Lachlan Brown
I used to overthink everything. Every decision, every conversation, every little mistake—I’d replay them in my head, analyzing every detail. It was exhausting.
The problem with overthinking is that it rarely leads to solutions. Instead, it creates stress, doubt, and unnecessary worry about things that may never happen.
But I’ve learned that happiness isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about trusting yourself, letting go of what you can’t control, and focusing on what truly matters.
Here are eight simple ways to stop overthinking and start living a happier life.
1) Accept that you can’t control everything
One of the biggest reasons we overthink is the need for control. We want to predict every outcome, prepare for every possibility, and avoid every mistake.
But the truth is, no matter how much we analyze, some things are simply out of our hands.
Life is unpredictable. People will act in ways you don’t expect. Situations will change. And worrying about things you can’t control only drains your energy and steals your peace of mind.
Instead of stressing over every detail, focus on what you *can* control—your actions, your mindset, and how you respond to challenges. Once you accept that not everything is yours to control, it becomes much easier to let go and enjoy life.
2) Don’t believe every thought you have
I used to get stuck in my own head all the time. If someone took too long to reply to a text, I’d assume they were mad at me. If I made a small mistake at work, I’d convince myself that everyone thought I was incompetent.
But over time, I realized something important—not every thought I have is true. Our minds love to create worst-case scenarios, even when there’s no real evidence to support them.
Once I started questioning my thoughts instead of automatically believing them, everything changed. Now, when my brain tells me a negative story, I ask myself: Is this actually true, or am I just overthinking? More often than not, it’s just my anxiety talking.
Learning to challenge my thoughts has helped me break free from overthinking and focus on what’s real, not just what my mind imagines.
3) Keep yourself busy with meaningful activities
Overthinking thrives in idle time. When your mind isn’t engaged in something productive or fulfilling, it tends to wander—often straight into a spiral of worry and self-doubt.
The human brain processes around 6,000 thoughts per day, and without direction, many of those thoughts can become repetitive and unhelpful. That’s why staying busy with activities that challenge and inspire you can be one of the best ways to quiet an overactive mind.
Whether it’s pursuing a hobby, exercising, volunteering, or working on a passion project, filling your time with meaningful activities gives your brain something positive to focus on. When you’re engaged in something you love, there’s less room for overthinking to take over.
4) Live in the present moment
Buddhism teaches that suffering often comes from clinging to the past or worrying about the future. When we overthink, we’re usually caught up in regrets about what has already happened or anxieties about what *might* happen. But the present moment—the here and now—is where life actually happens.
In my book, Hidden Secrets of Buddhism: How To Live With Maximum Impact and Minimum Ego, I explore how Buddhist principles can help us free ourselves from unnecessary mental suffering. One of the key lessons is learning to focus on *now* instead of getting lost in an endless loop of thoughts.
A simple way to practice this is through mindfulness. Pay attention to your breath, the sensations in your body, or the sights and sounds around you. The more you train your mind to stay in the present, the less power overthinking will have over you.
5) Let go of the need for perfection
For years, every decision felt like it carried enormous weight. If I didn’t get something exactly right, I’d obsess over what I could have done differently. Even small mistakes felt like failures.
But perfection is an impossible standard. No one gets everything right all the time, and the more we chase perfection, the more we set ourselves up for disappointment. The truth is, most of the things we stress about aren’t as big of a deal as we make them out to be.
Progress matters more than perfection. Making a decision and moving forward—even if it’s not flawless—is always better than being stuck in endless overthinking. Life isn’t meant to be perfect; it’s meant to be lived.
6) Schedule time to overthink
Trying to stop overthinking completely can actually make it worse. The more you tell yourself *not* to dwell on something, the more your mind fixates on it.
A counter-intuitive but effective solution is to *schedule* time for overthinking. Set aside 10–15 minutes a day where you allow yourself to worry, analyze, and reflect as much as you want. But once that time is up, you move on.
This approach gives your brain permission to process thoughts without letting them take over your entire day. Over time, you’ll notice that most of the things you were obsessing over weren’t worth all that energy in the first place.
7) Ask yourself, “Will this matter in a year?”
Overthinking makes small problems feel huge. A minor mistake at work, an awkward conversation, or an unanswered text can spiral into hours of unnecessary stress.
A simple way to break free from this cycle is to ask yourself: *Will this matter in a year?* If the answer is no, it’s probably not worth overanalyzing now.
Most of the things we overthink are temporary and forgettable. Shifting your perspective helps you let go of unnecessary worries and focus on what truly matters in the long run.
8) Trust yourself
Overthinking is often a sign that you don’t trust your own judgment. You second-guess decisions, replay conversations, and search for reassurance because you’re afraid of getting it wrong.
But the truth is, you’ve handled every challenge in your life so far. You’ve made mistakes, learned from them, and kept going. You’re more capable than you give yourself credit for.
At some point, you have to trust yourself to make the best decisions you can with the information you have. Even if things don’t go perfectly, you’ll figure it out—just like you always have.
Bottom line: Your thoughts don’t define you
The mind is a powerful thing. It can create endless possibilities, solve complex problems, and imagine incredible futures. But it can also trap us in loops of doubt, fear, and worry if we let it.
Overthinking often tricks us into believing that every thought we have is important, that every decision carries immense weight. But the truth is, thoughts come and go—they are not who we are.
In my book, Hidden Secrets of Buddhism: How To Live With Maximum Impact and Minimum Ego explore how Buddhist wisdom teaches us to observe our thoughts without becoming attached to them. Instead of overanalyzing everything, we can learn to step back, breathe, and trust that life unfolds as it should.
Letting go of overthinking isn’t about silencing your mind completely—it’s about realizing you don’t have to engage with every thought that arises. You can choose peace over worry, presence over doubt, and trust over fear.
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