Overthinking Is Not Problem-Solving — It's Problem-Rehearsing

Thinking about a problem feels like doing something about it. It has the shape of productivity. But there's a difference between thinking through a problem and thinking about it on loop. Real problem-solving has an output: a decision, a plan, a concrete next step. If you've been turning something over for hours and you're no closer to any of those things, you're not solving — you're rehearsing. The problem stays the same; only your anxiety grows. The exit isn't more thinking. It's a circuit-breaker: move your body, change your environment, set a timer and write down every option in five minutes. Motion interrupts the loop in a way that more thought never will.