Your Biggest Competitor Lives in Your Head

“You don’t need to silence every thought. You need to stop handing them the wheel.”
– Rita Castillo-Salese

Overthinking is one of the most common mindset traps I see, especially in highly driven individuals. Not because they’re weak but because they’re smart. Their minds are always working, always analyzing. And that same intelligence that built their success becomes the thing that quietly stalls it.

Overthinking is a dangerous mindset trap where you dwell on something too often and too long. You give a thought so much weight with no intention of getting out of the vicious loop.

Although we all overthink from time to time, some people just can’t shut their minds off from the endless bombardment of worrisome thoughts.

In today’s issue, I’m going to expose the dangers of overthinking, show you what it’s costing you in your body, and give you 3 keys to get out of this habitual way of living.

Worry 

Overthinking lives in two places: the past you can’t change and the future you can’t control.

Worrying often causes your brain to invent the unimaginable, conjuring up catastrophic scenarios that simply don’t exist.

When you habitually overthink, you take things to the worst-case scenario, with no rationale behind them.

What Overthinking Does to Your Body

According to a study published by the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, overthinking is not just a bad habit; it can have a negative impact on your health and well-being.

Chronic worry puts you in the stress response and brings on a surge of adrenaline. If this triggered state continues, it could potentially lead to anxiety and set off a whole slew of health problems. 

And here’s the somatic piece most people miss: overthinking doesn’t just live in your head. It lives in your body. The tight chest. The shallow breath. The low-grade tension you’ve started calling “normal.” Rumination is also a known risk factor for major depression.

3 Keys to Stop Overthinking

2. Leave the Movie Theatre

Have you ever paid good money to sit through a movie that turned out to be a complete bust? Of course, you wouldn’t go back and sit through it again and again and again, or would you?  Yet that’s exactly what you do when you overthink. 

Your brain is replaying a movie that bombed at the box office, and you keep standing in line, paying full price, and watching it again and again. Here’s how you start walking out of the theater:

Once you’ve identified the negative repetitive thoughts, it’s time to switch the movie you’re playing in your head. 

Here’s your 3rd step to get out of the theatre: 

3. Create a Solutions-Oriented Internal Dialogue

As a coach, my goal is to help my clients find their own answers. I do that by listening deeply and asking powerful questions. You can do the same thing for yourself.

Once you wake up to the fact that something doesn’t feel right and you’ve switched the movie, create an internal monologue that moves you forward. You are intentionally asking yourself questions to find a solution that replaces the loop of overthinking.

Ask Yourself Possibility Questions:

• What else is possible here?
• How might I be able to find a solution to this?
• What resources are available to me?

Tackling this mindset trap is going to take time, persistence, and discipline. As the old French proverb goes,  “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Be patient with yourself, but remain consistent. When you consistently change your thoughts, your brain starts believing what you are telling it, and before you know it, you will have created new pathways, a new, healthy mindset, and a body that knows how to come back to calm.

That’s what it means to be clutch.

Which of these 3 keys do you need most right now, and where in your body do you feel overthinking show up first? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.

Stay courageous. Stay embodied.

In Optimism,

Rita

PS: You’ve known me as Rita Hudgens. I’m using my new full name: Rita Castillo-Salese. Here’s to everything new. 

Somatic Mindset Life Coach • Speaker • Group Facilitator

Rita Castillo-Salese is a Somatic Mindset Coach, Speaker, and Group Facilitator with nearly a decade of experience working with executives and entrepreneurs. Rita’s work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, somatic intelligence, faith, and mindset, helping high performers break free from patterns that got them here yet quietly keep them stuck. She doesn’t just inspire clients to think differently — she helps them lead with their health and wholeness first.

To work with Rita: ritahudgens@gmail.com