9 Approaches for Defeating Overthinking

Most of us have had experiences where we can't stop thinking about something, no matter how hard we try. We pick apart the situation to see what we could have done differently or try to analyze the minutiae of the incident to figure out what it all means. Clinical psychologist Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema referred to this process as rumination and defined it as "a method of coping with a negative mood that involves self-focused attention” and "repetitive and passive focus on one’s negative emotions."