"My Brain Was a Microwave of Thoughts—Here’s the 3-Step Method That Finally Brought Me Peace" in 2025

"My Brain Was a Microwave of Thoughts—Here’s the 3-Step Method That Finally Brought Me Peace"

It Started With a Pile of Clothes and a Chapati

Last year, my good friend Kiptoo, a university student in Eldoret, stared at his laundry pile like it was a multiple-choice question with no correct answers. 

His chapati was burning on the pan, he had three assignments due, and a text from a girl he liked sitting on "read".

"I don’t know if I should respond, finish my work, or fold these clothes. But I keep thinking about what I didn’t say in last week’s conversation," he told me, while scraping his now-blackened chapati off the pan.

That was Kiptoo's life on loop: constantly overthinking, worrying about things that had already happened, or hadn't even happened yet.

If you’ve ever overanalyzed a text, replayed a conversation from last week, or planned six different life scenarios while brushing your teeth, this post is for you.

Kiptoo tried something different. A simple, three-step method that actually worked. No therapy bills. No ten-hour YouTube rabbit holes. Just practical tools that tamed the "mental microwave".

Here’s the method:

Step 1: Spot the Thought Spiral Before It Drags You In

Overthinking doesn't wear a name tag. It often hides behind "planning" or "analyzing". But when you’re spending 30 minutes replaying a conversation about sukuma wiki portions, it’s time to pause.

Kiptoo started to notice the signs: clenched jaw, bouncing knees, staring into space while pretending to scroll. The key

was awareness. Once you notice the spiral, you’re no longer a hostage.

"Overthinking" thrives in auto-pilot. Interrupt it by naming it: "Aha! I’m spiraling. Again."

Step 2: Use Your Senses to Snap Back to Now

Have you ever been worried about an event,a presentation. Your stomach  tying itself endlessly?

Instead of sinking into "what if I mess up?" thoughts, pause and follow this trick I spoke about in a previous post(surprisingly legit).A trick that helped Kiptoo in huge way.

He Named

5 things he could see (including the tear on his old campus curtains),

4 things he could touch (his notebook, his pen, his shoes, and his sweaty hands),

3 things he could hear,

2 he could smell,

and 1 thing he could taste.

This quick grounding method brought him back to the now. And he nailed that presentation.

Mindfulness isn’t about deep, mystical silence. It’s about anchoring yourself using your senses. It’s free. And works better than doom-scrolling.

Step 3: Schedule Worry Time (Yes, Really)

This sounds counterintuitive, but science backs it. Instead of suppressing "overthinking",I told Kiptoo to give himself 20 minutes daily to let his brain go wild.

He'd sit down after lunch and allow himself to worry. About everything. Even the way his lecturer pronounced "photocopy".(botocoby)

But once the 20 minutes were up—that was it. If his brain tried to bring up a new worry during supper, he'd say, "We already worried about that at 1:00 PM."

This small mental boundary trained his brain to contain worry rather than let it explode all over his day.

Why This Works (According to Psychology)

Overthinking triggers the brain’s fear center (amygdala), making everything feel like a crisis.

Grounding exercises activate the prefrontal cortex, the rational part of your brain.

Scheduled worry tricks your brain into feeling heard, reducing intrusive thoughts during random hours.

Bonus Tip: Keep a Thought Dump Journal

Kiptoo started writing his tangled thoughts before bed. No filters. Just vibes. It emptied the "mental recycling bin" and made room for actual rest.

Final Thoughts: You’re Not Broken. You’re Just Wired to Think.

Kiptoo didn’t become a Zen monk. He still worries. But now, he doesn’t get lost in it.

"Overthinking" isn’t a flaw. It’s just a brain habit that needs better boundaries. Like a loud neighbour who means well but needs to lower the volume.

Try Kiptoo’s 3 steps. You might just turn down the volume in your head—and finally enjoy your chapati while it’s still warm.

If this helped even a little, share it with a friend whose brain is always 3 months ahead. Subscribe for more brain hacks, peace tips, and relatable stories. Because mental calm is the new rich.