This blog was written by psychodynamic psychotherapist Alison Gee.

"I know I'm overthinking it."

It's something people say often, sometimes with frustration, sometimes with a kind of resignation, as if the problem is obvious.

If only they could switch it off, things would feel easier.

Overthinking is usually described as going over the same thoughts again and again.

Replaying conversations, anticipating what might go wrong, analysing every possible outcome. It can feel exhausting.

But what if overthinking isn't the real issue?

In therapy, when people talk about overthinking, it is often doing something important.

It is not just mental noise. It is usually trying to manage something underneath.

You might find yourself replaying a conversation long after it has ended. On the surface, it can seem like a habit you cannot control.

But if you look a little closer, the thinking is trying to resolve uncertainty. It is searching for reassurance.

It is trying to protect you from the discomfort of not knowing. In that sense, overthinking can be understood as a way of staying in control.

This becomes clearer when you try to stop. Often, the thinking does not just disappear. Instead, something else comes into view.

A feeling that is harder to sit with, such as anxiety, vulnerability, self-doubt or a fear of getting it wrong.

The thinking can act as a buffer against these feelings. It can also create a sense of distance.

If you stay in your head, analysing and working things out, you do not have to fully experience what you are feeling.

This is not a conscious decision. It is something that develops over time.

For many people, the habit of overthinking has roots in earlier experiences.

There may have been a strong emphasis on getting things right, or on anticipating the needs and reactions of others.

You may have learned, in subtle or explicit ways, that mistakes carry consequences, or that how you are perceived really matters.

Over time, thinking ahead, analysing and second-guessing can become a way of navigating the world. It can even become part of how you function well.

The difficulty is that it does not always switch off when it is no longer needed. Instead, it can become constant.

Every decision is weighed up, every interaction examined, every uncertainty turned into a problem to solve.

And because it is happening in your own mind, it can feel as though the answer should be there if you just think hard enough.

But often, there is no answer to find.

No amount of thinking can give you certainty about what someone else is feeling, and no amount of analysis can guarantee that nothing will go wrong.

This is where overthinking can start to feel stuck, not because you are thinking too much, but because thinking is being used to solve something it cannot fully resolve.

From a psychodynamic perspective, the question is not how to stop overthinking, but what it is doing for you.

What feeling is it trying to manage? What uncertainty is it trying to eliminate? What would it be like to not have the answer?

These are not always easy questions, but they can shift the focus. Instead of trying to silence your thoughts, you begin to understand them.

Instead of seeing overthinking as a flaw, it becomes something that has developed for a reason.

Over time, this can create a different kind of space. You may start to notice when you are moving into your head and gently ask what is underneath it.

It can become possible to tolerate a little more uncertainty without needing to resolve it immediately.

That does not mean the thinking disappears completely. But it can loosen its grip, and it can become easier to feel less caught inside your own mind.

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