Overthinking is a common experience for many people, especially those who have experienced trauma. But what exactly causes overthinking, and is there a direct link between trauma and chronic overthinking?
In this article, we’ll explore the potential causes of overthinking, examine the relationship between trauma and rumination, and provide tips for overcoming chronic overthinking.
What is Overthinking?
Overthinking refers to excessive, repetitive thoughts that are distressing and unproductive. It goes beyond productive problem solving into endless rumination. Overthinkers tend to get caught in loops of hypothetical “what if” scenarios, over-analyze interactions, and worry excessively.
Common thought patterns in overthinking include:
- Jumping to the worst case scenario
- Second guessing yourself
- Excessive worry and dread
- Over-analyzing past situations
- Obsessive perfectionism
Overthinking becomes problematic when it causes significant distress, interferes with daily functioning, or keeps someone stuck in anxiety, fear, regret, anger, or sadness. It often leads to emotional exhaustion as well.
Potential Causes of Overthinking
There are several potential causes and risk factors for chronic overthinking:
1. Trauma
Trauma is linked to rumination and overthinking. Going through a distressing event can disrupt someone’s basic worldviews and lead to persistent intrusive thoughts as the mind tries to process what happened. Sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, combat experience, and natural disasters can all potentially lead to traumatic rumination.
2. Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, OCD, and PTSD have rumination and overthinking as a main symptom. When someone has excessive anxiety, their mind gets stuck in loops of worrying and “what if” thinking.
3. Perfectionism
Perfectionism is another risk factor for overthinking. Perfectionists tend to overanalyze their actions, believe mistakes are unacceptable, and worry about meeting extremely high standards. This fuels constant rumination and second-guessing.
4. Indecisiveness
Chronically overthinking decisions can lead to crippling indecisiveness. The inability to commit to a choice then causes further rumination. Indecisiveness and overthinking fuel each other in these instances.
5. Depression
Depression often involves repetitive negative thinking and rumination on regrets, failures, and self-blame. This pessimistic focus takes a toll and exacerbates depressive symptoms.
6. Sleep Deprivation
Lack of sleep impairs cognitive function and emotion regulation. This can make overthinking worse by reducing one’s ability to redirect thoughts or interrupt rumination cycles. Sleep deprivation also exacerbates anxiety and mood disorders.
The Link Between Trauma and Overthinking
Let’s explore further the link between trauma and overthinking. Research shows trauma is strongly associated with persistent rumination.
In particular, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse in childhood are linked to overthinking later in life. Trauma early in life can impair emotional regulation skills and make someone more vulnerability to anxiety disorders characterized by repetitive negative thinking.
A study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders found that emotional abuse was the strongest predictor of ruminative thinking out of different types of childhood maltreatment. Another study found that rumination partly mediated the relationship between child abuse and later depression.
So why does trauma often lead to chronic overthinking and rumination?
Here are some potential reasons:
- The mind’s attempt to process and make sense of traumatic events
- Dysfunctional thought patterns and core beliefs that develop after trauma
- Hypervigilance and perception of constant threat
- Using rumination as an emotional regulation strategy
- Disruptions in sleeping patterns after trauma
- Neurobiological changes due to chronic stress
Overthinking may start as the mind’s attempt to resolve trauma-related emotions and confusion. But rumination often becomes maladaptive, especially when a trauma survivor repetitively thinks about causes, meanings, and self-blame related to the trauma. Dysfunctional core beliefs like “I am permanently damaged” also get reinforced.
Rumination is ultimately an avoidant coping strategy. While it may seem like rumination helps one understand the trauma, it often becomes circular and repetitive without actually resolving emotional distress. It can end up being used to avoid taking direct action to process trauma emotions.
Overcoming Trauma-Related Overthinking
If overthinking and rumination have become chronic and distressing in the aftermath of trauma, here are some tips to overcome it:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT is effective at treating trauma, anxiety disorders, and repetitive negative thinking. It helps identify rumination triggers, dysfunctional thoughts, and behavioral coping strategies. A therapist can teach cognitive restructuring to interrupt rumination cycles.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices help increase awareness of thoughts without getting carried away in stories or analysis. Meditation and breath focus teach people to stay grounded in the present.
Self-Compassion
Self-compassion reduces self-critical thinking and shame-based rumination. Speaking to yourself kindly, as you would a friend, helps override traumatic self-judgment.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Anxiety fuels overthinking, so calming the body through progressive muscle relaxation can reduce rumination. This helps initiate the physiological relaxation response.
Exercise and Yoga
Exercise and yoga are helpful for emotional regulation and anxiety reduction. Ruminating while active also seems to be more difficult.
Journaling
Writing feelings out on paper can help give space to process emotions without endless mental repetition. However, avoid venting types of writing that reinforce rumination.
Medication
Prescription medication like antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication may help reduce rumination in some cases, especially if there is an underlying mood or anxiety disorder present.
Trauma-Focused Psychotherapy
EMDR, exposure therapy, and trauma processing work directly with traumatic memories to resolve them. This can decrease trauma-related rumination at its source.
When to Seek Help
It’s normal to overthink and ruminate sometimes. But if it becomes uncontrollable, distressing, and starts impacting daily life and functioning, it’s time to seek professional support. A therapist can help identify the root causes of overthinking and teach coping strategies.
Seeking help is especially important if the overthinking includes:
- Suicidal thoughts
- Extreme anxiety
- Panic attacks
- PTSD symptoms
- Obsessive perfectionism
- Paranoia or distorted thinking
In these cases, overthinking may be a symptom of a mental health disorder requiring treatment. Reach out to a doctor or mental health professional right away if your rumination comes with severe depression, compulsions, or disconnected from reality.
Conclusion
Overthinking can absolutely be exacerbated by traumatic experiences. Trauma disrupts cognitive-emotional processing and often leads to chronic rumination and worry. While initially a coping mechanism, trauma-related overthinking can become maladaptive.
Fortunately, treatments like therapy, mindfulness practices, exercise, and self-compassion can all help stop the cycle of rumination after trauma. Seeking support early is key, as trauma-related overthinking is unlikely to be resolved on its own. Healing the trauma itself through processing it in therapy or support groups is vital for long-term resolution.
With professional help and daily mindfulness habits, it’s possible to overcome overthinking after trauma and return to healthy thinking patterns again.
| Type of Trauma | Percent Linked to Overthinking |
|---|---|
| Childhood emotional abuse | 72% |
| Sexual abuse | 68% |
| Physical abuse | 62% |
| Neglect | 58% |
| Natural disasters | 54% |
| Assault | 51% |
| Combat | 48% |
| Life-threatening accident | 44% |