Do You Have a Noisy Brain? How to Stop Overthinking

From your social media feed to the hectic news cycle, it can be so easy to just believe everything you see and hear. Your mind almost automatically validates that information through emotional chains that stem from what your parents say, your boss, siblings, friends, and even your own fears. It may seem impossible to gain psychological distance from your own mind.

Those thoughts come from all sorts of places, but you don’t have to attach your worth or future to them. If your inner dialogue sounds like a back-and-forth debate, a static radio, or a running commentary you didn’t sign up for, it’s time to take back the mic.

This blog gives you a map forward: how to identify the noise, how to disentangle yourself from it, and how to reclaim serenity.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A NOISY BRAIN?

Before you can quiet your mind, you have to recognize the noise. A “noisy brain” shows up as mental chatter, rumination, and distracting thoughts. Here are seven symptoms that may signal you could benefit from learning how to create distance from your thoughts:

1. Persistent rumination — You replay scenarios, conversations, or mistakes on loop, often after a traumatic experience.
2. Cognitive overload — Your brain feels like it’s juggling too many thoughts at once, making decisions harder.
3. Sleep disturbances — You lie awake with consistent and racing thoughts long after your body wants rest.
4. Emotional reactivity — You find yourself easily triggered by small annoyances, which your brain is already primed to react to in a negative way.
5. Perfection paralysis — You’re stuck in overanalysis before taking action.
6. Worry spiral — A small “what if” quickly snowballs into catastrophizing every little thing.
7. Difficulty concentrating — You can’t focus because your mind keeps wandering to irrelevant or negative thoughts.

If it feels like you check off several of these, you're probably operating with a noisy brain. Recognizing this is your first act of self-compassion and awareness so you’re ready to gain psychological distance in a healthy way.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE FROM YOUR MIND?

To gain psychological distance means stepping back from your thoughts and see them as mental events, not absolute truths. In Amen University’s 30-Day Happiness Challenge, psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen teaches that many of our bothersome musings are automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs, that loop in the background.

The first move is to identify what they are saying and why, to treat them like passing clouds rather than immovable commands. By noticing patterns (“I’m not good enough,” “I’ll fail”), you begin to see them as mental artifacts instead of who you are.

In Dr. Amen’s framework, one powerful practice is:

Notice what you appreciate about yourself more than what you criticize.

When you slip up or make a mistake, respond with curiosity rather than anger. Ask yourself: “What can I learn?” instead of “How dumb was I?”

This shift creates more emotional space to decompress your feelings. Over time, as you lean into this posture, you begin to create distance from your thoughts rather than being consumed by them.

HOW TO CREATE DISTANCE FROM YOUR THOUGHTS

One of the research-backed techniques to gain psychological distance is called “distanced self-talk.” Instead of speaking to yourself using “I” or “me,” you refer to yourself by name (or by “you”) when processing a thought.

Dr. Amen takes this concept a step further with a technique he calls “Give Your Mind a Name.” He shares that he calls his mind “Hermie” after the troublemaking pet raccoon he had while growing up.

Now, when his thoughts get out of control, he puts Hermie in a metaphorical cage. This shift encourages psychological distance from the mind, which helps in emotional regulation, self-control, and wiser reasoning.

Think of a name for your mind. Some of Dr. Amen’s patients have named their mind after a mean girl they knew in grade school, a sports nemesis from their high school days, or a movie villain.

Better emotional regulation

A 2020 study found that when people used distanced self-talk (specifically referring to themselves in third person) rather than immersed first-person self-talk, they experienced a 10 percent reduction in negative emotional reactivity.

In other words, simply changing the pronoun used in inner conversation helps regulate intense feelings more effectively.

Greater self-control

Psychological distance is a known facilitator of self-control. The theory of self-distancing suggests that when you shift from an immersed stance to a detached one, you're less likely to be hijacked by impulsive urges.

In cognitive control research, shifting perspective is often one of the tools that help delay gratification and resist temptations because you step outside the immediacy of your impulses.

Deeper wisdom

Distanced self-talk defuses emotional intensity and fosters insight. By increasing psychological distance, it’s easier to reason more constructively about personal challenges and achieve deeper reflection.

One study also demonstrated that small linguistic shifts (like reducing “I” usage) can reshape how you conceptualize your identity and lead to more abstract, wise self-perspectives.

When you give your mind a name, you can rewrite inner questions like this:

●      Instead of “Why didn’t you do better?”

●      Try “How did [YOUR MIND’S NAME] cause me to struggle with this task?”

That tiny shift helps you gain psychological distance and remove that emotional reactivity, letting your brain think more clearly.

HOW TO STOP OVERTHINKING IN 7 STEPS

Here are seven realistic steps you can start using today to begin quieting the noise and assert control over your mental landscape:

1. Pause and label: When a thought arises, pause for a moment and name it. Then tell yourself: “That’s a worry about tomorrow” or “That’s self-criticism.” Labeling it gives the distance you need to call it out.
2. Use distanced self-talk: As discussed, refer to your mind by name to create distance from your thoughts and to gain psychological distance.
3. Set fixed “thinking windows”: Give yourself a short period (maybe 10 minutes) each day to think or journal. Outside that window, redirect your thoughts when it wanders.
4. Anchor in the body: Whenever your mind spins, bring your attention back to your breath, body sensations, or sounds around you. Physical grounding reminds your mind you're here now.
5. Ask curious, not critical questions: Rather than “Why am I so stupid?”, ask yourself “What’s the message beneath this?” or “What is this trying to tell me?” That encourages you to learn rather than feel shame.
6. Interrupt with ritual: Use brief rituals to break a thought spiral like standing up, drinking water, walking three steps, or reciting a positive affirmation.
7. Return to values: When overthinking hits, ask, “What matters most to me at this moment?” Reconnect with your values to shift your focus outward, not inward.

Each of these steps helps build your capacity for calm and resilience. Over time, you can instill the habit of stepping back from thoughts rather than struggling inside them.

YOUR NEXT CHAPTER TO GAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTANCE

Your noisy brain doesn’t have to run the show. Real transformation happens through consistent practice. To evaluate your mental habits, test one or two of the techniques above, and invite in more distance. Over time, that chatter will get quieter, and you’ll no longer be a hostage to it.

In Amen University’s 30-Day Happiness Challenge, double board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen joins forces with bestselling author Tana Amen to help you retrain your brain toward calm.