Use this perfect 2-word phrase to ‘stop overthinking everything,' says mental strength expert

The cost of overthinking is even higher than you imagine.

It causes you to spend too much time deliberating that you could otherwise have devoted to taking action. It turns helpful reflection into debilitating worry. It moves you backward, not forward. And, as research shows, it can cause physical and mental health problems.  

Overcoming overthinking takes confidence, resilience, and mental strength, something I've been studying for three decades and have written about in my recent book, "The Mentally Strong Leader." 

But you might be surprised to learn that one of the most powerful ways to channel your mental strength to stop overthinking boils down to just two words: Replace "What if?" with "We'll see."

Overthinkers keep asking themselves "What if?" It's an impossible question to answer. If you catch yourself asking, "What if?" try to quickly switch it to saying, "We'll see," which is a way of moving past analysis paralysis to acceptance.

Say you have to give a big presentation at work but you find yourself ruminating over all the things that could go wrong: "What if I forget what I was going to say? What if the audience doesn't agree with my findings?"

Instead, try to tell yourself, "I know I've put in the work to be prepared, so now we'll see what happens." 

Saying, "We'll see," helps you shut down inner chatter. There's a tone of finality to it, unlike the open-ended "What if…?"

The underlying implication is that you've done the work, thinking, analysis, and any other preparation you need to do. Now it's time to see where all of that and the situation take you. 

6 more powerful tips to stop overthinking

To equip you as thoroughly as I can, here are six other tips I've personally taught to chronic overthinkers with great results.

1. Reopen the door only when new information knocks

Overthinking goes into overdrive when you keep revisiting your decisions, refusing to close the door on a call you already made. That creates uncertainty and confusion for yourself and others, and will eat away at your confidence. 

Make decisions based on the best information you have available at that time — and then move forward. Don't go back unless you get new information or context. 

If you catch yourself in a moment of self-doubt about a decision you made, say to yourself, "Only revisit the reframed." In other words, only reopen a decision when new information forces you to look at it differently. 

2. Distinguish between overthinking and problem solving

Constantly ruminating and reviewing scenarios and possibilities often disguises itself as problem solving. It feels like you're doing something useful and productive. But you're not. You're just spinning in a circle. 

If you catch yourself in a moment like this, ask, "Am I solving the problem, or just circling it?"

3. Assume good intent

So much overthinking stems from reading too much into things, assuming bad intent, and over-scrutinizing what someone is saying or doing. You might jump to the conclusion that someone is trying to inflict pain on you in some way or is only attempting to further their own self-interest. 

However, the vast majority of the time, that's simply not the case, so why assume that's what's happening?

If you find yourself on the wrong side of this, say to yourself, "Their intent is not warping their content."

4. Embrace 'informed ignorance'

You can't see the future, read minds, or know everything. So don't try. 

Uncertainty causes us to overthink because our brain wants answers. Those "answers" tend to take on a dangerous form as assumptions, which are often inaccurate or misguided. 

Instead, in the face of uncertainty, learn to embrace "informed ignorance." That is, after thinking through implications associated with uncertainty as best you can, embrace the truth that you can't know everything you'd like.

That's not how life works. And thinking harder, longer, and over and over again doesn't activate the crystal ball.

5. Stop catastrophizing

Resist taking small details and spinning them into questionable conclusions. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill, unnecessarily amplifying the impact of something unremarkable. 

It's hard not to dwell on terrible possible outcomes. But remember, that is just your imagination taking the lead. You don't want to create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where your doomsday thinking creates an unhelpful energy that contributes to the kind of outcome you're afraid of. 

Ask yourself, "What hard evidence do I have that this bad outcome will actually happen?"   

6. Evaluate the true impact of being wrong

We often feel the need to overthink because we fear the consequences of being wrong. It might make sense to overthink if you're planning to jump your motorbike over the Grand Canyon or to go swimming with a great white shark. As for the decision you made in that meeting yesterday? Not so much.

Ask yourself in such moments what the realistic cost of being wrong is. When you can lower the stakes, you raise your ability to get mentally unstuck.

Scott Mautz is a popular speaker, trainer, and LinkedIn Learning instructor. He's a former senior executive of Procter & Gamble, where he ran several of the company's largest multi-billion-dollar businesses. He is the author of "The Mentally Strong Leader: Build the Habits to Productively Regulate Your Emotions, Thoughts, and Behaviors." Follow him on LinkedIn.

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