Is It Overthinking or Anxiety? How to Tell—And What to Do

You’re lying in bed, ceiling shadows stretching. That one conversation. That one mistake. That one maybe-future. Your brain is stuck on repeat—and your chest is starting to thrum.

Is this overthinking? Anxiety? Both?

They can mirror each other—but knowing the difference opens doors to compassion and choice.

🤯 Overthinking: Mental Loops

Overthinking is when your mind circles the same thought again and again—a mental treadmill.

Indicators:

• Replaying conversations or rehashing scenarios, sometimes for hours .
• Imagining worst-case outcomes.
• Decision paralysis—unable to choose because you’re afraid of getting it wrong.

Studies show nearly 73% of adults ages 25–35 report overthinking, and 52% of people aged 45–55 do too.

Overthinking tries to create control—but often just deepens the maze.

😰 Anxiety: Nervous System in Overdrive

Anxiety isn’t just thoughts—it’s the body preparing for threat that may not exist.

Signs:

• Racing heart, tight chest, digestive upset, or tension.
• Fidgeting, restlessness, drenched in dread.
• Panic spikes or irresistible urge to flee.
• National studies find ~19% of U.S. adults meet criteria for an anxiety disorder each year.
• Globally, 301 million people live with anxiety disorders—1 in 4 ever get treatment.

Anxiety often starts in the body and loops into the brain—a fire alarm you can’t switch off.

🧩 Telling Them Apart

Ask yourself these two questions:

1. Are the symptoms mostly in the body or the mind?

   • If it’s thinking loops: likely overthinking.
   • If it’s physical tension or panic: likely anxiety.

2. What feels more urgent right now?

   • Racing chest or churning gut = anxiety.
   • Replaying conversations = overthinking.

Often, they come as a pair—and that’s okay. Seeing them means you can respond with tools that fit each.

🧬 What’s Going On in the Brain + Body

• Perseverative cognition (constant negative thinking) pushes your cortisol and heart rate higher—eroding health over time.
• Rumination-focused CBT (RF‑CBT) is clinically shown to reduce overthinking in teens—rewiring neural loops.
• Chronic overthinking is tied to headaches, GI distress, insomnia, fatigue, and even high blood pressure.
• The “smoke detector principle” shows our anxiety threshold is oversensitive by design—we over-alert because safety once mattered more than relaxation.

🌿 Healing Tools That Help Both

1. Name It

Labeling your experience “this is anxiety” or “I’m overthinking” creates mental space.

2. Move Physically

Even gentle movement—walking, stretching, ice cubes on skin—tells your brain: We’re safe.

3. Set a Worry Window

Give yourself 10 minutes to worry or overthink. Use a timer. When it ends—close the book.

4. Use 5‑4‑3‑2‑1 Grounding

Name five things you see, four you touch, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste. Bring you back to now.

5. Practice RF‑CBT Mini-Drill

Notice the loop. Ask, is this helpful or harmful? Shut the loop with curiosity, not judgement.

6. Self-Compassion Check-In

Whisper: “No wonder I’m spinning—this world is loud. And I’m allowed to rest.” A soft reframe matters.

7. Distraction That’s Soothing

As half of anxious adults report, distraction helps—phone a friend, read, bake, listen to music.

8. Let Your Body Soften

Try progressive muscle relaxation, or a belly-breath video for 6 minutes—clinically proven to reduce stress.

🌙 A Gentle Close

Whether it’s overthinking, anxiety, or both, you’re not broken. You’re human—wired to care, to worry, to survive.

You don’t need to untangle every thought or silence every alarm bell. You only need to stay gentle. Stay curious. Stay present.

That’s already brave.

With respect and a deep breath,
The Undelulu Team