My Mind's Least Effective Hobby

It's like trying to stop a pot from boiling over by turning up the heat.

You go over the same thing again and again, trying to think your way out of it, but somehow, the more you think, the tighter the mental knot gets.

Here’s what’s actually happening: when your mind goes into overdrive, it’s admitting it needs help. But the help it needs won’t come from more analysis. That’s the pot situation from above.

Luckily, we’re not just our thoughts. We are self-aware enough to notice when the gears are stuck. And if we have a process for it, we can shift the energy that’s keeping the overthinking in place.

Thankfully, I have a process. As an HSP, I’m wired to pick up on subtle energy shifts—inside me and in the space around me. It used to be overwhelming, but over time, I turned it into a skill. Now, when my mind gets stuck, I can usually dissolve the tension and refocus within seconds.

Because that’s what overthinking is, energetically speaking: a knot. A blockage. The solution isn’t to untangle it through sheer force (I know because I've tried, many times)—it’s to shift the energy and let it release. New information, new perspectives, new ideas can’t enter when the mind is locked up. 

I built the foundation of this process while recovering from PTSD. Back then, I realised that more thinking wasn’t going to help me. My brain had already gone through every possibility ten times over, and the pot was boiling over. 

So I had to try something else—something beyond thinking. Since then, I’ve refined it with everything I’ve learned from positive psychology, coaching, and intuitive, lateral problem-solving methods.


Overthinking doesn’t mean you need more information. It means you need a different approach. A shift, but not in thinking: instead, in _being_. 

Plot twist: It may also mean you have exhausted the life you want to live with your current values and beliefs.

So, when overthinking, think about this (pun intended): Do I really need a different approach to this problem or to _something else_?

Then give yourself a pause, even if just for 15 seconds, and listen.