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Thinking isn’t the problem. This is.

Most people don’t have a sleep issue — they have a boundary issue.

SLEEP

Marisa Netherwood

4/24/20261 min read

A cute pink cartoon brain character, smiling brightly and holding three glowing lightbulbs, symbolizing creative ideas and
A cute pink cartoon brain character, smiling brightly and holding three glowing lightbulbs, symbolizing creative ideas and

At this point, I sometimes use a phrase that gets a reaction:

Thinking addiction.

Stay with me.

It’s not that we think too much — thinking is what the brain does.

Seen this way, it becomes less of a flaw, and more of a skill gap.

And skill gaps can be worked with.

You learn, you practice, you refine.

Over time, what once felt automatic becomes something you can influence.

Once this shifts, sleep becomes much easier to access.

There are always thoughts:

reminders, plans, memories, possibilities, worries, ideas.

That’s normal.

The issue is not thinking.

👉 It’s the inability to disengage from thinking when it’s no longer helpful.

Many people were never shown how to do that.

We don’t learn how to set boundaries with thoughts in the same way we might learn to set boundaries with people or responsibilities.

So thinking continues… into the night… into the space where sleep is meant to happen.

A person in a white suit massages their forehead, expressing stress or a headache against a black background.
A person in a white suit massages their forehead, expressing stress or a headache against a black background.
A man in striped pajamas lying in bed with a wide-eyed, shocked expression of sudden realization.
A man in striped pajamas lying in bed with a wide-eyed, shocked expression of sudden realization.
A sleepy long-haired chihuahua puppy napping next to a plush teddy bear.
A sleepy long-haired chihuahua puppy napping next to a plush teddy bear.

Next week, we’ll get into how.