"Breaking Free from Overthinking"

Sana lay on her bed, wide awake at 2:13 a.m., staring at the ceiling. Her room was dark, except for the faint glow of her phone screen—still open to an unanswered message. It wasn’t urgent. It wasn’t even that important. But her mind wouldn’t let it go.

"What if I said the wrong thing? What if they misunderstood me? Should I have replied differently?"

This wasn’t new. Overthinking had been her silent companion for years. From replaying past conversations to worrying about future possibilities that rarely happened, it consumed her peace and stole her sleep.

But tonight felt different. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Or maybe, deep down, she knew something had to change.

The next morning, Sana did something she rarely did: she left her phone on the table and took a walk in the neighborhood park. The air was cool, and the streets were quiet. As she walked, her mind slowly began to unclench.

She passed a bench and saw an older woman feeding birds. The woman looked peaceful—so at ease, so grounded. Sana felt a strange urge to sit beside her.

“Good morning,” the woman said kindly.

Sana smiled. “Good morning.”

A moment passed, then the woman asked gently, “You seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

Sana blinked, surprised by the accuracy. “Yeah… I guess I do. I’m always in my head.”

The woman nodded, tossing another handful of seeds. “I used to be the same. Overthinking every word, every decision. It’s like being trapped in a room with no windows.”

Sana laughed softly. “Exactly. I wish I could shut it off.”

“You can,” the woman said. “But it’s like training a wild horse. It takes patience.”

Sana leaned in. “How?”

Step 1: Pause and Breathe

The woman reached into her bag and handed Sana a folded piece of paper. “Here’s something I carry with me. It’s simple, but powerful.”

Sana unfolded it. At the top it read:

“Step One: Breathe before you believe.”

“It means when your mind starts spinning, pause. Take a deep breath. Don’t accept every thought as truth,” the woman explained. “Our minds lie. Especially when we’re tired or anxious.”

That night, when Sana found herself spiraling again, she tried it. She paused. Inhaled slowly for four counts. Held for four. Exhaled for four.

It didn’t fix everything. But it slowed the storm.

Step 2: Question the Thought

The next day, she returned to the park. The woman—whose name she learned was Amina—was there again.

“You practiced, didn’t you?” Amina asked with a knowing smile.

Sana nodded. “It helped. A little.”

“Good. The next step is to question the thought, like a detective.”

Amina handed her a small notebook. On the first page, it said:

“Step Two: Ask — Is this thought helpful? Is it true? Is it kind?”

“Most of the time,” Amina said, “you’ll find the answer is no.”

Later that week, when Sana’s boss sent her a short email, she felt the usual panic: “Did I mess up? Is she mad at me?”

But she opened the notebook and wrote:

Is this helpful? → No.

Is it true? → I don’t know. There’s no evidence.

Is it kind? → No. I wouldn’t say this to a friend.

She felt herself breathe easier.

Step 3: Ground Yourself in the Present

“Your mind loves the past and the future,” Amina said during their third walk. “But peace lives in the present.”

She handed Sana a small pebble. “When your thoughts run wild, hold this. Feel its shape. Listen to your breath. Look at the sky. Come back to now.”

It sounded strange, but Sana tried it during a stressful meeting at work. While others talked, she held the pebble in her pocket and focused on her breath. For the first time, she didn’t drown in worry.

Step 4: Give the Mind a Job

Amina explained, “Overthinking often happens when the mind is bored. So give it direction.”

Sana started writing in the notebook every morning—just 5 minutes. Not deep thoughts, just whatever came to mind. It was messy. But it cleared the fog.

She also made time for things that absorbed her attention: painting, organizing her room, and short evening walks. Her mind finally had something better to do than self-sabotage.

Step 5: Practice Self-Kindness

“You’re not broken,” Amina said one day. “You’re just human.”

Those words stuck with Sana. Overthinking didn’t mean she was weak or flawed—it meant she cared deeply. But now, she was learning to care more wisely.

Weeks turned into months. Sana still had moments where her mind spiraled. But she now had tools. A way back to herself. She no longer feared her thoughts. She faced them with grace.

Final Note:

If you, like Sana, often feel trapped in your thoughts, know this:

You’re not alone.

You’re not your thoughts.

And you can take back control—one breath, one step, one small act of self-kindness at a time.