Overthinking, Decision Fatigue, And Finding Peace

Ready to step out of the mental spin cycle and into a calmer year? We’re kicking things off by unboxing overthinking—why it hijacks your focus, how it drains your energy, and the simple shifts that return you to clarity and self-trust. From the difference between rumination and worry to the sneaky ways decision fatigue derails your day, we map the loop that keeps smart, capable people stuck and offer tools that actually fit your life.

We share the life costs of overthinking across work, relationships, and daily choices, then move into a clear playbook: name the pattern, set a thought timer, try the worst-case flip, journal in brain-dump mode, move your body, and filter thoughts with one question—Is this helpful? You’ll hear memorable prompts, a grounding affirmation, and a realistic one-week challenge designed to build momentum without perfection. Along the way, we talk candidly about returning from a season of new motherhood, the pressure of the “perfect” comeback, and the pull of certainty chasing that never delivers peace.

If you’ve ever opened 37 mental tabs and lost the music, this conversation will help you close a few and keep what matters. Expect practical tools, warm encouragement, and a focus on choosing clarity over chaos. Try one strategy every day this week and tell us what changes. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s overthinking their next move, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find these tools. What’s the one decision you’re ready to take action on without having it all figured out?

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Chapters

• 1:18 New Year And A Fresh Reset
• 2:22 What Overthinking Really Is
• 3:25 Why Brains Love The Loop
• 4:24 Life Costs Of Overthinking
• 6:48 Doubt, Worth, And Subconscious Cues
• 6:48 Strategies To Break The Spiral
• 8:39 The Weeklong Challenge
• 8:56 Clarity, Affirmation, And Action

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:40

Hey, hey, motives, I've missed you so much. It's a brand new year, and what better way to reset than by unpacking that overloaded mental suitcase called Overthinking? So, for those of you who don't know, I had a baby last year. My beautiful little girl just turned one. And reset was much needed as I settled into being a new mommy all over again, with my oldest being 19 now. Now, overthinking may have played a role in delaying my return. Was I overthinking the perfect comeback episode? Maybe. Definitely. Yes. If your brain ever feels like a tab with 37 open windows, and one of them is playing music you can't find, this one is for you. So, what is overthinking? Overthinking is like chewing gum made of thoughts. You chew and chew and chew, but honey, it's no flavor left, and you still can't spit it out. There are two main types of overthinking: ruminating, which is past focus, replaying events. I should have said this, I should have done that. And the second is worrying, which is future focus, anticipating problems like what if this happens or what if that doesn't happen? So I have a mini exercise for you. Take 30 seconds. What thought have you been chewing on for days, weeks, or even months? Remember to be real with yourself. Now let's talk about the psychology behind it. Why do we overthink? Our brains crave certainty and control. Overthinking tricks us into feeling productive. Like if I obsess about this choice enough, I'll finally feel sure. Spoiler alert, nope, you won't. So it's like a complete anxiety loop. You fear, then it's overthinking, then paralysis, then missed opportunity, then guilt, then more fear. It's like being stuck in a mental spin cycle. You're tired, dizzy, and still not clean. Now, for a fun brain fact, overthinking is linked to an overactive prefrontal cortex in a fear-focused among gala. You're not crazy, your brain's just doing the most. So let's talk about how overthinking affects your life because it does. So with decision fatigue, I want to know have you ever spent 30 minutes deciding what to watch only to watch nothing and feel exhausted? That's decision fatigue at its finest. I've done this with a lot of other things too. I've actually made a commitment to refrain from buying any more resources until utilizing the several dozens, yes, dozens that I have already. With relationships, we replay convos, misinterpret texts, assuming the worst. Hey, with the period, clearly they hate me. Oh no. So with productivity, procrastination is masked as preparation. I'm not avoiding the task, I'm just making a color-coded spreadsheet about when to start the task. Hmm? Sounds familiar? Let's get into mental wellness. So this heightens anxiety, leads to sleeplessness, and low self-esteem. So, guys, what area of your life do you overthink the most? Work, love, goals, or social media captions. Overthinking can show up in all different kinds of ways, down to the smallest, and even you might think the minus skilled things like what am I gonna wear today? Or getting three outfits to wear, and then waking up the next day and you still don't want to wear either of them, or just literally picking apart things that are very simple, like that menu at the restaurant. When you've looked at it three times, and every single time you want something different. All of this plays into our subconscious, and when we're overthinking, we are doubting ourselves, and we are basically just giving ourselves another excuse to say that we're not worthy, we're not confident of whatever it is that we're thinking about. So let's talk about strategies to stop the spiral. Name it. Say, this is an overthinking moment, it brings awareness. You can also set a thought timer, and basically, what you do is give yourself 10 minutes to overthink and then stop. You can make it a whole entire dramatic moment. Set a timer, grab tea, light a candle, rock out, spiral. But when the bell dings, it is done. You can also practice worst case flip, and that's when you ask, what's the worst that could happen? And what would I do if that actually happened? And then you would just flip it. What's the best that could happen? Hmm, that's a good one, ain't it? Fourth is you can journal it out. Brain dump style, no editing, no grammar, just spilling all your tea, honey. Okay, a prompt for that could be what am I overthinking right now, and what do I know to be true? Fifth is moving your body, shake out those spirals, baby. Walk, dance, stretch, do the catwalk, whatever you see fit. Your brain needs a break. Let your hips help. Sixth, you can ask, is this thought helpful? Is this thought helping me grow or is it keeping me stuck? Now I have a challenge for you. Pick one strategy and try it every day for a week. DM or comment or send that text to the fan mail and let us know your results with the hashtag mind unboxed. Now, I want you to know, guys, that overthinking might be familiar, but it doesn't have to be your forever roommate. This year we're choosing clarity over chaos. I have an affirmation for you. I release the need to overanalyze. I trust myself to make decisions that align with my peace and purpose. Share this episode with someone who's been overthinking their next move. And I also have a journal prompt for you. It is, what decision or desire are you ready to take action on without needing to have it all figured out first? Now, welcome back to Shades of Tone, where we unpack what's real, what's heavy, and what's holding us back. And trust me, baby, this year we're making room for peace. And as always, always, love.