How To Get Out of Your Head: 7 Ways to Stop Overthinking

A wandering mind isn’t necessarily a happy mind. Sonia Vadlamani explores science-backed strategies to help you get out of your head and reconnect with the present.

 

It happened again as I sat by the beach on a work retreat, supposedly enjoying the sunset, but instead replaying the meeting earlier, dissecting every small detail. Did I get to lead the event by fluke? Was my joke really funny or inappropriate? What if I fail everyone by tanking the project?

 

And then I noticed a pattern – this repetitive analysis left me mentally drained, yet I couldn’t stop rehashing the event, even at the cost of losing out on the present, ie, the gorgeous sunset. The reminder was clear: I needed to get out of my head to be able to enjoy the present. 

 

If my experience sounds familiar, and you often find yourself stuck in relentless mental replay of past events as well as future worries, you might be part of the vast club of over-thinkers.

 

What Does it Mean to Be in Your Head?

Being in your head usually refers to overthinking or over-analyzing a situation. While overthinking isn’t a mental health condition itself, it can stem from one’s negative emotions. Indeed, it can be mentally exhausting, lessen attention span, and impair decision-making if left unchecked. When it spirals beyond control, overthinking can also contribute to anxiety and depression.
 

Learn how to get out of your head and into the present

 

In fact, a study of 2250 volunteers by Harvard psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert found that people spend about 47% of their waking ours thinking about something that isn’t actually happening in the present moment – and this mind-wandering comes with an emotional cost. The conclusion from the study is profound: a wandering mind isn’t a happy mind.

 

Being in your head isn’t just mindless daydreaming – the persistent cycle of scrutinizing every thought, second-guessing each gesture, and predicting every outcome can leave you utterly drained.

 

7 Science-Backed Ways to Get Out of Your Head

The good news is that it’s possible to break free from the mental prison and get out of your head using simple, research-backed techniques. Here are seven effective tools to ground yourself in the present and reclaim your mental peace.

 

1.Get your body moving

Granted, exercise is often viewed as the foundation for a healthier lifestyle and prevention against chronic health problems such as depression and anxiety. But research shows that a vigorous exercise routine can also help you get out of your head: a meta-analysis of 34 studies revealed that regular physical activity reduces the incidence of a sympathetic nervous system, making people more adept at handling stress and anxiety.
 

 

“Being in your head usually refers to overthinking or overanalyzing a situation. While overthinking isn’t a mental health condition itself, it can stem from one’s negative emotions.” 

 

Therefore, an intense workout can act as a “reset” button by drawing your attention away from rumination and toward external stimuli. The logic is simple: intense activities like sprinting or lifting heavy weights are bound to demand your complete attention, leaving little room for distractions. 
 

The key is to choose physical activities that demand intensity and your complete focus, such as:

• Strength training
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
• Dance workouts, like Zumba
• Swimming laps
• Boxing or mixed martial arts

Boxing requires total focus, taking your out of your head
 

2. Practise thought-labeling

Thought-labeling is a research-backed cognitive diffusion technique that helps combat overthinking by distancing you from your thoughts, so you’re not consumed by them. You can also practise thought-labeling as a guided meditation by allocating a specific time and duration. Here’s how you can practise this approach:
 

1. Observe, don’t judge: Start with 2-3 deep breaths to calm your mind and gently observe your thoughts without judgment or the urge to change them.
2. Label or categorize the thought: Assign a label to each thought as accurately as possible. The labels could be “planning,” “daydreaming,” or “worrying.”
3. Repeat the process: As you continue to take deeper breaths, you’ll notice some of the labeled thoughts fading away, while others reappear. These recurring thoughts may form the root cause of your overthinking. Keep labeling them and try to note which ones surface more often.

Labeling your thoughts in this manner can also help you recognize them as temporary mental events rather than absolute truths, which makes getting out of your head easier. Research also shows that categorizing thoughts activates the prefrontal cortex – the brain’s center for executive functions – while reducing the load on the amygdala, where the fight-or-flight response originates.

 

3.Talk to strangers more often

For chronic overthinkers and especially introverts, the idea of striking up conversations with complete strangers may seem daunting. Their need to form meaningful connections, combined with pessimistic expectations and fear of the vulnerability hangover can prevent them from even trying. 

 

However, research suggests that talking to strangers can help you get out of your head. A study by psychologists at University of Essex, UK, found that the unpredictable and evolving nature of conversations with strangers makes it nearly impossible to predict or overanalyze the outcome of such encounters, thus compelling us to be present as our authentic selves. 

MORE LIKE THIS:

• 7 Strategies to Beat the Habit of Indecisiveness
• Quotes About Worrying: 6 Powerful Sayings to Free Your Mind
• How to Stop Overthinking: 9 Steps to Take

 

Start small to not get overwhelmed: pass a compliment, be courteous, smile at people passing by, or make small talk while waiting in line. See where the conversation takes you! 

Speaking with strangers opens new conversations and 

 

4. Ground yourself with the “5-4-3-2-1” technique

This simple yet powerful mindfulness exercise helps anchor your focus remarkably quickly in the present moment. Especially effective when your mind is bouncing, here’s how it works:

• Look around and name five things you see (the bookshelf, coffee table, a steaming cup of tea, a plant, the cat snoozing nearby, or a crack in the wall). 
• Feel or touch four things around you. This can be your feet on the grass (if you’re outdoors), the breeze, pages of a book, or the cool surface of your phone.
• Three sounds you can hear (clicks of a mouse, the fan whirring nearby, your own breathing).
• Two scents you can smell (fresh coffee, your perfume or shampoo).
• One thing you can taste (mints, coffee, or just the taste in your mouth right now).

Researchers Josefsson et al. suggest that interventions with mindfulness exercises can reduce rumination and enhance one’s ability to process negative emotions. By engaging your five senses – sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste – this exercise helps interrupt the endless loop of intrusive thoughts, drawing your attention firmly to the present.

 

5. Engage in more “flow” activities

Immersing yourself in activities that completely absorb your attention can help you enter a state of flow – an innately positive experience that respected psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi decribes as essential for a sense of control and overall happiness. 

 

“The STOP technique is a practical answer to how to get out of your head. It disrupts the train of involuntary thoughts, making way for calm, deliberate action.”

 

Researchers also consider flow state the antidote to overthinking – when you’re fully engaged in an activity, there’s simply no mental space left for distracting thoughts or rumination. The key to obtaining flow is to choose activities that are exciting and challenging enough to demand your complete focus, but not so intimidating that they trigger overthinking or anxiety. 

Find your flow: completing a jigsaw pulls you into the present

 

What sparks flow can differ one from person to another – some ideas include learning to play a musical instrument, knitting, gardening, baking, or solving a jigsaw puzzle.

 

6. Shift your perspective with “self-distancing” technique

Self-distancing is an impactful way to step back, see the bigger picture, and stop the incessant train of thought. Remind yourself that our life experiences, cultural beliefs, values, and expectations shape our world view, and thus there are alternate ways to analyze every situation.

 

Getting out of your head is easier by asking yourself questions like:

• Is there a way I can introduce a fresh perspective here?
• What advice would I give to a friend in this situation?
• Will this matter in five years, and if so, how?

Shifting your perspective and imagining things from a novel vantage point can definitely help you cut through the mental noise and get clarity.

RELATED:

• How to Stop Thinking About Something: 9 Strategies
• 11 Life Coaching Techniques and Tools
• Remember: You Are Not Your Thoughts
   

7. Master the STOP mindfulness technique

The STOP technique serves as a four-step mental checklist that helps you pause and respond to things calmly, rather than reacting on impulse. Here’s what the acronym stands for:

 

S – Stop: Press pause on your thoughts and physical movement. Don’t judge or fight your thoughts – simply prepare to shift your focus elsewhere.

T – Take a breath: Breathe mindfully to recenter your attention to the present.

O – Observe: Notice how the situation is affecting you to get a better grip on reality. Observe the physical sensations – are you tense or perhaps fidgety? What can you see, hear, feel, smell or taste? Check on your emotional and mental state as well. 

P – Proceed: Move forward with a response that feels appropriate for the current situation. 

The STOP technique is a practical answer to how to get out of your head, as it disrupts the train of involuntary thoughts and emotions, making way for calm, deliberate action. 

 

Takeaway: Getting Out of Your Head

It’s unrealistic to expect your mind to always be perfectly quiet and calm. Getting out of your head doesn’t mean avoiding deep thought or deliberate analysis. Instead, it’s about consciously choosing where to direct your mental energy. 

 

Overthinking is a subconscious habit – but one that can be changed with intention and practise. As the Harvard research reminds us, happiness is found in savoring the present moment, not in endless loops of thought. ●
Images Marjan Apostolovic, Iryna Inshyna, Roman Samborskyi, LightField Studios

Written by Sonia Vadlamani

Fitness and healthy food blogger, food photographer and stylist, travel-addict and future-self journaler. Sonia loves to write and has resolved to dedicate her life to revealing how easy and important it is to be happier, stronger and fitter each day. Follow her daily pursuits at FitFoodieDiary or on Instagram.