Sometimes, our minds get very busy. We keep thinking about something again and again. This is called overthinking. It can happen when we are worried, confused, or unsure. Kids and grown-ups can both overthink things. It can make us feel tired or stuck, like we can’t stop thinking.
To talk about overthinking, people often use similes. A simile is a phrase that compares two things using “like” or “as.” Similes help us picture things better. They make writing fun and easy to understand. In this article, we will learn some similes that describe what overthinking feels like. These will help you describe your thoughts in a clear and interesting way.
Similes for Overthinking
1. As busy as a beehive
Meaning: Thinking about too many things at once
Give an Instance: Her mind was as busy as a beehive during the test. / I couldn’t sleep because my head was as busy as a beehive.
Substitute Meaning: Full of thoughts / Too many ideas at the same time
2. Like a hamster on a wheel
Meaning: Thinking in circles without stopping
Give an Instance: He kept going over the same question like a hamster on a wheel. / Her brain was spinning like a hamster on a wheel all night.
Substitute Meaning: Stuck thinking / Going nowhere
3. As tangled as a bunch of wires
Meaning: Confused and messy thoughts
Give an Instance: My brain felt as tangled as a bunch of wires. / Her thoughts were as tangled as the cords behind the TV.
Substitute Meaning: Mixed up ideas / Hard to figure out
4. Like popcorn popping in a pan
Meaning: Thoughts jumping quickly one after another
Give an Instance: My ideas were like popcorn popping in a pan. / His mind was jumping like popcorn on the stove.
Substitute Meaning: Fast thoughts / Too many ideas popping up
5. As loud as a marching band
Meaning: Thoughts that are hard to ignore
Give an Instance: His worries were as loud as a marching band. / I tried to focus, but my brain was as loud as a marching band.
Substitute Meaning: Noisy mind / Can’t quiet the thoughts
6. Like a spinning top
Meaning: Going around and around in the mind
Give an Instance: Her thoughts spun like a top at recess. / My brain was spinning like a toy top.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t stop thinking / Thoughts moving fast
7. As stuck as gum under a shoe
Meaning: Can’t stop thinking about one thing
Give an Instance: That idea was as stuck in my head as gum under a shoe. / I couldn’t stop thinking it was like gum stuck to me.
Substitute Meaning: Hard to forget / Keeps coming back
8. Like a puzzle with missing pieces
Meaning: Trying to understand but feeling confused
Give an Instance: My thoughts were like a puzzle with missing pieces. / She was trying to solve a problem like a puzzle without all the pieces.
Substitute Meaning: Not clear / Hard to understand
9. As fast as a race car
Meaning: Thinking very quickly
Give an Instance: His brain was going as fast as a race car. / My thoughts zoomed like a race car at the Indy 500.
Substitute Meaning: Speedy thoughts / Racing mind
10. Like a video stuck on rewind
Meaning: Thinking about the same thing over and over
Give an Instance: I kept playing the moment like a video stuck on rewind. / Her mistake kept repeating in her head like a tape.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t move on / Keep thinking the same
11. As cloudy as a foggy morning
Meaning: Hard to think clearly
Give an Instance: Her thoughts were as cloudy as a foggy morning. / My brain felt foggy, like a misty road.
Substitute Meaning: Not clear / Confused
12. Like a fire alarm that won’t stop
Meaning: Stressful, constant thinking
Give an Instance: His thoughts were like a fire alarm that wouldn’t stop. / Her mind kept ringing like an alarm.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t stop worrying / Loud and nonstop
13. As heavy as a backpack full of books
Meaning: Mental pressure or stress
Give an Instance: Her head felt as heavy as a backpack full of books. / Worrying made my brain feel weighed down.
Substitute Meaning: Too much to think about / Feeling loaded
14. Like a TV with too many channels on
Meaning: Too many thoughts at once
Give an Instance: My mind was like a TV with all the channels on. / His thoughts switched like changing channels.
Substitute Meaning: Jumping between thoughts / No focus
15. As twisty as a roller coaster
Meaning: Ups and downs in thinking
Give an Instance: Her thinking was as twisty as a roller coaster. / My ideas went up and down like a ride.
Substitute Meaning: Emotional / Wild thoughts
16. Like a blender on high
Meaning: Thoughts mixed and fast
Give an Instance: His brain was spinning like a blender on high. / All her ideas were whirling like a smoothie.
Substitute Meaning: Mixed up / Too fast to handle
17. As tricky as a maze
Meaning: Hard to figure out
Give an Instance: Her thoughts were as tricky as a maze. / I felt lost in my own thinking like in a corn maze.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t find the answer / Confusing
18. Like ants running everywhere
Meaning: Busy, nonstop thoughts
Give an Instance: My ideas ran like ants all over a picnic table. / Her brain was crawling with thoughts like ants.
Substitute Meaning: Scattered thoughts / Constant thinking
19. As jumpy as popcorn
Meaning: Quickly switching thoughts
Give an Instance: His mind was as jumpy as popcorn in a bag. / Her ideas wouldn’t stay still, like popcorn popping.
Substitute Meaning: Hyper thinking / Unsettled mind
20. Like pages flipping in the wind
Meaning: Thoughts changing too fast
Give an Instance: Her thoughts were like pages flipping in the wind. / I couldn’t hold one idea it kept flying away.
Substitute Meaning: Short attention / Thoughts that don’t stay
21. As wild as a jungle
Meaning: Full of mixed and messy thoughts
Give an Instance: His brain was as wild as a jungle. / My thoughts felt like vines wrapping around each other.
Substitute Meaning: Untamed thinking / All over the place
22. Like a traffic jam in the brain
Meaning: Too many thoughts blocking each other
Give an Instance: Her thoughts were stuck like a traffic jam. / My mind had so many ideas, they couldn’t move.
Substitute Meaning: Too crowded / Blocked up
23. As noisy as a crowded lunchroom
Meaning: Loud thoughts hard to control
Give an Instance: His brain was as noisy as a lunchroom full of kids. / My thoughts were shouting over each other.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t quiet down / Loud inside
24. Like a merry-go-round that won’t stop
Meaning: Thinking in circles again and again
Give an Instance: My brain was spinning like a merry-go-round. / Her thoughts kept circling like a carnival ride.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t slow down / Repeating thoughts
25. As mixed as a smoothie
Meaning: Blended and hard to tell apart
Give an Instance: Her feelings were as mixed as a smoothie. / My ideas were blended like fruits in a blender.
Substitute Meaning: All jumbled / Hard to sort
26. Like trying to hold water in your hands
Meaning: Hard to control thoughts
Give an Instance: Keeping one thought was like trying to hold water. / The more I tried, the more it slipped away.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t keep one idea / Slipping thoughts
27. As quick as a squirrel
Meaning: Fast-moving and jumpy
Give an Instance: My thoughts were as quick as a squirrel in a park. / Her brain jumped from one idea to the next.
Substitute Meaning: Restless thinking / Too fast
28. Like scribbles on a chalkboard
Meaning: Messy and unclear
Give an Instance: His thinking was like scribbles all over the chalkboard. / My ideas didn’t make sense just scribbles.
Substitute Meaning: Not neat / Confused ideas
29. As packed as a suitcase on vacation
Meaning: Too full to hold more
Give an Instance: Her brain was as packed as a vacation suitcase. / I couldn’t fit one more thought in my head.
Substitute Meaning: Full up / Overloaded
30. Like typing on ten keyboards at once
Meaning: Trying to think about everything
Give an Instance: It felt like typing on ten keyboards at once. / My brain was trying to do too much.
Substitute Meaning: Overdoing it / Too many tasks
31. As restless as a bouncing ball
Meaning: Can’t stay still in thinking
Give an Instance: His thoughts bounced like a ball on a gym floor. / My brain kept jumping like a bouncy ball.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t focus / All over the place
32. Like a game with no end
Meaning: Never finishing the thinking
Give an Instance: Her thoughts were like a game with no end. / My mind just kept playing with no stop.
Substitute Meaning: Always going / No answers
33. As twisty as spaghetti
Meaning: All tangled up
Give an Instance: His ideas were as twisty as spaghetti noodles. / I couldn’t sort my thoughts they were spaghetti.
Substitute Meaning: Confused / All knotted
34. Like a tornado in the brain
Meaning: Spinning thoughts fast and wild
Give an Instance: Her mind was like a tornado during storm season. / My thinking was swirling like strong winds.
Substitute Meaning: Out of control / Spinning thoughts
35. As sticky as syrup
Meaning: Can’t stop thinking about something
Give an Instance: That thought stuck like syrup on pancakes. / My worry was as sticky as syrup.
Substitute Meaning: Won’t go away / Hard to forget
36. Like a broken record
Meaning: Repeating the same thought
Give an Instance: He kept replaying the moment like a broken record. / Her mistake kept repeating like music stuck.
Substitute Meaning: Saying it again and again / No change
37. As endless as a hallway
Meaning: Thoughts that feel like they never end
Give an Instance: Her thinking felt as endless as a school hallway. / The ideas kept coming like a hallway with no door.
Substitute Meaning: Never-ending / No stop
38. Like puzzle pieces that don’t fit
Meaning: Ideas that don’t work together
Give an Instance: His thoughts were like puzzle pieces that didn’t match. / My ideas wouldn’t fit right.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t put together / Doesn’t match
39. As fast as a roller skate downhill
Meaning: Racing thoughts too fast to stop
Give an Instance: My brain was rolling as fast as a skate down a hill. / Her thinking was zooming too fast.
Substitute Meaning: Out of control / Fast moving
40. Like water boiling in a pot
Meaning: Hot, active thoughts bubbling up
Give an Instance: Her brain boiled with thoughts like soup on the stove. / His worry was bubbling like hot water.
Substitute Meaning: Full of energy / Can’t cool down
41. As crowded as a school bus
Meaning: Too many thoughts in one place
Give an Instance: My head felt as crowded as a school bus at pickup. / Her ideas were packed like kids on the last day of school.
Substitute Meaning: Full of noise / Tight space
42. Like a seesaw going too fast
Meaning: Up and down thinking quickly
Give an Instance: His thoughts were up and down like a seesaw. / My brain was bouncing like a playground toy.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t balance / Always changing
43. As confusing as a dream
Meaning: Strange, unclear thoughts
Give an Instance: Her thinking was as confusing as a weird dream. / I woke up thinking about it all over again.
Substitute Meaning: Doesn’t make sense / Not clear
44. Like buttons pressed at the same time
Meaning: Too much thinking happening at once
Give an Instance: It felt like pressing all the buttons on a game controller. / My thoughts came all at once.
Substitute Meaning: Overload / Too many ideas
45. As restless as a rainy day inside
Meaning: Bored and full of thinking
Give an Instance: I felt as restless as a kid stuck inside on a rainy day. / Her mind wouldn’t calm down just like a stormy day.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t settle / Too much energy inside
Find the “Similes for Overthinking”
Reading Passage
It was the night before the big science fair, and Jordan couldn’t sleep. His brain was spinning like a hamster on a wheel. He kept thinking about whether his volcano model would work. Every five minutes, he jumped from one idea to another like popcorn popping in a pan.
He tried to read a book, but his thoughts were as noisy as a crowded lunchroom. He even got out of bed to double-check his project notes. His brain felt like a blender on high, mixing worry with excitement.
At breakfast, Jordan sat with his cereal untouched. His mom asked what was wrong, and he said his mind was as tangled as a bunch of wires. He kept playing the same mistake over and over like a video stuck on rewind. His thoughts were like puzzle pieces that didn’t fit.
On the way to school, his heart raced. His thinking was as fast as a race car on a track. He stared out the window, feeling like a game with no end. Even in class, he couldn’t focus. His mind felt like a tornado in the brain.
Finally, the science fair started. As soon as he saw his volcano erupt perfectly, he took a deep breath. His thoughts began to calm.
Task for Students
Read the story again. Underline or list all the similes that describe overthinking.
Answer Key
- Like a hamster on a wheel
- Like popcorn popping in a pan
- As noisy as a crowded lunchroom
- Like a blender on high
- As tangled as a bunch of wires
- Like a video stuck on rewind
- Like puzzle pieces that didn’t fit
- As fast as a race car
- Like a game with no end
- Like a tornado in the brain
Conclusion
Overthinking is when your brain won’t slow down. It can make you feel stuck, tired, or confused. Using similes can help describe that feeling. These word pictures, like “a brain spinning like a hamster on a wheel” or “as tangled as a bunch of wires,” help explain thoughts in a simple way.
When you read or write, try using similes to show how someone feels. It makes your ideas clearer and more fun to understand. Similes make tricky feelings easier to talk about.
