By Lindsay Fuson, PMHNP-BC | WellBeing NP – Integrative Psychiatry in Metro Atlanta & Georgia
Welcome to the Loop.
Population: You.
Estimated time of departure: unclear.
The Loop is what I call that mental spiral where your brain just keeps replaying that moment—over and over and over. It could be something from yesterday’s meeting. Or something you said in 2016. A facial expression someone made. A text you sent and immediately regretted. A joke that landed weird. Or maybe it’s just the vague but urgent sense that you did something wrong.
Even if no one else remembers it—you do.
Because your brain won’t let you not remember it.
What is the Loop?
The Loop is your nervous system’s uninvited coping mechanism. It’s like your brain hit “record” on a social interaction, disagreement, or fear—and forgot to hit “stop.”
It can look like:
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Mentally rehashing conversations
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Fixating on one tiny moment of perceived awkwardness
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Replaying an interaction for hours, trying to decode it
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Feeling like you need to “figure it out” before you can relax
The Loop doesn’t show up the same way for everyone.
If you have ADHD, it may be tied to rejection sensitivity or an executive function hangover.
If you live with social anxiety, it might kick in after any interaction with another human.
If you’ve experienced OCD, it can take the form of mental checking, intrusive thoughts, or obsessive rumination.
And if you have a trauma history, it may feel like an involuntary replay of something your body never got to process.
No matter the root, the Loop makes you feel like you did something wrong—or will—and you have to solve it. Now.
The Loop isn’t random. It’s protective.
Your brain isn’t trying to punish you. It’s trying to protect you—from social shame, disconnection, uncertainty, regret, loss, or being misunderstood.
It’s the part of your brain that says:
“If I think about this enough, I’ll figure out how to fix it, prevent it, or never let it happen again.”
Sound familiar? Welcome to the Loop.
This is especially true if you grew up in environments where being misunderstood, too much, or imperfect wasn’t safe.
(Perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional hypervigilance—yeah, all of those feed the Loop, too.)
But here’s the thing: looping doesn’t fix the problem.
Looping just keeps you in the same hallway, pacing. Your nervous system is activated, and your brain thinks it’s doing something helpful—but really, it’s stuck on a loading screen.
You don’t need to “think harder.”
You need to send your brain a message that the threat has passed.
Here’s what I recommend instead:
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Exit the spaceship. Move your body.
You can’t out-think the Loop while sitting in the same posture you were looping in.
Stand up. Shake your hands. Exhale loudly. Tap your chest. Drink cold water.
Anything that tells your body, “We’re not stuck.” -
Eat something grounding.
Seriously. Low blood sugar fuels anxious spirals.
I’m a big fan of a salty protein snack when your brain starts spinning.
(I will die on the “snack is medicine” hill.) -
Say it out loud—or write it down.
Externalizing the loop takes away some of its power.
Try: “My brain is in a spiral about ___ and I don’t actually know what to do with it.”
Set a timer if writing helps. Don’t let journaling become the loop. -
Connect to someone safe.
Text a friend: “Hey, my brain is spiraling and making stuff up again. Just needed to say it.”
Choose people who won’t try to fix it—just mirror back that you’re not losing your mind. -
Ask yourself:
Is this a real problem that needs solving—or is this just residue from something uncomfortable?
Not every anxious thought needs a solution.
Sometimes your nervous system is just working through static.
Final transmission from inside the Loop:
If this feels familiar—you’re not alone.
You’re not being dramatic. You’re not “too much.”
You’re just a human with a beautifully sensitive, overfunctioning brain trying to make sense of the world.
Sometimes that brain gets stuck in the hallway.
At WellBeing NP, I work with people navigating anxiety, OCD, ADHD, rejection sensitivity, and all the complicated ways our nervous systems try to protect us.
Together, we figure out what you need—medically, emotionally, nutritionally, and environmentally—to finally shift the pattern.
I offer virtual appointments across Georgia and in-person sessions in metro Atlanta.
Let’s get you out of the hallway.
