How Therapy Can Help You Stop Overthinking: CBT Tools That Work

Stop Overthinking

By Yana Shenker, LCSW-R
Founder, Resilient Mind Psychotherapy – Brooklyn, NY

It starts with one thought.

Maybe something you said in a meeting.
Maybe a decision you made last week.
Maybe a future scenario that hasn’t even happened yet.

Before you know it, you’re replaying it over and over again—analyzing, predicting, what-if-ing. You’re not just thinking. You’re overthinking. And it’s exhausting.

If you’re reading this from your apartment in Brooklyn, or pacing a corner of a café in Downtown NYC, chances are you already know this mental spiral all too well.

At Resilient Mind Psychotherapy, we’ve helped hundreds of New Yorkers learn to manage and calm their minds using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—a proven, practical approach to breaking the overthinking cycle.

What Is Overthinking, Really?

Overthinking is more than just worrying. It’s when your thoughts loop, refusing to settle.

Common signs include:

Replaying conversations and analyzing every detail
Worrying about the worst-case scenario
Difficulty making decisions—even small ones
“What if” thinking that spirals into anxiety
Trouble falling asleep because your mind won’t stop

While occasional overthinking is normal, chronic overthinking can lead to:

Anxiety and depression
Sleep issues
Physical symptoms like tension or fatigue
Low self-esteem and avoidance

Why Therapy Helps

Overthinking thrives on two things: avoidance and uncertainty. When we don’t know what to do with a thought, we obsess over it. When we try to avoid discomfort, we feed it.

Therapy provides a structured, supportive space to process your thoughts—and learn how to manage them instead of being consumed by them.

CBT in particular is incredibly effective for overthinking because it teaches you to:

Notice unhelpful thought patterns
Challenge distortions or catastrophizing
Replace anxious thinking with balanced alternatives
Practice real-time skills to shift your mental state

How CBT Works for Overthinking

🧠 1. Identifying Cognitive Distortions

CBT starts by helping you recognize the thinking traps that fuel your anxiety.

Common distortions include:

Catastrophizing: “If I mess this up, everything will fall apart.”
Mind reading: “They think I sounded stupid.”
All-or-nothing thinking: “If it’s not perfect, it’s a failure.”

By naming these patterns, you begin to separate thought from fact.

🧠 2. Thought Records

CBT therapists often use “thought records”—tools to write down:

The triggering situation
The automatic thought
The emotion it caused
Evidence for and against that thought
A more balanced reframe

This practice trains your brain to pause, reflect, and redirect rather than spiral.

🧠 3. Behavioral Experiments

Sometimes, the best way to test an anxious thought is to test it in the real world.

A CBT therapist might gently guide you to take small actions—like speaking up in a meeting, making a decision quickly, or sending the email without rereading it 10 times—to challenge the belief that something terrible will happen.

You build confidence through action, not just thought.

🧠 4. Mindfulness-Based CBT

Many therapists combine CBT with mindfulness to help clients stay anchored in the present. After all, overthinking is almost always rooted in the past or the future.

Mindfulness techniques help clients learn:

How to observe thoughts without judgment
How to breathe through discomfort instead of analyzing it
How to gently return attention to the present moment

Real Talk: Overthinking in NYC

Living in New York City means high pressure, constant noise, and always being “on.” Whether you’re working in Manhattan, raising a family in Park Slope, or freelancing out of a studio in Williamsburg, the demands of city life can crank your mental volume up to max.

CBT can help you lower the volume. It won’t turn off your thoughts—but it’ll teach you how to choose which ones deserve your attention.

What to Expect in Therapy

At Resilient Mind Psychotherapy, we offer both in-person therapy in Brooklyn and online therapy across New York State.

Your therapist will tailor CBT tools to your goals and personality. Therapy sessions may include:

Thought tracking and guided journaling
Practical coping skills to use between sessions
Homework that challenges your patterns and builds confidence
Warm, collaborative conversations—not just worksheets

We understand that high-functioning clients often look “fine” on the outside while mentally stuck in overdrive. Our goal is to help you turn that mental noise into clarity and calm.

You’re Not Overreacting. You’re Overprocessing.

Overthinking doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your brain is trying to protect you—just in overdrive. CBT helps you reset that system, so your thoughts serve you instead of control you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can CBT really stop overthinking?
A: Yes. CBT is one of the most evidence-supported approaches for managing racing thoughts, rumination, and anxiety. It teaches both awareness and action.

Q: Is this just “positive thinking”?
A: No. CBT isn’t about fake optimism—it’s about realistic thinking. You learn to challenge distortions, not ignore problems.

Q: Can I do CBT online?
A: Absolutely. We offer secure virtual therapy sessions for clients across NYC and New York State.

Ready to Break the Thought Loop?

You don’t need to overthink getting help.

Therapy is not about silencing your thoughts—it’s about changing your relationship with them.

📍 Brooklyn-based.
💻 Online sessions available statewide.
🧠 Book today →

✍️ About the Author

Yana Shenker, LCSW-R is the founder and clinical director of Resilient Mind Psychotherapy in Brooklyn, NY. With over 15 years of experience, Yana specializes in anxiety, trauma, and performance-related stress. Her team offers both in-person and virtual therapy for clients across New York.