Overthinking. Rumination. Sticky thoughts. Whatever you want to call it, you likely know what it is. That thought you can't let go. Maybe it's that super cringey thing you said to your coworker that your brain won't let you live down. Or maybe it happens when someone misunderstands what you meant. The thoughts replay again and again and somehow they're always louder at night.
People love to tell me that I'm overthinking. I absolutely HATE that word, because it doesn't reflect the REASON behind why the thoughts won't leave me alone. The truth is, the thought is stuck because you care. That sticky thought reflects your integrity, your values, and your need to emotionally process.
They tell you that you're overthinking because you're "too much" for them. That's really their problem though. You're not too much. You're a deeply feeling human with a brain that holds onto what matters. It's not too much. It's your brain holding on because it's hard to let go. Here's what helps me when my brain won't let go:
Journal or brain dump - get it all out. Once it's all out on the page, things are less loud in my head.
Talk it out - externalize the loop and give your thoughts somewhere else to go. Sometimes you just need someone else to hear you.
Entertain it with word games - try naming a cookie for every letter of the alphabet. Pick a word and find a match for every letter. Repeat until you can't remember what you were thinking about.
Distraction - something that's really interesting and engaging will usually work if everything else fails. A thriller TV show, your favorite songs played loudly, whatever works for you.
Scraping out the sticky thoughts isn't easy. It takes time. Have patience with yourself and experiment to find what works for you. Above all, know that you're not alone and you're definitely not too much.