207. Why You Can’t Stop Overthinking—and How to Break the Spiral

The Best of You

Dr. Alison Cook

Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.9 • 957 Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever replayed a conversation over and over in your mind? Maybe it was something your partner said. A text that felt off. A moment at work. A look on someone’s face. Suddenly your mind is looping, analyzing, judging, and trying to solve something that never seems to resolve. Today’s conversation with science writer Donna Jackson Nakazawa is about rumination—what many of us experience as overthinking, thought spirals, or getting mentally stuck. Donna brings together powerful neuroscience, personal story, and practical tools to help us understand why our minds loop, what those loops are trying to show us, and how we can begin to interrupt them with compassion and clarity. We explore: Why rumination is not random—and what it reveals The difference between productive reflection and a mental loop that leaves you feeling worse Why social media can trigger rumination so quickly Donna’s MIST framework for stopping the spiral This conversation is especially for you if you’ve ever thought, Why can’t I just let this go? or Why am I still thinking about this? Get Donna's new book, Mind Drama here Connect with Donna here Preorder my brand new book The Secure Soul Want to hear more episodes like this? Start here: Episode 158: Your Pain Has a Name: The Deeper Hurt Behind Distressing Thoughts with Therapist Monica DiCristina Episode 51: The 12 Common Thinking Traps, Mind Reading, Mental Filters, and How To Stop Taking Things Personally 📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here Connect further with @dralisoncook on Instagram Join 80,000+ soul tenders in our email community and receive weekly wisdom here. ‍Don't forget to browse this week's sponsors, who make it possible for us to bring you these resources for free + provide you with additional discounts! Quince - How you dress affects your mood and you can trust that Quince has you covered in every day sustainable wardrobe staples. Go to ⁠Quince.com/bestofyou⁠ for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! StoryWorth - Give your loved ones a unique keepsake you’ll all cherish for years—Storyworth Memoirs! Right now, save $10 or more during their Holiday sale when you go to StoryWorth.com/BESTOFYOU! *Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Am I replaying scenarios?
0:03.2	Am I replaying them without a sense of finding a resolution?
0:07.9	Is my brain loading up the same reels over and over, but without the benefit of cognitive
0:16.1	or emotional processing or an action plan that offers a sense of release, relief, and how to
0:25.1	move forward.
0:26.9	According to all indicators, we're ruminating more than we ever have before.
0:31.4	One third of us have never heard the word rumination or we don't know what it means.
0:36.7	You cannot solve a problem that
0:38.7	you aren't being honest about, that you haven't named. So let's name it, frame it, and let's do
0:44.7	that interior work with a sense of tenderness for our own story because that's where the wellspring
0:52.1	of well-being begins.
1:04.4	Hey, everyone, and welcome back to this week's deep dive episode of The Best of You Podcast.
1:10.2	I'm Dr. Allison, and I have such an exciting announcement to share with you today.
1:12.6	So over the past few years, I've been working on a project on the side really quietly. It's a book. It's the most personal book I've
1:19.1	ever written. It's my own journey through healing the parts of my own soul. And it is finally
1:26.1	finished. It's off to the printer. It's going to be printed any
1:29.3	day now. It's actually terrifying to me. If you've followed my work for a while, I tend to be a little
1:35.7	bit more comfortable in the expert seat, right, in kind of helping other people understand themselves
1:41.2	and in helping bring language to some of these concepts and theories
1:45.1	and try to make them practical for others, it's a lot harder for me to write about my own story,
1:50.7	write about my own experience. So I'm definitely experiencing a vulnerability hangover as we speak.
1:57.2	And so I'm so thrilled to share with you all today, my podcast listeners in this community,
	...

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