Overthinking Is Not a Thinking Problem

About this episode

This episode explores the idea that overthinking is a judgement problem rather than a thinking problem, drawing on the teachings of Epictetus.

Most advice for overthinking points you at the thoughts themselves. Journal them. Replace the negative ones with positive ones. Breathe. Meditate. Run. But what if the thoughts were never the problem? Epictetus taught that it is not events that disturb us, but our judgements about them. Overthinking is not a volume problem. It is a judgement problem. Somewhere in the loop you added a meaning to something that was otherwise neutral, and that meaning is what keeps you awake. In this episode I w...

People in this episode

Host: Jon Brooks

Topics covered

• overthinking
• judgement
• Stoicism
• mental health
• self-improvement

Keywords

• overthinking
• judgement
• Stoicism
• mental clarity
• self-help

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