Your Body Knows First: What Overthinking Is Really Trying to Tell You
- Jay Glaspy
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 22
When Overthinking Turns Against You
You’ve reviewed the plan. Analyzed the angles. Played out every scenario. And yet—there you are, stuck in your own mind, exhausted from thinking about thinking.
For high performers—whether you’re in law enforcement, the military, sports, or the executive world—this is more common than you think. And it’s not because you lack discipline or drive. It’s because your system is overwhelmed, and the mind is trying to take control.
The truth is: overthinking is rarely solved by more thinking. It’s a signal from the body that you’ve left your center—and it’s time to come back.
The Mind Body Disconnect
Most high achievers are conditioned to live in their heads:
Solving problems before they happen
Preparing for worst-case scenarios
Analyzing, strategizing, predicting
While these are powerful skills, they come at a cost when disconnected from the body.Overthinking is often a symptom of nervous system dysregulation—a body stuck in survival mode.
The solution? Reconnect with your body to return to the present.
Somatic Tools: How the Body Leads the Mind
In coaching, I teach clients to ground themselves through movement, breath, and body-based practices that calm the nervous system and interrupt mental loops.
Here’s how:
🧠 1. Use Breath as a Pattern Interrupt
Box breathing. Nasal breathing. Exhales longer than inhales. These aren’t trendy—they’re tactical. They send a direct signal to your brain: you are safe. And clarity follows.
🌿 2. Move to Regulate, Not Just Burn Calories
Go for a walk without your phone. Stretch your hips. Do 5 minutes of mobility work. These movements anchor your attention back into your body—and out of your spiraling thoughts.
🪨 3. Ground Your Senses
When overthinking spikes, engage the five senses. What do you see, smell, hear, feel?This somatic strategy pulls you out of your head and back into the moment.
Coaching vs. More Mental Work
Many high performers try to solve overthinking with more information—books, plans, productivity hacks. But coaching takes a different route. It doesn’t just challenge the thought—it helps you notice what the thought is protecting.
Through overthinking coaching and nervous system regulation, we focus on:
Releasing the pressure to “get it all right”
Building trust in your body’s cues
Learning to act from calm, not chaos
Real Wins, Real People
A SWAT officer used breathwork between calls to stay calm under pressure
A high school athlete replaced pre-game spirals with grounding rituals
A burned-out executive now walks every morning before opening email—getting out of his head and back into his leadership
Final Thoughts: Get Back in Your Body, and the Mind Will Follow to Conquer Overthinking
The body doesn’t lie. It always knows when you’re off balance—long before the mind catches up.If your thoughts feel loud, repetitive, and exhausting, consider this:
It’s not a mindset problem. It’s a signal to come home to your body.
Coaching helps you respond to that signal—not by trying harder, but by shifting how you relate to your own system.
💬 Call to Action
If you’re ready to stop spinning in your head and start grounding in your body, I’m here to coach you through it.
Through somatic tools, breathwork, and high-performance coaching, we’ll build a system that doesn’t just think clearly—it feels safe, centered, and clear.
About Me
Based in Haymarket - Gainesville, VA, I coach Veterans, executives, and athletes to master self-leadership and reclaim their identity. As a U.S. Army Special Forces Veteran, I bring a balanced, performance-driven approach that integrates self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and holistic wellness. Through transformational change strategies and mental performance techniques, I help individuals operate with clarity and resilience — both in high-pressure environments and in everyday life.
Contact: jay@commandperformancecoaching.com
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