Overthinking can make it feel as though your mind never gets a chance to switch off.
You replay conversations. You worry about what might happen next. You analyse decisions you have already made. You keep looking for an answer that will finally make you feel certain.
At the same time, your body may feel tense. Your jaw may tighten. Your shoulders may creep upward. You may feel restless, exhausted, or unable to settle.
So, how do you reduce tension and overthinking?
You do not necessarily need to force your thoughts to stop. A more practical approach is to work with both your mind and your body. You can learn ways to interrupt repetitive thinking, reduce unnecessary physical tension, and give yourself more opportunities to settle.
Breathing and relaxation techniques, physical activity, grounding, mindfulness, journaling, and other stress-management strategies can all be useful tools. They are not instant cures, but they can give you practical ways to respond when your mind and body feel overloaded. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health explains that relaxation techniques can include breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and other practices designed to produce a relaxation response.
Why Overthinking Can Leave You Feeling Physically Tense
Overthinking is a useful term for repetitive thinking that no longer seems to move a problem forward.
It can involve replaying something from the past, worrying about the future, repeatedly checking whether you made the right decision, or mentally rehearsing everything that could go wrong.
Stress and anxiety can also show up physically. The National Institute of Mental Health lists difficulty relaxing, restlessness, sleep problems, headaches, muscle aches, and tension among symptoms that can occur with generalized anxiety disorder.
That does not mean every tense muscle or headache is caused by overthinking. Physical tension can have many causes.
But when repetitive worry and physical tension appear together, it can make sense to look at both sides of the experience.
This is where my whole-person approach comes in.
I do not look at stress as something you should simply “think your way out of.” My work combines nervous-system support, somatic awareness, nutrition and lifestyle strategies, emotional resilience, and personalised coaching.
You can read more about nervous system regulation and how I approach this work.
Overthinking vs. Problem-Solving: How to Tell the Difference
Not all thinking is a problem.
Problem-solving usually moves you toward a decision or action. Overthinking tends to keep you going around the same circle.
| Problem-Solving | Overthinking |
| Identifies the actual problem | Keeps analysing the problem |
| Looks at realistic options | Repeats the same possibilities |
| Moves toward action | Often delays action |
| Accepts that uncertainty exists | Keeps searching for complete certainty |
| Ends with a decision or next step | Often creates another question |
Try asking yourself:
“Is there a useful action I can take right now?”
If the answer is yes, choose the smallest realistic action.
If the answer is no, continuing to analyse the situation may not give you the certainty you are looking for.
That question alone can sometimes help you recognise whether you are solving a problem or feeding a thought loop.
9 Ways to Reduce Tension and Overthinking
1. Pause Instead of Trying to Force Your Thoughts Away
One of the first things people often do when they notice repetitive thoughts is fight them.
“Stop thinking about this.”
“Why can’t I just let this go?”
“I need to stop worrying.”
But fighting every thought can turn into another form of mental effort.
Instead, try noticing the thought.
You might say:
“I am having the thought that something could go wrong.”
That wording creates a little space between you and the thought.
You do not have to agree with it.
You do not have to solve it.
You simply notice that it is there.
Mindfulness-based approaches often encourage people to notice thoughts and return attention to the present rather than becoming completely absorbed in the thought itself. The Mayo Clinic includes mindfulness and other practical strategies among approaches for managing stress.
2. Slow Your Breathing Without Forcing It
When you feel stressed, your breathing may change without you consciously deciding to change it.
Gentle breathing exercises can help create a pause between the stress response and your next reaction.
Try this:
- Sit somewhere comfortable.
- Let your shoulders soften.
- Breathe in comfortably.
- Allow the exhale to be slow and easy.
- Repeat for several breaths.
You do not need to take enormous breaths.
You do not need to force yourself into an uncomfortable breathing pattern.
The NCCIH’s guidance on relaxation techniques explains that relaxation practices often combine breathing with focused attention to encourage a relaxation response.
The NHS breathing and relaxation guide also provides controlled breathing and deep-breathing exercises for stress and anxiety.
If a breathing exercise makes you dizzy, uncomfortable, or more anxious, stop and return to your normal breathing.
For more practical ideas, see my guide to how to regulate your nervous system naturally.
3. Release Tension From Your Jaw, Shoulders, and Muscles
Sometimes your body tells you that you are stressed before you consciously recognise it.
Take a moment and check:
- Is your jaw clenched?
- Are your shoulders raised?
- Are your hands gripping something?
- Are you tightening your stomach?
- Are you holding your breath?
Start by releasing one area.
Let your jaw soften.
Drop your shoulders.
Unclench your hands.
Take a comfortable breath.
You can also try progressive muscle relaxation. It involves gently tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups so you become more aware of where you are holding tension.
The NHS describes progressive muscle relaxation as a technique that involves tensing and relaxing muscle groups and may help reduce tension.
I also cover progressive muscle relaxation in my detailed guide to natural nervous system regulation techniques.
You do not have to relax your entire body perfectly.
Simply noticing where you are holding tension can be useful.
4. Move Your Body
Overthinking can keep your attention trapped inside your head.
Movement gives some of that attention somewhere else to go.
You do not need an intense workout.
A short walk, gentle stretching, gardening, cycling, or another activity you enjoy can be enough to change the immediate context.
The Mayo Clinic’s stress-relief guidance includes physical activity among practical ways to manage stress.
Try this the next time your thoughts keep looping:
Change your physical state before trying to solve the mental problem.
Walk for ten minutes.
Step outside.
Stretch your shoulders.
Look around you while you walk.
Then come back to the problem and see whether it still feels quite as urgent.
My guide on how to regulate your nervous system naturally also covers walking and moderate physical activity as part of a broader stress-recovery approach.
5. Ground Yourself in What Is Happening Right Now
Overthinking often pulls your attention into an imagined future or a replay of the past.
Grounding brings your attention back to the present.
Try noticing:
- What can you see?
- What can you hear?
- What do your feet feel like against the floor?
- What is the temperature of the room?
- What physical sensations can you notice right now?
The goal is not to pretend that your problem does not exist.
You are simply reminding yourself that you are dealing with this moment, rather than every possible future at once.
The NHS grounding and relaxation guidance includes grounding techniques designed to redirect attention toward the environment when stress or anxiety feels overwhelming.
Grounding also fits naturally into the mind-body perspective I use in my work. You can learn more about my approach through Nervous System Regulation.
6. Give Your Worries a Place to Go
Some people spend the entire day carrying unfinished worries around in their heads.
A simple strategy is to write the concern down and give it a specific time when you will revisit it.
For example:
“I am worried about this decision. I have written it down. I will think about it tomorrow at 10 a.m.”
When the thought comes back before then, you do not have to solve it again.
You can remind yourself that it has already been recorded.
This approach can be especially useful when your mind keeps telling you that you need to figure everything out immediately.
The goal is not to ignore an urgent problem.
The goal is to stop every thought from demanding an immediate response.
7. Put Unfinished Thoughts on Paper
Your brain can spend a lot of effort trying to hold unfinished tasks, decisions, questions, worries, and reminders.
Writing them down can give each thought somewhere to go.
Try this simple three-column approach:
| Thought | Can I act on it? | Next step |
| “I need to make that decision.” | Yes | Gather the missing information |
| “What if something goes wrong?” | Not right now | Write down the concern |
| “I forgot to email someone.” | Yes | Send the email tomorrow |
The purpose is not to create another complicated productivity system.
It is simply to separate:
Thoughts that need action
from
Thoughts that keep repeating without creating action.
Journaling and writing things down are commonly used as stress-management practices. The Mayo Clinic includes journaling among practical strategies for managing stress.
8. Reduce the Inputs That Keep Your Mind Activated
Sometimes the problem is not that you need another calming technique.
Sometimes your mind is receiving too many inputs.
Think about your day.
Constant notifications.
Endless scrolling.
Late-night work.
Emotionally intense conversations.
Little time outside.
No real breaks.
Too much stimulation right before bed.
Look at the environment around your overthinking and ask:
“What keeps telling my mind and body that I need to stay switched on?”
You may not be able to remove the main source of stress.
But you may be able to reduce some of the unnecessary stimulation around it.
Creating regular periods of lower stimulation, prioritising adequate sleep, moving your body, and maintaining supportive relationships can all form part of a broader stress-management approach. The NCCIH notes that relaxation techniques may work best when combined with healthy habits and social support.
9. Look Beneath the Pattern When It Keeps Returning
This is where many people become frustrated.
They know the breathing exercises.
They have tried meditation.
They have journaled.
They have taken walks.
Yet the same tension and overthinking continue to return.
That does not automatically mean you are doing something wrong.
It may mean that the immediate coping strategy is only one piece of a larger pattern.
Start asking:
When does the overthinking appear?
What situations trigger it?
What happens in your body?
How are you sleeping?
Are you constantly pushing yourself?
Do you feel emotionally overwhelmed?
Are you using food, work, distraction, perfectionism, or another behaviour to cope?
Stress and emotions can also influence eating behaviour. If you notice that your eating changes when you feel stressed, overwhelmed, bored, lonely, or emotionally exhausted, my guide on what emotional eating is and how it works can help you understand that pattern without immediately turning it into a problem of willpower.
My own approach looks at the bigger picture.
I combine trauma-informed coaching and nervous-system regulation with somatic awareness, nutrition and lifestyle strategies, emotional resilience, and personalised support. You can read more about this in About Heather.
The goal is not to decide that every symptom has one hidden cause.
It is to understand your pattern well enough to decide what kind of support makes sense for you.
A Simple 5-Minute Reset for Tension and Overthinking
When your mind is looping and your body feels tense, try this simple reset.
Minute 1: Stop and orient
Put both feet on the floor.
Look around the room.
Notice where you are.
Name a few things you can see.
Minute 2: Check your body
Relax your jaw.
Lower your shoulders.
Unclench your hands.
Notice where tension is strongest.
Minute 3: Breathe comfortably
Take several slow, comfortable breaths.
Do not force them.
Let your body settle at its own pace.
Minute 4: Name the thought
Write:
“The thought I keep returning to is…”
Then ask:
“Is there a useful action I can take right now?”
Minute 5: Choose one next step
If there is an action, take the smallest realistic step.
If there is no action available, allow the thought to wait and return your attention to the present.
This is a practical self-regulation exercise, not a treatment for an anxiety disorder or another medical condition.
For more ideas, read How to Regulate Your Nervous System Naturally.
What Not to Do When You Are Overthinking
Do Not Demand Instant Calm
Trying to force yourself to relax can become another performance task.
Relaxation is a skill that can become easier with regular practice. The NCCIH recommends regular practice of relaxation techniques and also cautions that they should not replace conventional medical care.
Do Not Treat Every Thought as a Problem That Needs Solving
Some thoughts need action.
Some need observation.
Some can be allowed to pass without a response.
Learning the difference can be more useful than trying to eliminate every uncomfortable thought.
Do Not Blame Yourself
Overthinking is not proof that you are weak or lack discipline.
Persistent worry can be difficult to control, and anxiety can involve both mental and physical symptoms. The National Institute of Mental Health describes difficulty controlling worry, restlessness, trouble relaxing, muscle tension, and sleep problems among symptoms that can occur with generalized anxiety disorder.
Do Not Turn Self-Care Into Another Obligation
You do not need a perfect morning routine.
You do not need a 30-step protocol.
You do not need to spend hours every day trying to regulate yourself.
Start with something small enough that you can actually repeat.
When Overthinking and Tension May Need More Support
Self-help strategies can be useful, but they are not substitutes for professional medical or mental-health care when symptoms are persistent, severe, worsening, or interfering with your daily life.
Generalized anxiety disorder, for example, involves excessive and difficult-to-control worry along with symptoms that can include restlessness, trouble relaxing, fatigue, concentration difficulties, muscle tension, and sleep problems. NIMH explains that diagnosis requires a professional assessment and that symptoms must meet specific clinical criteria.
If worry is consistently affecting your sleep, work, relationships, concentration, or everyday functioning, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare or mental-health professional.
And remember that physical symptoms should not automatically be blamed on stress or overthinking. Persistent, new, severe, or unexplained symptoms deserve appropriate medical attention.
How Heather Approaches Stress, Tension, and Emotional Overwhelm
I do not believe people need to “try harder” every time they feel overwhelmed.
My work looks at the person as a whole.
That can include:
- nervous-system regulation
- somatic awareness
- emotional resilience
- nutrition and lifestyle strategies
- EFT tapping
- practical habits that support long-term wellbeing
My About Heather page explains that I have more than two decades of experience and specialise in trauma-informed coaching and nervous-system regulation, somatic awareness, nutrition and lifestyle strategies, and emotional resilience.
My approach is holistic and step-by-step. It supports the mind and body together, incorporates somatic practices, uses EFT tapping where appropriate, and focuses on reconnecting with your body and learning from your nervous-system signals. (Read more about my approach.)
I also bring my own lived experience into the work. My personal journey with binge eating, yo-yo dieting, significant weight loss, and autoimmune health challenges shaped my understanding that lasting change often requires more than focusing on food or willpower alone. (Learn more about my story.)
That does not mean every episode of tension or overthinking requires coaching.
Sometimes a walk, better sleep, breathing practice, journaling, or talking with someone you trust may be enough.
But when the same pattern continues and you feel stuck, personalised support can help you step back and understand the bigger picture.
Could EFT Tapping Help You Pause When You Are Overwhelmed?
EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, is one of the mind-body approaches I use in my work.
It combines focused attention on a stressful thought, feeling, or body sensation with gentle tapping on specific points.
I do not present EFT as a cure for anxiety, trauma, or other mental-health conditions. Evidence is still developing, and it should not replace appropriate medical or mental-health care.
But some people use it as a self-regulation practice when they feel overwhelmed or unable to switch off.
You can read my detailed guide to EFT tapping for nervous-system regulation.
When Nervous System Regulation Coaching May Be Worth Exploring
If you have tried several self-help strategies but still feel chronically tense, overwhelmed, emotionally reactive, or unable to settle, you may want to learn more about Nervous System Regulation Coaching.
My coaching combines trauma-informed somatic work, nutrition science, and emotional regulation tools. The service is designed as personalised coaching, not as a replacement for medical care or mental-health treatment.
The work is also online, so you can access support from anywhere in the world.
I focus on compassionate pacing rather than asking you to force yourself through an overwhelming routine. The goal is to build practical skills and a better understanding of your individual stress patterns over time.
Conclusion
Reducing tension and overthinking is rarely about finding one perfect technique.
Sometimes the right first step is calming your body.
Sometimes it is putting the thought on paper.
Sometimes it is taking action on a real problem.
And sometimes the pattern has become persistent enough that you need more support rather than more self-discipline.
Start small.
Notice what your mind is doing.
Notice what your body is doing.
Then choose the next helpful step.
If you continue feeling tense, overwhelmed, or stuck in repetitive thought patterns, you can explore Nervous System Regulation Coaching to see whether personalised support may be appropriate for you.
You can also book a free consultation to talk about what you are experiencing, what support might fit, and what your next step could look like. The consultation is designed to be supportive and pressure-free, and sessions are available online.