When Thought Becomes a Spiral

You’re about to send the email.
But wait,
Should you rephrase that line?
Is the tone too formal?
Too casual?
Too… something?

Hold on.
Let me overthink this.

Because sometimes, thinking becomes spiralling.
And spiralling becomes stuckness.
And stuckness becomes silence.

Let’s spiral into the emotional logic, cultural context, and relational possibilities of overthinking.

Overthinking isn’t just thinking too much.
It’s thinking without movement.
It’s:

• Replaying the past
• Forecasting the worst
• Second-guessing the present

It’s a loop.
A spiral.
A storm of “what ifs” and “should haves.”

And while it’s exhausting, it’s also deeply human.

According to psychologists, overthinking often stems from:

• The illusion of control: Thinking feels like doing
• Fear of uncertainty: We crave clarity, even if it’s imagined
• Perfectionism: If it’s not flawless, it’s not safe
• Comparison culture: Social media fuels self-doubt

As Nick Wignall notes, overthinking often masks deeper discomfort, like helplessness or fear of vulnerability.

In inclusive spaces, overthinking can be:

• A sign of emotional atonement
• A response to past exclusion
• A way to pre-empt harm

People who’ve been marginalised often overthink as a survival strategy.
It’s not neurosis, it’s relational intelligence.

So instead of pathologising it, we can ask:

• What’s the overthinking protecting?
• What care does it signal?
• What rhythm does it need?

Want to gently interrupt overthinking? Try these:

Name the spiral: “I’m overthinking this. What’s the fear?”
Shift to sensation: What do you feel in your body?
Ask for reflection: “Can I run this by you?”
Time-box the thought: 10 minutes, then pause
Celebrate the care: Overthinking means you care deeply

These aren’t fixes.
They’re relational rituals.

You overthink because you care.
Because you want to get it right.
Because you’ve been hurt before.

So instead of shaming the spiral,
Let’s honour it.
Let’s soften it.
Let’s hold it with compassion.

Because sometimes, the most radical thing you can do is say:
“I’m overthinking this, and that’s okay.”

If this stirred something, you might enjoy diving deeper into Spiralmore’s story frameworks — where emotional resonance meets practical rhythm, and care is not an afterthought, but the lead character.