Overthinking Loops & a Restless Mind
Discover why overthinking spirals happen and how to quiet them.
The Loop That Keeps Restarting
The loop resets quietly, as if beginning for the first time again.
The mind returns to the start without announcing it.
There is no conclusion, only a subtle restart.
This window names the cycle without trying to stop it.
Seeing the restart is enough for now.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my mind feel like a "broken record"?
You are in a Restart Cycle. Your Reward & Pursuit system believes it is close to a breakthrough, so it restarts the thought loop as soon as it reaches the end. By identifying the cycle itself—"This is a restart"—you provide a "meta-done" signal. You are closing the loop on the process of thinking, even if the thought's content remains unresolved, which allows the nervous system to finally move toward a state of rest.
How do I break a restart cycle?
You don't break it; you "fail to provide fuel." When you notice the loop restarting, name it as a structural event. "There is the restart." By not adding new "what-ifs" or emotional urgency, the loop loses velocity. In this framework, settlement happens when the Narrative system decides that "going over it again" provides no additional meaning density, allowing the system to default back to a stable baseline.