Mentis- A guided overthinking plan with 9 chapters, about 3–4 weeks, a few minutes a day.
- Teaches skills from worry and rumination research: worry postponement, "how, not why", the what-if check, letting a replay end, good-enough decisions and self-compassion.
- It doesn't argue with your thoughts. It changes when and how you think them.
- Ends with your own restart rule, so you know what to do when a loop starts again.
Who is the overthinking plan for?
It's for the person who rewrites a two-line WhatsApp message five times, lies awake replaying what the manager said, has a what-if for every plan, and spends a week deciding on a phone cover. If thinking about things has started to cost you more time and sleep than the things themselves, this plan is for you.
Why does this plan work?
Overthinking feels like problem-solving, but research shows it mostly isn't. Psychologist Ed Watkins found that the abstract kind ("why is this always happening to me?") keeps low mood and anxiety going, while the concrete kind ("what's the next step, and when?") helps you move (Watkins, 2008). In one trial, a few weeks of practising concrete thinking reduced low mood (Watkins et al., 2009). The plan is built on that finding, plus a handful of other well-tested techniques:
What's in the 9 chapters?
1. The first honest look
Goal: I can see what my overthinking is actually made of. One line in the evening about the loop that took the most time. You'll learn that overthinking isn't one thing. It's worry (future), replay (past) and indecision, and each needs a different tool. Activities: "Overthinking Isn't One Thing", "One Loop, Start To Finish", "Past, Or Future".
2. Not now
Goal: I can put a thought down and come back to it later. You pick a 15-minute worry slot. When a worry shows up at any other time, you note it and tell it "not now, it's for six". Activities: "Fifteen Minutes At My Slot", "Why It Has The Whole Day", "The Loops You Caught". See the worry window.
3. Out of the head, into the body
Goal: I've started teaching my body to let go. Some loops start in a tight chest or jaw, not in a thought. You learn a daily "loosening" based on applied relaxation. Activities: "Tighten, Let Go: The Long Form", "Where It Sits In Your Body", "Out Of Breath, On Purpose". See two sighs.
4. How, not why
Goal: I turn going round in circles into one next step. Three questions turn a "why me" loop into a "what now" step. Activities: "Why Asking Why Keeps It Going", "The Three Questions", "The Step You've Been Avoiding".
5. What if, checked
Goal: I can hold a what-if without having to settle it right now. A what-if log, where you write down what's actually likely, and later what happened. Activities: "Writing What's Likely", "Today's What-Ifs", "The Ninety-One Percent", "The Check That Keeps It Alive".
6. The replay
Goal: I can let a conversation be over. Two lines, not two pages, then the tab is closed. You separate fact from story, and watch the moment from across the room. Activities: "Fact, Story", "The Message They Never Thought About Again", "The Scroll Audit".
7. Good enough
Goal: I can decide, and let good enough be good enough. One carried decision a week gets a bar and a deadline. Activities: "A Bar And A Clock", "Done, Not Perfect", "Ship One Thing At Done". See the good-enough rule.
8. The inner critic
Goal: I talk to myself the way I'd talk to a friend. You catch one harsh sentence a day and write the one a friend would get. Activities: "What The Critic Said, What A Friend Would Say", "Hand On The Chest", "Why Kindness Feels Unsafe". See critic vs friend.
9. Holding it
Goal: Overthinking is something my mind does, not who I am. You choose what to keep, revise the slot, the step and the friend's sentence, and write your early warning and restart rule. Activities: "The Short Loosening, And Two Sighs", "My Restart Rule And Early Warning".
What does a day on the plan look like?
- Morning check-in. How you're arriving into today, and one question about yesterday's habit.
- One task (3–5 minutes). A short read, an audio story of someone else's week, or a journal prompt.
- Your slot. Fifteen minutes at the same time each day for the worries you parked.
- When a loop starts. The chapter's catch: "not now", one next step, or two lines and close.
What changes can I expect?
Usually, the first thing people notice is that worries come less often outside the slot, and that the slot itself gets shorter because half the worries have expired by then. This is the classic finding from worry-postponement studies (Borkovec et al., 1983; McGowan & Behar, 2013). Decisions get faster in chapter 7. The inner critic doesn't disappear, but it gets an answer. You'll still overthink sometimes, because everyone does. The difference is that you'll know which tool to use.
How do I start?
Download Mentis, do your first check-in and choose Overthinking. Want to try a piece today? Try the worry window, or read our guide to overthinking.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an app that actually helps with overthinking?
Mentis has a full plan for it. Instead of only distracting you, it teaches skills that research has studied for decades: postponing worry to a set slot, switching from 'why' to 'how', checking what-ifs and answering your inner critic. You practise each one for a few minutes a day.
Is overthinking a mental illness?
No. Overthinking, or repetitive negative thinking, is a habit of mind that almost everyone has sometimes. It becomes a problem when it takes hours of your day, ruins sleep or stops you from deciding. If it comes with constant anxiety or low mood for weeks, please also talk to a professional.
How long until I notice a difference?
Many people notice a change in the second chapter, 'Not now', when the worry slot starts working, usually within one to two weeks. The deeper chapters, on the replay and the inner critic, take longer, which is why the plan runs three to four weeks.
I overthink most at night. Will this help?
Yes. The worry slot and the 'how, not why' step move a lot of thinking out of bedtime. If night-time is your main problem, pair this plan with the 3am chapter of the Sleep plan, or try the brain dump before bed tonight.
Does Mimi tell me my thoughts are wrong?
No. The plan never argues with your thoughts. It changes what you do with them: when you think them, how long, and how you speak to yourself while you do.
- Borkovec TD et al. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy 21(3).
- McGowan SK, Behar E (2013). A preliminary investigation of stimulus control training for worry. Behavior Modification 37(1).
- Watkins ER (2008). Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychological Bulletin 134(2).
- Watkins ER, Baeyens CB, Read R (2009). Concreteness training reduces dysphoria. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 118(1).
- Ferrari M et al. (2019). Self-compassion interventions and psychosocial outcomes: a meta-analysis of RCTs. Mindfulness 10.
- Balban MY et al. (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine 4(1).