Overthinking is a national epidemic among young and middle aged adults but is relatively rare among older adults: 73 percent of 25-35 year-olds overthink compared to 52 percent of 45-55 year-olds and just 20 percent of 65-75 year-olds. The brains of depressed people look different to non-depressed people- oh this must mean faulty brains caused depression. You have a sense of knowing when something is about to happen, or about other people's inner worlds. My brain literally never stops. In fact I routinely have two lines of thought at any given time. Not to mention any kind of visual thoughts I might be having. It can be exhausting. So when something bad is happening - or all the bad things are happening all at once like lately!! - I am definitely one to OVERTHINK. And probably to over think about the 2-3 absolute WORST possible outcomes all at once! (And overthink about overthinking). Oh joy! Aren’t you happy you aren’t in my head?

Carey, Benedict (13 January 2013). "Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Psychologist Who Studied Depression in Women, Dies at 53". The New York Times. Pessimism and self-criticism are mentioned in the book as being especially harmful "thought pollutants." What are their societal origins? Considering the brain's impulse to connect otherwise unrelated negative thoughts, what are some of your own barriers to optimism and self-confidence? How can we heal thought processes without their metamorphosing into an outlook of entitlement and blame?For some unnamed reason, you feel a weight of responsibility on your shoulder, even for things you are not responsible for. Groundbreaking research . . . Women Who Think Too Much tells why overthinking occurs, why it hurts people, and how to stop." — USA Today

Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan; Ganji, Hamzeh; Jahangiri, Hamideh (2020). Psychotherapy of depression in elderly Volume 1. Scholar's Press. ISBN 978-613-8-94228-3. Schedule a specific time to over-think. When you notice yourself lapsing, tell yourself ‘I can’t do this now, but I will allow myself to go over it again later tonight.’ Set a time and commit to it. At the designated hour sit down and tell yourself “OK, I have 30 minutes now to over-think”. Paradoxically, doing it willingly takes away its power. Do this daily. Nevertheless, you have always known deep down that you are dissatisfied with a life that is meaningless and task-driven. With the negativity laid out, I am a severe over thinker. I go crazy prattling on in my mind about something simple and insignificant. This overthinking could have started with a conversation I had that I felt went negatively and explode to why I have no friends. This is dramatic of course, but has unfortunately happened. It was nice to hear this was normal and more common in women. I know if I tell my boyfriend or father about something I am worried about they think I'm crazy and weird for worrying about something so trivial.

Reflecting on a Lifetime of Achievement". APS Observer. Vol.26, no.3. Association for Psychological Science. March 2013. pp.12–13.

Insights, intuition, and the ability to read several layers of reality allow you to assess people and situations rapidly. You can sense incongruence and their intentions, thoughts, and feelings that are underneath the facades. Honoring a Lifetime of Achievement: Susan K. Nolen-Hoeksema". Association for Psychological Science. 23 April 2013 . Retrieved 2013-06-12.

She entered Illinois State University before transferring to Yale. She graduated summa cum laude in 1982 with a degree in psychology. After earning a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, she joined the faculty at Stanford. She later moved to the University of Michigan, before returning to Yale in 2004. Hand it over to a higher power, share the load. In other words if you have a problem that seems insurmountable, pray or hand it over to the universe to solve. Or join a group and ask them to help you solve it.