Dear Ben:

Regarding thinking and  overthinking, the Serenity Prayer says: “.. grant me the  serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”. Healthier people know the difference and think about what  they  can change, not about what they cannot change. They think about what requires doing, not about what doesn’t. They start thinking  about X, if they  find themselves  overthinking, they then focus on the following: do I need to do anything  about X, is there anything that needs to be done? If there is, they make a note about it, if there  isn’t, they move on to something else.

It took me a long time to become capable  of disengaging from a thought. I hear it, ask myself is there anything I need to do, (or I already know the answer, being familiar with a particular thought), and I cut  off the thread of thinking, in a way, as if with a pair of scissors. I suffered from OCD from a  young age, diagnosed  with it as well, later  in life, and I am able  to disengage, so I figure, you can too.

I hope to read from you soon.

anita