Journaling for Overthinkers: A Simple Trick to Calm Your Mind

Do you ever feel like your mind just won’t switch off?

Like you’re stuck in a loop, over analysing everything, replaying conversations, questioning every decision?

It’s exhausting.

But here’s the truth:

Overthinking isn’t just something that happens to you. You’re participating in it. And that means you can choose to stop.

This week’s journal prompt can help.

I first came across this question in the book Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen.

It stood out immediately. Because so much of the time, we don’t question our thoughts at all—we just assume they’re true.

But what if we did?

Next time you catch yourself overthinking, ask yourself:

That’s it. A single question.

At first, it might not seem like much. But when you really stop and answer it, something shifts.

Because most of the time, the answer is no.

Most overthinking doesn’t solve anything. It doesn’t make you feel better. It doesn’t move you forward. It just keeps you stuck.

And when you see that clearly, you realise something powerful: you don’t have to keep going.

Why This Works

Overthinking tricks you into believing you have no control.

But that’s not true. You have the power to choose your response to your thoughts. You don’t have to believe everything your mind tells you.

You can decide what kind of thinking serves you—and let go of what doesn’t.

Journaling this question helps you build that awareness. It trains your brain to recognise when a thought is helpful and when it’s just making you miserable.

And once you see that, you can do something about it.

Here’s an important distinction: detaching from your thoughts doesn’t mean suppressing your emotions.

It actually does the opposite.

When you stop letting your thoughts hijack your emotions, you get to experience them fully—without all the mental noise. Sadness can just be sadness. Not a spiral into every bad thing that’s ever happened to you. Frustration can just be frustration. Not an endless analysis of why you always get things wrong.

Journaling helps you step back, separate your thoughts from your feelings, and give yourself the space to just be.

Try It this week

Next time your mind won’t stop racing, grab a journal and ask yourself:

“Is this thinking making me feel the way I want?”

Write down your answer.

See what happens.

Because once you realise how much power you actually have over your mind, everything changes.