.
This skill is developed through strategies such as:
- Cognitive defusion: stepping back from thoughts rather than fusing with them.
- Present-moment grounding: returning attention to the body and environment.
- Values-based action: choosing behaviours based on what matters, not on mental noise.
College and university-based ACT programs have repeatedly shown reductions in stress, anxiety, and rumination, along with improvements in emotional well-being and daily functioning.
Three ACT Tools for Overthinking
- Label the Thought: Instead of “I’m going to fail,” try: “I am noticing the thought that I might fail.” This creates psychological distance.
- Ground in the Present Moment: Rumination is mentally located in the past or future. Grounding uses the senses to return the body to now.
Here’s a simple version you can use:
Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.
- Shift from Control to Choice: Ask yourself: “If I weren’t busy trying to control this thought, what action would matter to me right now?”
This moves attention from mental activity to meaningful behaviour, a core outcome of ACT.
Why ACT Works for Rumination
Across multiple studies, ACT has been shown to:
- Reduce cognitive fusion and emotional reactivity
- Improve stress tolerance and self-regulation
- Increase life satisfaction, well-being, and self-compassion
- Strengthen performance in academic and high-demand setting
Its effectiveness is not based on changing what people think, but on changing how they respond to what they think.
Support for Overthinking at Bedford Counselling
Our clinicians integrate ACT-informed therapy to help individuals who experience:
- Chronic rumination and mental loops.
- Perfectionism and self-criticism.
- Decision paralysis and anxiety.
- Burnout caused by overthinking.
- Difficulty staying present or emotionally regulated.
Sessions focus on building psychological flexibility, reducing thought-entanglement, and reconnecting behaviour to personal values, rather than letting thoughts act as the decision-maker.
- In-person & virtual appointments available
- Free 15-minute consultation upon request
- Book through our website today!