You're not broken. You just think too much.

Hey guys,

So this week I’ve been thinking about something that I’ve struggled with for as long as I can remember.

And putting the irony aside, that something… is overthinking.

It doesn’t matter what the situation is, whether I’m laughing over dinner with a new friend in a hostel in Vietnam or having a 5-second interaction with another driver on my way to work, my brain somehow finds a way to latch onto it.

Replaying the moment. Picking it apart. Then convincing me that I came across poorly or acted in a way I shouldn't have.

Maybe I overshared and talked too much. Maybe I didn’t talk enough and it seemed like I didn’t care. Maybe I should have pulled into the other lane a half second sooner.

But in reality, I know this isn’t the truth. It’s just imagined negativity that spirals in my head. It’s what all of us chronic overthinkers have to deal with, and it’s exactly what Seneca meant when he said:

“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

Because the reality is: the vast majority of people aren’t replaying conversations they’ve had with you. They aren’t hyper-analyzing your choice of words or tone of voice. And the person in the other car? They probably didn’t even notice the timing of your lane change.

They’ve already moved on. Meanwhile, we’re still stuck in the echo chamber of our own minds.

This has been a big struggle for me. So much so that I’ve even apologized to people for things they didn’t remember, or never saw as an issue to begin with because I couldn’t stop dissecting the moment. I couldn’t let it go until I convinced myself that I was somehow in the wrong.

But over time, I’ve started to realize something important:

Most people are so focused on their own lives that they don’t care enough to be scrutinizing your actions.

And I say that with love. Not to make you feel small, but to free you from the weight you’re carrying.

You matter. You are important. But that joke you stumbled over last week? It’s long gone in someone else’s mind. The world has moved on, and you’re allowed to move on too.

It reminds me of another quote that fits perfectly here:

“You didn’t have a bad day. You had a bad five minutes and turned it into a bad day.”

That’s the power of overthinking. It takes one singular moment and turns it into a narrative. Usually a false one that leans negative. (Still waiting to meet a chronic positive overthinker...)

So, if you're like me and you struggle with overthinking, the good news is that it can get better. Here are a few things that have been helping me recently:

1. Name the Pattern.

When your thoughts start spiraling, pause and say, “This is overthinking.”

Simply naming it out loud creates distance between you and the thoughts.

You are not your thoughts. You are the one observing them.

2. Ask: Is this true? Or just a story?

When you catch yourself replaying a moment, ask yourself whether you know something for a fact, or if you're just filling in the blanks with insecurity or assumption.

Most of the time, it's the latter.

3. Ground Yourself in Action.

Overthinking keeps you stuck in your head. The best antidote? Do something.

• Call a friend.

• Go for a walk.

• Clean your space.

Take action and watch how the fog of negativity begins to lift.

If this is something that you deal with as well, I want you to remember this:

You are not broken. You’re just thinking too much.

And thinking too much isn’t a flaw. It means you care. It means you want to show up in the world with kindness and self-awareness.

But don’t let your mind turn small moments into lifelong narratives.

You’re doing better than you think.

Until next week,

Your friend from the wilderness,

Michael “Still thinking about that thing I said in 2013“ Mitchell