You’re Not an Overthinker; You’re a Certainty Maker. A guide to Overcoming Overthinking.

You don’t think too much. You’re not an overthinker.

You think just enough to create a sense of certainty in a very uncertain world. I love that about you.

At some point, you learned that if you could just analyze things enough—if you planned for every outcome, anticipated every risk—you could avoid mistakes, prevent pain, and create safety through certainty.

And that makes sense.

Because uncertainty can feel dangerous. If you don’t know what’s coming, how do you prepare? How do you make sure nothing goes wrong?

So you stay in your head. You run every scenario. You search for the "right" answer.

But here’s the truth:

Overthinking doesn’t create certainty.

It creates a constant fight against uncertainty—one where the only way to feel safe is to think through every possible thing that could happen and try to prevent it.

And the longer you do this, the more your brain learns:

"Uncertainty is bad. The only way to be okay is to eliminate it."

Except—you can’t.

So you stay stuck in an exhausting loop, battling a world that refuses to be predictable.

That’s why overthinking doesn’t bring peace. It brings exhaustion.

So how do you break the cycle?

The Counterintuitive Way Out of Overthinking

Most people think the solution to overthinking is to “stop thinking so much.”

But that doesn’t work. Because thinking isn’t actually the problem.

The problem is what you’re trying to do with it.

Overthinking is about controlling uncertainty.

So the real way out isn’t becoming certain that nothing bad will happen.

It’s becoming certain in your ability to handle uncertainty.

To take action. To allow for whatever happens. To respond in ways that keep you happy and well.

Because the deepest safety doesn’t come from controlling everything.

It comes from proving to yourself—again and again—that no matter what happens, you can take steps to keep yourself safe.

And the only way to do that?

You have to practice.

A Simple Way to Stop Overthinking in the Moment

Next time you catch yourself spiraling into overthinking, try this:

Step 1: Name It.

Say to yourself:
"I notice I’m trying to create certainty through thinking."

Just by naming it, you create a little space between yourself and the thought loop.

Step 2: Shift the Goal.

Instead of thinking to eliminate uncertainty, shift to:
"I can’t know what will happen, I can find out by doing what’s right for me now. What’s the next step I can take with what I know now?"

This helps your brain pivot from "figure everything out" to "move forward with what I know."

Step 3: Take Action and Learn.

Follow through on the step you chose. See what happens.

Then, instead of overanalyzing the outcome, respond to whatever you learn by using that information to take the next step toward peace.

Because clarity doesn’t come from thinking your way into safety.

It comes from doing the thing and proving to yourself that you already are.

Final Thoughts: Certainty Isn’t the Goal—Self-Trust Is

You’re not overthinking because you “think too much.”

You’re doing it because, at some point, you learned that certainty = safety.

And unlearning that isn’t about stopping thoughts. It’s about showing yourself that you don’t need certainty to be okay.

Because the goal isn’t to control life so nothing bad ever happens.

The goal is to know, deep down, that no matter what happens, you’ll have your own back.

Because when you stop looking for safety in certainty—
You find it in yourself.

And that?
That’s a kind of peace that no amount of overthinking can give you.