Slow the Racing Mind and Feel More Grounded

If your thoughts never seem to slow down—if you replay conversations, second-guess decisions, or mentally prepare for every worst-case scenario—you’re not alone.

The good news: overthinking is not a personality trait. It’s a pattern your nervous system learned, and therapy can help you shift it.

Overthinking Therapy in Philadelphia

Overthinking can feel like the mind is always “on,” buzzing with what-ifs, to-do lists, and fears about what you should have said or how you should have handled something differently. It often comes from parts of you that want to ensure:

  • You never disappoint anyone

  • You avoid criticism

  • You perform perfectly

  • You stay prepared for anything

  • You maintain stability or success

Overthinking is common in competitive environments—it becomes a way to stay safe, prepared, and in control.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent 10+ years working in Corporate Finance at a Big Four accounting firm, Fortune 500 companies, and fast-growing start-ups. I understand the mental load that comes with nonstop expectations, deadlines, and performance pressure. Now, I work with people across Center City, Rittenhouse, Logan Square, Fairmount, and South Philly who want to understand how overthinking affects their confidence, relationships, and overall wellbeing—and learn how to feel calmer, clearer, and more in control.

Signs You May Be Overthinking

Overthinking often shows up as:

  • Constant mental replaying or analyzing

  • Inability to make a decision without over-evaluating every option

  • Worrying about how others perceived you

  • Anticipating problems that haven’t happened

  • Feeling “stuck in your head”

  • Difficulty relaxing or enjoying downtime

  • Fear of making the “wrong” choice

Most people think overthinking is just “thinking too much,” but it’s actually a protective response.

When the body doesn’t feel safe—emotionally, relationally, or situationally—the mind tries to protect you by analyzing every detail it can control.

Woman with anxiety sitting at computer

1. IFS Therapy to Understand Your “Overthinking Parts”

Using Internal Family Systems (IFS), we explore the protective parts behind your overthinking—the planner, the worrier, the analyst, the perfectionist, the fixer.

Together we help these parts:

  • Step back from overworking

  • Trust you to make decisions

  • Release pressure and fear

  • Feel more grounded and supported

Instead of battling your thoughts, we build a compassionate relationship with the parts trying to help you.

How Therapy Helps You Stop Overthinking

2. Reduce Anxiety & Calm the Nervous System

Overthinking is often a sign of a nervous system stuck in “hyper-vigilance.” Therapy helps you:

  • Slow the internal urgency

  • Strengthen emotional regulation

  • Interrupt spirals before they escalate

  • Shift from overanalyzing to intuitive, grounded decision-making

This isn’t about becoming passive—it’s about becoming steady.

3. Break the Perfectionism & People-Pleasing Loop

Overthinking is often fueled by beliefs like:

  • “I can’t make a mistake.”

  • “What if someone gets upset?”

  • “I need to make the right choice.”

  • “I have to be prepared.”

We unpack where these beliefs came from and help you build self-trust that isn’t tied to being perfect or pleasing others.

If you also identify with people-pleasing or perfectionism, therapy can help you rewrite these internal rules so you can show up fully without the fear of “getting it wrong.”

4. Build Practical Tools to Quiet the Mental Noise

Therapy gives you strategies that work with your mind—not against it:

  • Decision-making frameworks

  • Grounding & mindfulness techniques

  • Ways to interrupt spiraling

  • Boundary tools that reduce emotional overload

  • Work stress management

  • Reducing “analysis paralysis”

You’ll learn to respond to your thoughts rather than get swept away by them.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If worry, overthinking, or stress are interfering with your daily life, relationships, or ability to relax, therapy can help. Many people seek therapy when self-help tools aren’t enough, or when they want deeper support for long-term change.

  • Sessions are 50 minutes and focus on your specific needs. Together, we’ll explore your experiences, learn tools to calm anxiety in the moment, and work on the root causes that keep anxiety in place. My approach combines Internal Family Systems (IFS) and attachment-based therapy in a supportive, nonjudgmental space.

  • Yes, I provide online anxiety therapy for clients across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as in-person sessions in Center City Philadelphia.

  • Yes. Many high-achievers find themselves stuck in cycles of overthinking and striving for perfection. Therapy helps you understand how overthinking and perfectionism fuel anxiety and teaches tools to break these cycles and feel calmer.

  • Yes. If you constantly prioritize others’ needs over your own or feel anxious about disappointing people, therapy can help. I work with people-pleasing professionals in Philadelphia to build self-awareness, healthy boundaries, and confidence — so you can thrive both personally and professionally.

  • Most people describe anxiety and stress as if they’re twins—but they’re more like distant cousins. The biggest difference isn’t just where they come from (outside vs. inside), it’s when they live.

    • Stress lives in the present. Stress is your body’s reaction to what’s happening right now—an overflowing inbox, a deadline, or your child crying while you’re on a work call. Once the situation resolves, stress often settles down too.

    • Anxiety lives in the future. Anxiety is fueled by your brain’s “what ifs.” It’s less about what’s actually happening and more about what could happen—what if I fail, what if I embarrass myself, what if something goes wrong tomorrow? Even when nothing urgent is in front of you, anxiety can keep the nervous system switched on.

    Why this distinction matters:
    If you’re stressed, reducing the load—delegating a task, taking a walk, or setting a boundary—often brings relief. But if you’re anxious, the challenge is different: you may need to retrain your brain to tolerate uncertainty, calm your inner critic, or work with the “false alarms” your nervous system keeps sending.