Book SummaryStop Overthinking, by Nick Trenton

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Stop Overthinking

Have you ever spent a long time worrying about a problem only to end up feeling stressed and no closer to a solution? In Stop Overthinking, Nick Trenton explains that you were probably overthinking the problem: reflecting on it so much that it made you feel bad. Trenton argues that you can disrupt overthinking by adopting stress management skills and replacing your negative thought habits with a positive mental framework. He offers a variety of stress-busting techniques that will help you stay grounded in the present moment and live a productive life driven by action and control rather than endless worrying.

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Stop Overthinking Summary What Is Overthinking?

According to Trenton, overthinking is what happens when you think about something so much that it becomes harmful to your health. For example, you just decided between two apartments and signed a lease. Right after, you start wondering whether you made the right choice and spend so much time thinking about it that you feel stressed and anxious all week.

(Shortform note: One common and harmful form of overthinking is indecision. Psychologists refer to overthinking decisions as analysis paralysis—when you spend so much time weighing your options that you put off decision-making longer than necessary. When you overthink every decision, you can feel overwhelmed and experience more anxiety. To combat analysis paralysis, some psychologists suggest you practice making small decisions quickly.)

You might think that your thoughts are helpful—that you’re working to solve the issue—but Trenton says that’s rarely the case. When you think about the same thing over and over again, your thoughts cease to add value or provide any solutions to the problem—they only create stress. In fact, whatever...

Stop Overthinking Summary Stop Overthinking By Practicing Better Stress Management

Trenton outlines two approaches to manage overthinking: coping more effectively with stress in your daily life and overhauling your mindset to become more resilient to overthinking in the long term. We'll first look at dealing with stress.

You can manage your tendency to overthink by developing healthier approaches to stress. While you can’t alter your genetics or your environment, you can change how you respond to challenging situations. Trenton offers various strategies to keep your anxiety in check before, during, and after you encounter something stressful.

(Shortform note: In The Upside of Stress, Kelly McGonigal recommends you embrace stress rather than try to avoid it. She argues that stress comes naturally when you pursue ambitions and personal growth. When you avoid things that stress you out, you’ll only create new problems. For example, if you ignore a work project until the last minute, you’ll only feel more stressed trying to complete it and also struggle to perform well in your job. Rather, McGonigal...

Stop Overthinking Summary Conquer Overthinking With a New Mindset

Now that you’ve learned strategies to effectively cope with stress, let’s discuss how you can conquer your habit of overthinking in the long term by transforming your negative thought patterns into a positive and resilient mindset.

Trenton explains that, in many cases, your overthinking habit is perpetuated by negative thought patterns. These are unsupportive ways of thinking that hold you back rather than strengthen and empower you. Positive beliefs, on the other hand, encourage you to advocate for yourself in spite of your flaws and motivate you to move past obstacles. To manage your tendency to overthink in the long term, you must identify your negative thoughts, challenge them, and replace them with positive beliefs.

(Shortform note: According to Tony Robbins in Awaken the Giant Within, negative beliefs can be especially harmful when they’re global rather than specific. When a belief is global, you think something is always true, like that you’re awkward in every social situation. This can lead to...

Shortform Exercise: Practice Challenging Your Negative Beliefs

Trenton argues that the key to overcoming a long-term habit of overthinking lies in reshaping your mindset. To form a new positive mindset, let’s practice challenging your negative beliefs.

The first step to forming a new mindset is to identify what triggers you to overthink. Describe a recent situation or problem that you worried over excessively. What were you overthinking? For example, you might have worried about whether you studied enough for an upcoming exam.