Have you ever found yourself caught in an endless loop of overthinking?
“If only I had handled that differently, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
“If I don’t get this right, everything will fall apart, and I’ll never recover from it.”
“They didn’t say goodbye when they left—does that mean they’re upset with me?”
While it may feel like you’re actively solving a problem, overthinking may actually be telling you something else about what is going on in your body.
This pattern—one of overthinking and under-feeling—is something many of us experience, especially in moments of stress or uncertainty. But why does this happen, and how can we address it in a meaningful way?
Why We Overthink
At its core, overthinking is a protective mechanism. When faced with emotional discomfort, the mind often shifts into overdrive as a way to avoid feeling what’s happening in the body. Thoughts offer a sense of control, allowing us to retreat from the vulnerability of emotion. Instead of feeling sadness, anger, or fear, we might spend hours dissecting the situation, trying to rationalize or fix it.
Research on emotion tells us that emotions are designed to move through us—to arise, inform us, and then dissipate once they’ve done their job. But when we overthink, we interrupt this natural flow. Instead of letting the emotion process through the body, we trap it in a web of thoughts, creating a feedback loop that can amplify anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion.
On the flip side, allowing emotions to flow through us can bring profound benefits. When we give ourselves permission to fully feel and process our emotions, we often experience greater clarity and less confusion.
Channels of Experience
To understand the dynamic of overthinking and under-feeling, it helps to explore various channels of experience: thought, image, movement, sensation, and emotion. These channels shape how we perceive and process the world, both externally and internally. Ideally, these channels work together harmoniously, providing a balanced and enriched experience of life.
However, many of us in Western culture have been conditioned to prioritize the thought channel above all others. Rational thinking, problem-solving, and intellectual achievements are highly valued, while other channels—such as sensation and emotion—often receive less attention or are dismissed altogether. This cultural emphasis on cognition can reinforce the cycle of overthinking and perpetuate a disconnect from the body and emotions.
When we focus too heavily on the thought channel, we lose access to the essential insights provided by other channels. For instance, bodily sensations might alert us to the need for rest, movement can offer a release of energy, or imagery might reveal underlying emotional truths. Without this input, our inner experience becomes narrowed and unbalanced, leaving us feeling disconnected and incomplete.
How Overthinking Disconnects Us From Our Body
From a somatic perspective, overthinking pulls us out of the present moment and into the cognitive realm, distancing us from our physical sensations. The body’s cues—a tightening in the chest, a heaviness in the stomach, or a flush of heat—become muted or ignored as we focus entirely on the narrative in our heads.
This disconnection can have significant consequences. Emotions that go unfelt don’t simply disappear; they often linger in the body as tension, chronic pain, or other physical symptoms. Over time, this disconnection from the body can erode our ability to tune into our needs, desires, and intuition.
The Role of Embodiment and Experiential Therapy
Embodiment practices and experiential therapy offer pathways to break the cycle of overthinking and under-feeling. These approaches encourage us to reconnect with our physical selves, gently guiding us back to the emotions we may have been avoiding.
Here are a few therapeutic principles and practices that can help:
Grounding in Sensation: Somatic therapy often starts with grounding exercises that bring awareness to the body. Simple practices like focusing on your breath, feeling the weight of your body against a chair, or noticing the texture of your clothing can anchor you in the present moment. These practices help interrupt the overthinking cycle and create space to access your emotions.
Tracking Emotional Energy: Experiential therapists encourage clients to track the sensations associated with emotions. For example, if you’re feeling anxious, where do you notice it in your body? Is it a flutter in your stomach or a tightness in your throat? By naming and locating these sensations, you’re allowing the emotion to be experienced rather than suppressed.
Engaging Other Channels: Beyond sensation and emotion, tapping into the image and movement channels can deepen your connection to your inner world. Visualization exercises, for instance, can help you access symbolic images that reflect your emotional state. Movement, whether it’s as simple as stretching or as expressive as dance, can help release stuck energy and bring clarity to your experience.
Allowing Emotional Expression: Emotions need an outlet to move through us. This might involve crying, shaking, laughing, or even yelling into a pillow. When we’re stuck in overthinking, these physical expressions can feel foreign or uncomfortable. But as we practice allowing emotions to flow, we rebuild trust in the body’s natural processes.
Rebuilding the Mind-Body Connection
Breaking free from the overthinking-under-feeling cycle is not about eliminating thoughts or avoiding the mind. Instead, it’s about restoring balance and learning to trust the body’s wisdom.
Here are a few daily practices to help rebuild your mind-body connection:
- Pause and Find A Physical Sensation: When you notice yourself spiraling into overthinking, pause and take three deep breaths. Use this moment to check in with your body and see what sensation you notice.
- Practice Curiosity: Instead of judging your emotions or physical sensations, approach them with curiosity. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now? Where do I feel it in my body?”
- Engage New Channels: Spend time exploring the other channels of experience. Draw an image that represents your current state, move your body to express how you’re feeling, or practice mindful sensory awareness by noticing sounds, smells, or textures around you.
- Notice Mental Escapes: Activities like scrolling on your phone or binge-watching TV can amplify disconnection. Try spending a few moments each day in stillness or engaging in an activity that requires presence, like cooking or journaling.
- Seek Support: If the pattern of overthinking and under-feeling feels overwhelming, working with a therapist trained in somatic or experiential modalities can provide guidance and tools to navigate this journey.
Embracing the Fullness of Experience
Overthinking and under-feeling often arise from a fear of facing what’s within us. But as we learn to embody our emotions and reconnect with our physical selves, we can uncover a richer, more integrated way of being. By consciously engaging all channels of experience—thought, image, movement, sensation, and emotion—we not only free ourselves from the mental hamster wheel but also open the door to healing, growth, and authenticity.
