What Triggers Overthinking?
What triggers overthinking isn’t always obvious until you start to question it.
That’s exactly what I did when I decided to attend a 28 day Vipassana retreat in Thailand.
28 days to watch my mind unravel.
The first three days were hell.
No distractions, no phone, no talking.
Just me and my thoughts in a very basic room, meditating from 4am until 10pm.
And my thoughts went absolutely mental.
Every unfinished conversation, every decision I’d questioned, every mistake I’d made came flooding back.
I battled them. They disappeared.
At the end of the retreat I realised something, triggers aren’t the problem.
It’s the mental loop that follow.
and once you spot your triggers, you can interrupt the loop before it spirals.
Here are the 10 most common overthinking triggers and how to break free from each one.
Unfinished Conversations
know the feeling, someone says something vague, walks away mid-conversation, or gives you a response that doesn’t quite answer your question.
Your mind immediately starts creating 50 different versions of what they “really meant.”
- Did I say something wrong?
- Are they angry at me?
- Did I mess up?
The Loop… Your brain fills in the blanks with worst-case scenarios because it hates uncertainty.
Stop it… Ask yourself one question: “Am I in a loop, or do I have real evidence?”
If you do this and keep at it, you’ll soon realise, as I did, that most of your overthinking is caused by loops.
Then decide: if it matters, ask the person directly.
If it doesn’t matter, let it go.
Alternative method… Write down what was actually said versus what you’re imagining.
Seeing the difference on paper usually kills the story your mind is creating.
Don’t let your mind write a screenplay about something that probably doesn’t exist.
Making Big Decisions
Career changes, relationship choices, moving house, any major life decision can send your brain into overdrive.
Every option feels wrong because you’re trying to predict outcomes you can’t possibly control.
The Loop… You replay the same pros and cons list 500 times, hoping a “right answer” will magically appear.
Stop it… Once you’ve thought through your options, make the decision.
Then stop.
Don’t go back to it.
If your mind tries to replay the decision again, catch it: “Already decided. Done.”
That’s the loop trying to restart.
Alternative method… If you need more structure, write out your pros and cons once, set a timer for 24 hours, then choose.
No more analysis after that.
If you do this and keep at it, you’ll soon realise that second-guessing after the fact is just another loop.
Past Mistakes
That embarrassing thing you said five years ago.
The relationship that ended badly.
The job you quit too soon.
Your brain loves replaying past mistakes on repeat, as if thinking about them harder will somehow change what happened.
The Loop… You’re stuck rewinding the same scene, expecting a different outcome.
Stop it… Ask yourself one question: “What can I learn from this?”
Extract the lesson, then close the file.
Give yourself five minutes to think about it, extract what matters, then move on.
If your mind brings it up again later, remind yourself: “Already dealt with that.
Nothing new to learn here.”
Alternative method… Write down the mistake, write down the lesson, then physically bin the paper or delete the note.
The act of discarding it helps your brain let go.
Do this consistently and you’ll start noticing when you’re rewinding versus actually learning.
Learn more about letting go of the past.
Social Situations
You replayed that conversation three times already.
Every word you said, every facial expression, every pause.
Did they think you were weird?
Did you talk too much?
Not enough?
Should you have made that joke?
The Loop… You analyse every micro-detail, building evidence that you messed up, even when you didn’t.
Stop it…Think back to what was actually said.
Exactly what was said.
Not what you think they meant, not the tone you imagined – just the words.
If your mind keeps adding story to the facts, that’s your signal you’re in a loop, not solving a real problem.
Alternative method… Write down what actually happened versus the story you’re telling yourself about what happened.
The gap between the two is usually massive.
Keep practising this and you’ll start catching yourself mid-analysis, before the spiral takes hold.
Comparing Yourself to Others
Someone’s doing better than you.
They’ve got the job, the relationship, the life you want.
And suddenly your brain starts the comparison spiral.
- Why aren’t you there yet?
- What’s wrong with you?
- Why does everyone else seem to have it figured out?
The Loop… You measure your behind-the-scenes reality against everyone else’s highlight reel.
Stop it… Mute or unfollow anyone who triggers the comparison spiral.
If you can’t see it, you can’t compare yourself to it.
Protect your mental space ruthlessly.
Alternative method… When you catch yourself comparing, ask: “What am I actually envious of here?”
Usually it’s not the thing itself, it’s what you think that thing means.
Name it, then let it go.
Do this enough and you’ll notice the pattern, comparison is just your brain’s way of avoiding what you actually need to work on.
Too Much Free Time
Empty hours with nothing structured to do.
Your brain should relax, right?
Wrong. Instead, it fills the space with worst-case scenarios, past regrets, and future anxieties.
Suddenly you’re spiralling about everything and nothing at the same time.
The Loop… Your mind interprets empty space as a threat and creates problems to solve.
Stop it… Schedule your “nothing time.”
Even 10 minutes of intentional rest stops the spiral.
Tell your brain: “We’re resting now.
Not solving problems, not planning, just resting.” Structure the emptiness, and the overthinking loses its grip.
Alternative method… Keep a simple list of “low-brain” activities for these moments.
Things that occupy your hands but not your mind.
Cleaning, walking, stretching.
Something physical that gives your brain a break.
You’ll soon notice that unstructured time isn’t the problem.
It’s what your mind does with the space that creates the loop.
Lack of Sleep
Everything feels worse when you’re exhausted.
Your brain can’t filter thoughts properly.
Small problems feel catastrophic.
Decisions feel impossible.
And your mind races with every worry you’ve ever had, all at once.
The Loop… An exhausted brain treats every thought as urgent and life-threatening.
Stop it… When your mind is racing, focus on relaxing yourself.
As thoughts come, and they will, just acknowledge them.
“There’s that thought.”
Then refocus on sleep.
Don’t fight the thoughts or try to solve them.
That feeds the loop.
Alternative method… If acknowledging thoughts isn’t working, get up and reset.
Walk around, drink water, do something mundane for 10 minutes.
Break the physical loop to interrupt the mental one.
Practice this and you’ll realise that sleep deprivation doesn’t make your thoughts more true.
It just makes them louder.
Learn specific techniques for stopping overthinking at night.
Perfectionism
Nothing’s ever good enough.
You second-guess every choice before you make it and after you make it.
Should you have worded that email differently?
Could you have done that task better?
Why isn’t this perfect yet?
The Loop… Your brain searches for the “perfect” version that doesn’t exist, so you never feel satisfied.
Stop it… Ask yourself one question: “How badly do I want this?”
Then ask yourself: “What is actually stopping me from getting it done?”
Most of the time, it’s not that the work isn’t good enough.
Its fear disguised as high standards.
Done is better than perfect.
Always.
Alternative method… Give yourself a time limit. “I’ve got 30 minutes to finish this, then I’m moving on.”
The deadline forces you to let go of perfection and just get it done.
Keep doing this and you’ll start recognising perfectionism for what it really is, fear disguised as high standards.
Uncertainty About the Future
You don’t know what’s coming next, and your brain hates that.
So, it tries to predict every possible outcome, prepare for every disaster, and control what hasn’t happened yet.
The result?
You’re stuck in a mental spiral about things that don’t exist.
The Loop… Your mind creates worst-case scenarios to try and eliminate uncertainty, which only creates more anxiety.
Stop it… Focus on what you can control today, not what might happen tomorrow.
Ask yourself: “What’s one thing I can do right now?”
Then do that.
Repeat.
You can’t control the future, but you can control your next action.
Alternative method… Set a “worry window.”
Give yourself 10 minutes a day to think about future uncertainties.
Write them down if you want.
When the time’s up, close the window.
If worries pop up outside that window, remind yourself: “Not now, I’ll think about that later.”
Do this consistently and you’ll notice that most of what you worry about never actually happens.
Difficult Emotions You’re Avoiding
Sadness, anger, grief, disappointment.
Emotions you don’t want to feel.
So instead of feeling them, your brain creates stories, distractions, and overthinking spirals.
You think about the feeling instead of actually feeling it.
The Loop… Your mind keeps circling the emotion without ever landing on it, which keeps you stuck.
Stop it… Name the emotion out loud. “I’m feeling angry.”
Then sit with it for 60 seconds without trying to fix it, explain it, or push it away.
Just feel it.
Most emotions pass in under a minute if you stop resisting them.
Alternative method… If sitting with emotions feels too intense, try movement.
Go for a walk, do some press-ups, shake your body.
Physical movement can help release stuck emotions when your mind won’t let them go.
Keep practising this and you’ll realise that overthinking is resistance.
Feeling is freedom.
The Pattern
Triggers are unavoidable.
Life will always give you unfinished conversations, big decisions, past mistakes, and uncertain futures.
But loops are optional.
I spent 672 hours in silence watching these exact patterns play out in my own mind.
I saw how one trigger could spiral into hours of overthinking if I didn’t catch it early.
But I also learned that once you see the trigger, you can interrupt the loop before it takes over.
The shift isn’t about eliminating triggers.
It’s about recognising when you’ve started looping and choosing to break free.
Read more about my story.
What is a Loop?
A mental loop is a thought pattern that repeats without resolution.
Your mind circles the same problem, question, or worry over and over, but never lands on an answer or solution.
It feels productive because you’re “thinking,” but its actually just repetition disguised as problem-solving.
Get The Loop Breaker Guide
Loops keep you stuck because they create the illusion of progress while keeping you trapped in the same pattern.
The more you loop, the stronger the pattern becomes.
Want to identify which of the 15 mental loops you could be stuck in?
Download the guide and start breaking free.
The loops only win if you don’t see them coming.
Now you do.