This is about mental loops, quiet exhaustion, and slowly learning how to stop responding to every thought.

Pen Name or Anonymous: Anonymous
Age & Location: 31, India

My mind has a habit of holding things too tightly. I used to overthink small sensations, small thoughts, small changes — turning them into something much larger than they actually were. A mild discomfort would quickly become a source of intense worry. A passing thought about health would create a loop for hours of questioning, research, and fear.

Often, the suffering in my mind felt heavier than any actual physical issue. I noticed patterns in how my thoughts worked. I would ask questions continuously, searching for reassurance, unable to feel calm until I reached a complete conclusion full of certainty. This relief was often short-lived, though. My mind would soon find something else to worry about.

I became deeply concerned about medical explanations, symptoms, and possibilities, sometimes convincing myself that something serious had happened even when there was no clear reason to believe it. This constant overthinking slowly began to affect my daily life. I found it difficult to stay present in conversations. Social interactions felt exhausting because part of my attention was always turned inward, monitoring sensations or replaying worries. I lived with a background fear that something small could suddenly become something big. Real mindfulness was absent and replaced by mental worries that never truly paused.

What made it harder was how invisible this struggle was. From the outside, everything appeared normal. Inside, I felt mentally restless, emotionally drained, and often disconnected from the moment I was living in. Over time, I realized that fighting my thoughts only made them stronger.

What began to help was learning how to observe them instead. Yoga introduced me to the idea of listening to my body without fear. Meditation taught me that thoughts can exist without demanding immediate action or belief. Slowly, I learned that not every thought needed to be answered, analyzed, or given attention. Books on mindfulness and mental well-being aided in reshaping how I viewed my mind. They reminded me that improvement is not instant but gradual, uneven, and deeply personal.

Some days were easier, others weren’t. But over time, the space between my thoughts and my reactions began to grow and become more realistic. I still experience moments of overthinking, but they no longer control my entire day. I am learning to stay in and visualize the present, to breathe through uncertainty, and to treat my mind with patience and calmness rather than fear. This journey has taught me how to reduce my cortisol and believe more in the power of dopamine. Healing isn’t about eliminating thoughts; it’s about changing the relationship you have with them. And for me, that change continues to reveal reality, quietly and steadily over time.

What would you say to someone who is going through a similar situation?:

Do yoga, meditation, and try to distract your mind from triggering thoughts. Keep yourself busy with something else and do journaling. Most importantly, surround yourself with the utmost positive thoughts. There is a famous experiment by Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto about water and the power of positive thinking — go and check that out. Words can be so powerful that they affect thoughts, which then can affect actions. Positive thinking helps us to be fearless.