How to Stop Overthinking and Calm Your Mind

(ambient chime) Headspace Studios. (ambient music) Hi there. Welcome to Radio Headspace. It's Dora. The other night I caught myself wide awake at 2:00 a.m. replaying a conversation I had earlier in the day. At first, it was just one small thought, "Did I say the wrong thing?" But then my mind ran wild. Suddenly I was imagining all the ways that person might have taken it, rehearsing apologies I hadn't needed yet, and even making up arguments that hadn't happened. By the time I became aware of what I was doing, I had gone down 10 different worst case scenarios, and I was exhausted. The wild part, I still didn't feel any closer to clarity. This kind of mental spiral, what we often call overthinking isn't just random. Psychologists refer to it as rumination or cognitive looping. It's when our minds try to solve uncertainty by thinking harder. We rehearse, replay, and overanalyze, not because we wanna suffer, but because it makes us feel like we're staying in control. The problem is overthinking doesn't always lead to clarity. It often leads to exhaustion, indecision, and anxiety. Mindfulness invites us to trade control for presence, to stop trying to figure it all out and instead tune into what's actually happening right now. It's not about ignoring the problem, it's about creating enough space from the noise to hear your own wisdom again. I remember this one moment I had to make a big decision about a career opportunity. It looked good on paper, but something in me felt unsure. Instead of listening to that, I started spiraling. What if I regret not taking it? What if I take it and I fail? What would people think if I said no? Am I playing it too safe? Am I not being grateful enough? I was journaling, texting friends, making a pros and cons list. But no matter how much I thought, I didn't feel any closer to an answer until I paused. I took a breath, closed my eyes, put one hand on my chest and one on my belly, and I asked, what do I know right now, not in my head, but in my body? Now the answer wasn't loud, it was quiet, but it was there. You're scared, but you always know what feels aligned, and that moment of presence, just a few seconds, did more for me than the two hours of mental gymnastics. So if your thoughts are spiraling and you're caught in a loop of what ifs, here's a few gentle practices that you can try. First, notice the physical cues. Overthinking often shows up in the body. Shallow breath, jaw tension, erasing heartbeat. Catching these signs helps you recognize when you're mentally overloaded. The second thing to try is interrupt the loop. Try naming the moment, then breathe a slow inhale and an even slower exhale. Even one mindful breath can help to break the circuit. The third thing to try is shift from...