Episode Overview
Podcast: Take Out Therapy: End Overthinking & Overwhelm for Empathic High Achievers
Host: Rebecca Hunter, MSW
Episode: Quiet Your Overthinking Right NOW; Therapy Tools For Empathic High Achievers
Date: December 15, 2025
This episode is a “mini session” in which therapist and anxiety expert Rebecca Hunter shares a practical, three-step therapy-informed tool to help overthinkers—particularly empathic high-achievers—quiet their minds and actually rest. With relatable analogies and easy-to-remember techniques, Rebecca explores why it’s so difficult to turn off our thoughts and provides simple, actionable advice for shifting from mental busy-ness to present-moment calm.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Why Our Brains Stay Busy (01:15 – 02:35)
- Rebecca acknowledges that it’s normal for empathic high-achievers to struggle with turning off their minds, even when they intentionally take a break.
- Many people, despite knowing they “should” rest, find their brains remain active and distracted.
- “People struggle in the moment of chilling out to get their brain to be quiet too.” [02:22]
The “Put the Glass of Water Down” Analogy (02:36 – 03:13)
- To illustrate letting go of thoughts, Rebecca introduces a memorable analogy:
- “Can you put the glass of water down right? You were thinking about something, you’ve already thought about it, now you’re done with it... Just put the glass of water down on a desk or the table or wherever. Picture it in your mind.” [02:45]
- Visualizing this helps signal the brain that it’s time to pause or move on from current thoughts.
The Three-Step Tool for Quieting Overthinking (03:14 – 05:35)
Step 1: Name What’s Happening
- Bring awareness to your busy mind by saying aloud:
- “Just say out loud to yourself, like, I’m having a lot of thoughts, or this is just thinking, or my brain is in overdrive.” [03:26]
- Speaking it (even quietly) interrupts the thought spiral and externalizes what’s happening.
Step 2: Ground in One Sense
- Use either sight or sound to anchor yourself in the present.
- “If you choose sight, you find something, you name it, you describe deeply what is in front of you, or you can do that with what you hear.” [03:54]
- Deeply describing sensory input pulls your mind out of the rumination loop.
Step 3: Physically Release the Thought
- Intentionally “let go” of thoughts using a physical cue:
- “Shake your hands a little, even if it looks silly. Sometimes I’ll run my fingers through my hair, kind of like do a good, like, head scratch, or I’ll brush my hands down my thighs.” [04:49]
- You can also take a slow exhale, drop your shoulders, and imagine physically putting down your thoughts like the glass of water.
Why It Works & Encouragement to Practice (05:36 – 06:45)
- Combining these three steps moves your brain from “processing to being present.”
- The more often you try this sequence, the easier your brain will pick up on the cues.
- “Doing all these things in combination... will move your brain from processing to being present. And the more times you practice this, the more your brain will pick it up. I promise.” [05:58]
Additional Resources & Affirmations (06:46 – 07:19)
- Rebecca offers a free 20-minute class on overthinking, available at takeouttherapy.com.
- She underscores how deliberate rest is essential for mental health:
- “Your brain needs a signal to shut off. It needs you to be deeply involved in that process. Creating just a simple process for that can help you get an immediate shift in your ability to do that.” [06:59]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Can you put the glass of water down?... Picture it in your mind. That will help your mind create a picture of what it’s like to let things go for now.” [02:45]
- “Just say out loud to yourself... this is just thinking, or my brain is in overdrive.” [03:26]
- “Shake your hands a little, even if it looks silly... Drop your shoulders a little bit and imagine putting it down just like that glass of water.” [04:49]
- “The more times you practice this, the more your brain will pick it up. I promise.” [05:58]
- “Your brain needs a signal to shut off. It needs you to be deeply involved in that process.” [06:59]
- “Take care of yourself and take care of your minds. I hope this was helpful.” [07:13]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 01:15 — Why rest is hard for overthinkers; introducing the challenge
- 02:36 — The “put the glass down” metaphor for letting go of thoughts
- 03:14 — Step 1: Name what’s happening (“I’m having a lot of thoughts…”)
- 03:54 — Step 2: Grounding in one sense (sight or sound)
- 04:49 — Step 3: Physical release (shake hands, exhale, etc.)
- 05:58 — How practice shifts the brain from processing to presence
- 06:46 — Free resources for overthinkers
- 06:59 — Importance of deliberate rest for mental health
Tone and Presentation
Rebecca’s delivery throughout is warm, concise, and gently humorous—designed to feel like “chatting with a friend who’s also a therapist.” She makes technical psychological concepts relatable with analogies and focuses on actionable, zero-fluff advice.
Summary Takeaway
Rebecca Hunter offers empathic high-achievers a short, practical method for calming overthinking:
- Name the mental activity out loud.
- Ground yourself in a present sense (sight or sound).
- Physically release thoughts with an intentional cue, imagining you’re “putting the glass of water down.”
Practice these steps, she promises, and your mind will become easier to quiet, turning restorative breaks into a powerful tool for real mental health.
For more, visit: takeouttherapy.com