The Real Reason You Constantly Overthink Everything: And How to Set Yourself Free

One of the biggest misunderstandings we face as humans is our concept of what it really means to process emotions.

Most people I encounter struggle to be with themselves because they don’t see it as productive or worthwhile to sit with their thoughts. They often say things like, "There’s no point in stewing over the situation" or "Why think about the same thing over and over from every angle?"

In many ways, they’re right! It’s not helpful to overthink endlessly. But the issue isn’t being with themselves — it’s how they’re being with themselves. Often, people get stuck in their MINDS, unaware that their thoughts are simply a product of their emotions.

When our thoughts race, creating every worst-case scenario or trying to solve something unknown, the underlying emotion is usually fear.

What would happen if we recognised that our thoughts are merely signposts pointing us to the emotions within our bodies?

What if we became curious about why we’re feeling this way?

What might shift if, instead of moving away from this feeling, we chose to stay with it?

From my personal experience, I believe we often avoid our own company because it feels scary and uncomfortable. This makes sense — most people are, in fact, full of fear. We haven’t developed the skills, awareness, or trust to sit with our emotional state (and our reality), knowing that it will eventually pass and transform.

If you’ve never learned how to be with your emotional body, it’s common for the first experience to be fear or even panic. It’s like you've been stacking stones your entire life without noticing how high the pile has grown. When you try to stop, the alarm bells go off as you realise the pile is precariously high, and it wouldn’t take much for it to come crashing down.

Often, the awareness of this massive pile sends people running — distracting themselves, keeping busy, or avoiding the discomfort. But what if, instead of distracting ourselves, we stayed with it? What if this gave us an opportunity to see what we’ve been doing and created a chance to change it?

Staying steady allows us to see what we’ve been carrying. It becomes clear why everything else we’ve been trying to do feels so exhausting and difficult. Staying steady can feel overwhelming at first, which is why we need to be gentle with ourselves.

You weren’t taught how to do this, which is why it feels so hard and uncomfortable. It’s also possible that you feel shame, especially if, growing up, you were told to "get on with things" or "leave things in the past." You might feel like you’re "failing," despite trying so hard and doing everything you were told.

Processing your emotions begins with truly being present with your experience. While this can be challenging and uncomfortable, it’s important to remember that healing happens gradually — one moment, one step at a time. Although it may feel slow, every moment you allow yourself to release what you’ve been carrying brings you closer to inner peace, freedom, and deeper joy. These small shifts lead naturally to improvements in your health, relationships, and overall well-being.

It’s about choosing to address the root cause, rather than constantly scrambling to maintain balance on an unstable foundation. Healing doesn’t happen overnight. It takes the courage to sit with your emotions, accept where you are, and trust that each step forward, no matter how small, is significant. The more we create space to process our emotions, the more we invite growth, calm, and clarity into our lives. You don’t have to carry the weight forever — and remember, you don’t have to do it alone.

If you liked this article, you might also like:

• 10 Things I Learned While Healing Debilitating Anxiety Without Medication 

• Anxiety: How to Finally Heal (An Ode to Anxiety)

• 7 Signs That You Are Living in Survival Mode...and How to Flip The Script 

• 7 Tips To Reduce Overthinking So You Can Release More Energy & Upgrade Your Life 

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Molly is a Holistic Counsellor & Meditation Therapist with a Masters in Counselling & Psychotherapy.. However, most of what she brings to the table is her personal human experience and dedication to self awareness, healing and growth. She is the founder of Mind Habitat which offers Holistic Counselling & Psychotherapy to humans who are looking to reduce suffering and access more freedom in their life. You can book a session with Molly here or visit the Mind Habitat homepage here.