50+ Overthinking Quotes to Break the Vicious Cycle of Thoughts

What is Overthinking?

In simple words, over thinking is analysis paralysis. We are overthinking when we spend too much time thinking about the past or future and we forget to focus on the present moment. We think that the more we think about an issue, the more we will learn about it to make better decisions.

We overthink in two main ways:

1. Past events overthinking: this is when we keep thinking about the past and reassessing its meaning. We create a story in our heads about what happened and continuously run through it to confirm the meaning we are giving to that past incident.
2. Future events overthinking: this is when we keep thinking about an event that has not happened yet. We keep thinking about the future and all the possible scenarios that we may experience. We try to predict others as well as our reactions.

With overthinking, it feels like we're stuck in a cycle, repeating the same thoughts and actions, and it can be hard to break out of that rut. This can turn potentially successful situations into complete disasters. Overthinking over the years can lead to other mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, and a whole host of other problems.

The good news is that there are several things we can do to stop overthinking. With a little bit of effort, we can train our brain to think more constructively and stop dwelling on things that are out of our control.

Tips to Stop Overthinking

There are many effective strategies and tips to overcome overthinking some of them are listed below. 

Living an Experiment

Things become much easier when you think that you are just doing an experiment instead of committing to something for the long term. When you think of your decision or action as an experiment to see what happens, you take off the pressure from that action. You focus instead on having fun and seeing what happens. For instance, if you are overthinking about starting a podcast, think of it just as an experiment. Don’t think about growing it, finding the time to do it in your busy life, etc. Just focus on the time you have now and try it out. See what happens.

Meditation

While you are thinking about numerous things at once, and not available in the present moment as your attention is being pulled in multiple directions. Meditation helps in increasing concentration, building focus, avoiding distraction and relieving stress. It allows you to take a step back from the thoughts that are making you anxious and refocus on the present moment.

Also, by focusing on your breathing and observing the sensations around you, you can learn to let go of the thoughts that are causing stress and anxiety. This will help you feel more grounded, in-control of yourself and make you less overwhelmed.

Making Fear Your Compass

If you are overanalyzing a decision because you are afraid in some capacity, then it may just be the right decision for you. Our problem is typically that we don’t play full-out. Our dreams are not big enough. Only when you make your dreams bigger are you living full-out. So, if a decision or an event in the future is scaring you, then let it be your compass. Do it. It is the right decision.

Diverting Your Mind

When you're constantly thinking about something, it can make you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Diverting your attention to something else will give you a moment of rest, so that you can come back to those thoughts with a fresh perspective.

To distract away from distressing thoughts, you can paint, take a walk to a nearby garden, call your friends, listen to music, watch your favorite series, etc. Diverting your mind will give you break, remove negativity, and help you feel relaxed.

Journaling Your Feelings

Journaling is a great way to cope with overthinking. It has been shown to help people manage their thoughts and feelings.

When you are overwhelmed, it can be hard to find a way to organize your thoughts. It might feel all jumbled up and coming at you too fast. But when you journal, it gives you the time to let those thoughts flow without feeling rushed or pressured. This can help you come up with solutions that work for you, gain perspective, and in turn, make you feel at ease.

Journaling your thoughts also helps you synthesize them. You process them better and understand them instead of just repeating something in your head.

Counting Your Blessings

Overthinking usually leads to a negative thought process. Counting your blessings will remind you of the good things in life and that they are worth being grateful for.

When you think about all the good things in life, it will make you realize that maybe the situation is not as bad as you thought it to be. And if nothing else, it will give you some perspective on how lucky you are and make you feel optimistic.

Reading Overthinking Quotes

Overthinking quotes can be used as a tool to help you focus on what is most important, instead of worrying about all the things that could go wrong. It will also help you realize that there are some things you just cannot control, so they should not occupy your thoughts.

When you notice yourself dwelling on unproductive thoughts, try using one of these quotes as a reminder that it's okay to let go.

50+ Overthinking Quotes to Break the Vicious Cycle of Thoughts 

You can’t stop overthinking unless you take action. And you won’t take action until you get some perspective on your situation. These quotes are designed to help you do just that, so go ahead and read them!

1. “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.”
– Napoleon Bonapart

2. “The more you overthink the less you will understand.”
– Habeeb Akande

3. “Don't get too deep, it leads to over thinking, and over thinking leads to problems that doesn't even exist in the first place.”
– Jayson Engay

4. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

5. “Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.”
– Leo Buscaglia

6. You deserve a break from your own thoughts.
– Anonymous

7. "If you’re stressing over happiness, you’re doing it wrong!"
– Shannon L. Alder.

8. "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."
– Van Wilder, 'Van Wilder: Party Liaison', 2002.

9. "To think too much is a disease."
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

10. “Thinking will not overcome fear but action will."
– W. Clement Stone.

11. "Worrying how things go wrong doesn’t help things go right."
– Karen Salmansohn.

12. “The more you rationalize, the more you move farther away from your authentic self.”
– Shannon L. Alder

13. “Overthinking will not empower you over things that are beyond your control. So, let it be if it is meant to be and cherish the moment.”
– Mahsati A

14. “Stop overthinking, put more energy on what you really want to do.”
– Amit Ray

15. “Your addiction to thinking will come back to haunt you.”
– Natsume Sōseki

16. “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.”
– Eckhart Tolle

17. We drink the poison our minds pour for us and wonder why we feel sick.
– Atticus

18.  “Your focus determines your reality.” 
– Qui-Gon Jinn

19. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” 
– Albert Einstein

20. “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” 
– William Shakespeare

21. “The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking the next step, while the dull win the race with eyes closed.” 
– Bethany Brookbank

22. “Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.” 
– Randy Armstrong

23. “Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.” 
– Buddha

 24. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
– Napoleon Hill

25. “I think and think and think, I've thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”
– Jonathan Safran Foer

26. “Only about two percent of one percent of our thoughts deserve to be taken seriously.”
– Mokokoma Mokhonoana

27. “It's a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life.”
– Paulo Coelho

28. “You only have control over three things in your life, the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take.”
– Jack Canfield

29. You are not going to worry yourself out of a problem.
– Eckhart Tolle

30. “Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
– Benjamin Franklin

31. “This is probably the advantage of being stupid. Stupid people just do. We tend to overthink. If we could eliminate the “over” and just think, then we could do, too. Only we’d be smarter doers because we’d be thinkers.”
– Sarah Strohmeyer, Smart Girls Get What They Want

32. Overthinking ruins beautiful things before they even begin.
– Anonymous

33. “While you were overthinking, you missed everything worth feeling.”
– Nitya Prakash

34. Don’t let your mind bully your body.
– June Tomaso Wood

35. “If you want to conquer overthinking, bring your mind to the present moment and reconnect it with the immediate world.”
– Amit Ray

36. "Thinking has, many a time, made me sad, darling; but doing never did in all my life."
– Elizabeth Gaskell, 'North And South'.

37. “Put your thoughts to sleep. Do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking.” 
– Rumi

38. "Thinking too much leads to paralysis by analysis. It's important to think things through, but many use thinking as a means of avoiding action."
– Robert Herjavec, 'The Will To Win: Leading, Competing, Succeeding'.

39. You deserve the same level of attention you so freely give others.
– Emma Xu

40. A unicorn doesn’t stand around and worry about what other unicorns think of it. It just sparkles. 
– Anonymous

41. If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too.
– Ivan Nuru

42. “Don’t overthink, just do it.” 
– Shia LaBeouf

43. “If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.”
– Dean Smith

44. “My father taught me not to overthink things, that nothing will ever be perfect, so just keep moving and do your best.” 
– Scott Eastwood

45. “I have realized sometimes I do better working under a crazy schedule. It gives me less time to overthink things and forces me to be present.” 
– Torrey DeVitto

46. “Overthinking is often a product of undergoing.”
– Yehuda Berg

47. “Overthinking ruins you. It ruins the situation. And it twists things around. It makes you worry. Plus, it just makes everything worst than it actually is.”
– Karen Salmansohn

48. “If you get stuck, draw with a different pen. Change your tools; it may free your thinking.” 
– Paul Arden

49. “Stop thinking, and end your problems.” 
– Lao Tzu

50. “Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due.” 
– William R. Inge

51. "Stop worrying about what can go wrong, and get excited about what can go right."
– Anonymous

We hope these tips and quotes will help you overcome overthinking and let go off the things that are out of your control.