Sometimes it can be all-encompassing and upsetting and other times it's a useful tool to navigate complex issues - it's overthinking.
But when does overthinking become over the top?
As the end of mental health awareness week approaches, Newshub is eager to explore how and why we tangle ourselves around these often dramatic and unrealistic thoughts.
So we've called in clinical psychologist Kobus Du Plooy to explain - and spoke with one Kiwi who benefits and struggles with overthinking, to gain some insight into it.
Du Plooy put overthinking simply, he said it's when you find yourself thinking about something "in a loop continuously" - almost like your top-played song.
For many people overthinking has a negative connotation. Du Plooy described it as "unpleasant thoughts" that tend to creep into people's minds and stick around.
But he said overthinking has its benefits too. Du Plooy told Newshub it enables humans to solve problems and allows the mind to reason.
"It's actually a really special aspect of being human."
Newshub asked Du Plooy to put overthinking onto a mild, moderate and excessive scale, to better understand when overthinking changes from healthy to unhealthy thoughts.
The clinical psychologist said overthinking escalates with time, meaning the more and more it's done with one topic, the more it could cause harm.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't have any healthy concerns in our lives and think about what we do and how we do things. But there is a point at which it gets excessive."
Du Plooy has found in his work people either over-analyse their thoughts when faced with an important decision, or they attempt to avoid mistakes at all costs and are stuck in an over-analytic pattern of thoughts.
"Sometimes people ponder and ponder, thinking about a solution to certain problems but doing that is what's causing the problem."
Wellington-based student Lily, 20, knows the "ponder and ponder" cycle all too well. They told Newshub "it's a way of life" and something they do constantly.
"If I wasn't overthinking who would I be?"
But it's when overthinking begins to seep into other parts of their life that it becomes a problem - Lily added they even overthought what they were wearing before their interview with Newshub.
"You start with this one thought and then it kinda snowballs into this mess. It's almost like an echo chamber of your own thoughts," they said.
"Overthinking is an echo chamber of chaos."
But they said it also has its silver lining too and has been helpful for their schoolwork.
"I think one of the biggest benefits is probably I've done really well in uni. Last trimester I was a straight-A student because of my overthinking and reflection.
"It's weird to think of such a negative thing in such a positive way but it actually does [have its rewards]," they added.
"It's good to be in your head until you're in your head".
And Lily isn't alone.
A study published in 2001, led by the American Psychological Association, found the majority of people worry about things that never end up happening.
The study asked 20,000 people about the things they worried about or the what-ifs scenarios that played out in their heads. A year later the same people were asked if those worries or what-if thoughts became real.
Du Plooy said 89 percent of respondents said their concerns never actually happened. While just 10 percent said their worries did become reality with only 1 percent being 'clinically significant'.
"Even though it happened, it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be," he said.
He said humans tend to overestimate threats - something that we've inherited from our ancestors.
"If we were for instance still living on these open plains, sort of worrying about rival tribes or predators sort of lurking in the bushes we cannot see - then these mechanisms are very useful and powerful because they kept us alive."
Du Plooy said clearly things have changed - those threats no longer stand but our brains remain wired to scan for threats.
So how do we combat excessive overthinking?
The 10, 10, 10
In 10 days from now, 10 months from now or 10 years from now, how consequential or significant would this scenario be?
Du Plooy said the 10, 10, 10 is a helpful method to identify how important your worries or concerns are.
"Very often it just gives you a moment to step back and not look through your thoughts but at your thoughts."
Probability calculation
When a scenario is ticking around in your head, Du Plooy said the probability calculation is helpful too.
Consider the worst outcome and the best outcome and identify the most probable outcome.
"Say, 'This is my worry time or think time', and then I cap it at that point and I leave it."
He added it's important to identify when you've given one thought its due course.
Soundboarding
Du Plooy has found some moderate to excessive overthinkers can be socially isolated, so talking to others is a simple solution.
"They find themselves so trapped in their thoughts they don't do things they enjoy."
He said using a friend or a family member to soundboard your thoughts helps - it allows someone from outside of your thoughts to give some perspective to your worries.
"If you only have your own thoughts, then you only have your own thoughts, almost like you're sitting on an island."
Du Plooy doesn't want overthinking to be only seen in a negative light. He ended the interview with Newshub with a quote from philosopher René Descartes.
"I think, therefore I am."
