From Overthinking to Clarity: 3 Exercises That Actually Help
Overthinking, also known as rumination, can feel like you're solving problems, but often you're just looping the same worries over and over. It keeps the mind busy, but not productive. According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 73% of adults between the ages of 25 and 35 report frequent overthinking and women are more likely to experience it than men.
Research published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour links repetitive negative thinking to an increased risk of depression, anxiety and even Alzheimer’s disease. Over time, this mental habit drains emotional energy and crowds out clarity.
So how do you begin to interrupt this spiral? The answer isn’t to force yourself to stop thinking, it’s to change your relationship to your thoughts.
Try these practical, therapist-informed exercises for managing overthinking:
The "Name 5 Things" Grounding Technique: Look around and name 5 things you can see. Then 4 you can feel. 3 you can hear. 2 you can smell. 1 you can taste. This sensory check-in helps anchor your mind in the present moment, breaking the loop of mental noise.
Thought Labelling: When a worry appears, try silently saying, "That’s a fear," or "That’s planning." You're not trying to push the thought away, you’re gently noticing and naming it, which creates some distance and control.
Box Breathing: Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold again for 4. Repeat for a few rounds. This simple breath work technique helps calm your nervous system and restore clarity. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and enhancing emotional regulation.
You don’t need to shut your thoughts down. You just need to give them more space and yourself more room to breathe.
At ESO, we expand on these tools in our mindfulness and emotional regulation sessions, offering step-by-step guidance to help you move from mental fog to emotional clarity, one breath and one thought at a time.