How to Stop Overthinking When You Have ADHD and Anxiety
If you struggle with overthinking, anxiety, and ADHD, your mind might feel like it never stops. You may notice yourself replaying conversations, analyzing decisions, jumping from one thought to the next, or feeling mentally exhausted even when nothing urgent is happening.
If this sounds familiar, you are not broken. Overthinking isn’t a failure of focus or willpower; it’s a pattern your brain has developed to manage stimulation, uncertainty, and emotional intensity.
I often work with clients who feel trapped in this cycle, helping them relate differently to their thoughts and their nervous system, instead of trying to force the mind to be quiet.
What Overthinking Looks Like in ADHD and Anxiety
ADHD and anxiety frequently occur together. Research shows many adults with ADHD also experience an anxiety disorder. When these conditions overlap, overthinking can feel constant and uncontrollable.
ADHD can create a fast, associative mind that jumps between ideas, while anxiety focuses on risk, uncertainty, and potential mistakes. Think of it has having a superhighway in your brain, many thoughts speeding through. Together, they can create a cycle that looks like this:
ADHD generates many thoughts rapidly
Anxiety assigns risk or urgency to those thoughts
The mind tries to solve or control what can’t be solved
Overthinking intensifies, creating mental exhaustion
Why Your Mind Doesn’t Shut Off
People with ADHD and anxiety often think their overthinking is a problem to “fix,” but in reality, it’s adaptive. Your mind is trying to:
Generate stimulation when under-stimulated
Maintain a sense of control or predict outcomes
Prevent mistakes or protect you from perceived threats
These patterns aren’t failures they’re protective strategies that have become exhausting over time.
A Different Approach to Working with Overthinking
Instead of trying to stop your mind, focus on teaching ways to work with it. Here are strategies that are especially effective for ADHD and anxiety:
1. Externalize Your Thoughts
ADHD brains often hold multiple thoughts internally, which can amplify stress. Writing them down, using voice notes, or creating simple lists can reduce mental load and give your mind a place to release ideas without judgment.
2. Movement and Sensory Regulation
Sitting still can increase overthinking. Gentle movement, walking, stretching, or dancing, helps regulate attention and the nervous system simultaneously, making it easier to relate to your thoughts without being pulled in.
3. Name It
Instead of analyzing each worry, label the experience “anixety,” “stress,” or “overthinking.” Naming the experience helps create distance and reduces the intensity of the loop.
4. Reduce the Need for Certainty
Many overthinking loops revolve around uncertainty. We crave safety and anixety is often the way we try to create safety. Instead of trying to resolve everything at once, notice that some questions can remain unanswered for now: “I don’t need to solve this right now.”
5. Honor Root Needs
Our emotions are there to tell us something. Anxiety is one way for us to try and reduce suffering by anticipating the future. Name that root need that causes anxiety and speak to ways you can honor that need.
6. Support Your Nervous System
Overthinking isn’t only cognitive it’s physiological. Consistent sleep, reduced stimulation, grounding practices, and mindful attention to the body all help the nervous system settle, which makes it easier to manage racing thoughts.
You’re Not Broken; Your Brain Is Busy
When ADHD and anxiety overlap, your mind isn’t failing. It’s working hard to generate ideas, anticipate problems, and keep you safe. The goal isn’t to silence thoughts completely. It’s to:
Reduce the intensity of overthinking loops
Build awareness of your patterns
Respond to thoughts with curiosity rather than pressure
Even noticing, “I’ve been replaying this conversation for 10 minutes,” is a success. That awareness is part of the practice.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy helps clients develop a more compassionate relationship with their thoughts and nervous system. For ADHD and anxiety, therapy often focuses on:
Mindfulness practices adapted for busy or restless minds
Nervous system regulation and grounding
Recognizing and responding to overthinking without judgment
Rebuilding a sense of safety and control without forcing calm
If overthinking is interfering with your work, relationships, or ability to rest, therapy can provide structure, support, and practical strategies that respect your brain and nervous system.
If you’re interested in learning more about ADHD you can read more about my approach here.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
You don’t have to navigate overthinking alone. I work with ADHD and anxiety in a way that is supportive, non-judgmental, and sustainable.
You can begin by exploring a free consultation to talk about what you’re experiencing and see if our approach is a good fit. Overthinking doesn’t have to take over your life you can learn to work with your mind and feel more grounded, focused, and at ease.
Book a Free Consultation Here